A magazine about programmers, code, and society. Written by and for humans since 2018.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, February 3rd, 2025
Welcome to the 77th issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, about the C++ programming language. In this edition, we take the risqué choice of comparing the work of Bjarne Stroustrup to that of the late film director David Lynch; in the Library section, we review "Effective C++" by Scott Meyers; and in our Vidéothèque section, we learn about programming language safety from Herb Sutter.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, August 5th, 2024
Welcome to the 71st issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, about the Go programming language. In this edition, we provide context to the meteoric ascension of Go in the programming world; in the Library section, we review the work and legacy of Sir C. A. R. "Tony" Hoare; and in our Vidéothèque section, we watch four videos by Rob Pike.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, February 5th, 2024
Welcome to the sixty-fifth issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, about the Pascal programming language. In this edition, we react to the sudden news of Niklaus Wirth's passing with memories of the past and perspectives of the present; in the Library section, we review "Classics in Software Engineering" by Edward Nash Yourdon; and in our Vidéothèque section, we watch some recent interviews of Niklaus Wirth himself.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, August 7th, 2023
Welcome to the fifty-ninth issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, about the BASIC Programming Language. In this edition, we reconsider the role and importance of BASIC in the education of computer programmers; in the Library section, we review "Endless Loop" by Mark Jones Lorenzo; and in our Vidéothèque section, we review a commemorative video for the 50th anniversary of the BASIC programming language by Dartmouth College.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, September 5th, 2022
Alan Jay Perlis knew a thing or two about programming languages, both as an early pioneer of our industry and as one of the designers of ALGOL. The language that has inspired the one you, dear reader of this magazine, probably use every day to earn a living.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, August 1st, 2022
Welcome to the forty-seventh issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, dedicated to the subject of Rust. In this edition, Graham doubts the need to rewrite all the wheels in Rust; Adrian observes the growth of Rust in the past 15 months; and in the Library section, Graham reviews "Working Effectively with Legacy Code" by Michael Feathers.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, September 6th, 2021
If there is one galaxy in the software development universe that has suffered from the relentless, unstoppable, frantic, and unbearable pace of innovation, that one is, undoubtedly, JavaScript.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, August 2nd, 2021
Welcome to the thirty-fifth issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, dedicated to the subject of Python. In this edition, Graham describes the pains caused by the decade-long migration from Python 2 to 3; Adrian describes the preeminence of Python in the software industry of 2021; and in the Library section, Graham types import this in the REPL and recites the Zen of Python by Tim Peters.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, May 3rd, 2021
The book "Writing Secure Code, 2nd Edition" written by David LeBlanc and Michael Howard, published by Microsoft Press in 2002, was once required reading at Microsoft, following Bill Gates' "Trustworthy Computing" memo. The fifth chapter of said book is titled "Public Enemy #1: The Buffer Overrun" and it starts with a very interesting historical perspective on the problem, referring to the Morris Worm in 1986 as precedent, and even finding occurrences as far back as the 1960s.
By Adrian Kosmaczewski, October 5th, 2020
Welcome to the twenty-fifth issue of De Programmatica Ipsum, starting our third year with a rediscovery of Smalltalk. In this edition, Graham explains that Smalltalk was not a pink plane improvement; Adrian dipped his toes in Smalltalk and wrote about his experience; and in the Library section, Graham describes the greatest contributions of Kent Beck to software engineering.
