AI, Entropy, and the Illusion of Convergence in Modern Software
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8u5kq/ai_entropy_and_the_illusion_of_convergence_in/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hey everyone!
I just started a blog recently, and last week I finally published my first longer technical blog post: It's about entropy, divergence vs. convergence, and why tests aren’t just verification - they’re convergence mechanisms. tldr;
-----
AI tools have dramatically reduced the cost of divergence: exploration, variation, and rapid generation of code and tests. In healthy systems, divergence must be followed by convergence, the deliberate effort of collapsing possibilities into contracts that define what must remain true. Tests, reframed this way, are not just checks but convergence mechanisms: they encode commitments the system will actively defend over time. When divergence becomes nearly frictionless and convergence doesn’t, systems expand faster than humans can converge them. The result? Tests that mirror incidental implementation detail instead of encoding stable intent. Instead of reversing entropy, they amplify it by committing the system to things that were never meant to be stable.
----- If you're interested, give it a read, I'd appreciate it.
If not, maybe let me know what I could do better! Appreciate any feedback, and happy to partake in discussions :) <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/TranslatorRude4917 (https://www.reddit.com/user/TranslatorRude4917)
[link] (https://www.abelenekes.com/p/when-change-becomes-cheaper-than-commitment) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8u5kq/ai_entropy_and_the_illusion_of_convergence_in/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8u5kq/ai_entropy_and_the_illusion_of_convergence_in/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hey everyone!
I just started a blog recently, and last week I finally published my first longer technical blog post: It's about entropy, divergence vs. convergence, and why tests aren’t just verification - they’re convergence mechanisms. tldr;
-----
AI tools have dramatically reduced the cost of divergence: exploration, variation, and rapid generation of code and tests. In healthy systems, divergence must be followed by convergence, the deliberate effort of collapsing possibilities into contracts that define what must remain true. Tests, reframed this way, are not just checks but convergence mechanisms: they encode commitments the system will actively defend over time. When divergence becomes nearly frictionless and convergence doesn’t, systems expand faster than humans can converge them. The result? Tests that mirror incidental implementation detail instead of encoding stable intent. Instead of reversing entropy, they amplify it by committing the system to things that were never meant to be stable.
----- If you're interested, give it a read, I'd appreciate it.
If not, maybe let me know what I could do better! Appreciate any feedback, and happy to partake in discussions :) <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/TranslatorRude4917 (https://www.reddit.com/user/TranslatorRude4917)
[link] (https://www.abelenekes.com/p/when-change-becomes-cheaper-than-commitment) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8u5kq/ai_entropy_and_the_illusion_of_convergence_in/)
I traced 3,177 API calls to see what 4 AI coding tools put in the context window
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8yh5h/i_traced_3177_api_calls_to_see_what_4_ai_coding/
submitted by /u/wouldacouldashoulda (https://www.reddit.com/user/wouldacouldashoulda)
[link] (https://theredbeard.io/blog/i-intercepted-3177-api-calls-across-4-ai-coding-tools) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8yh5h/i_traced_3177_api_calls_to_see_what_4_ai_coding/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8yh5h/i_traced_3177_api_calls_to_see_what_4_ai_coding/
submitted by /u/wouldacouldashoulda (https://www.reddit.com/user/wouldacouldashoulda)
[link] (https://theredbeard.io/blog/i-intercepted-3177-api-calls-across-4-ai-coding-tools) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8yh5h/i_traced_3177_api_calls_to_see_what_4_ai_coding/)
Learn C++ by Example • Frances Buontempo & Matt Godbolt
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8ysub/learn_c_by_example_frances_buontempo_matt_godbolt/
submitted by /u/goto-con (https://www.reddit.com/user/goto-con)
[link] (https://youtu.be/PXKICIiXEUM?list=PLEx5khR4g7PJbSLmADahf0LOpTLifiCra) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8ysub/learn_c_by_example_frances_buontempo_matt_godbolt/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8ysub/learn_c_by_example_frances_buontempo_matt_godbolt/
submitted by /u/goto-con (https://www.reddit.com/user/goto-con)
[link] (https://youtu.be/PXKICIiXEUM?list=PLEx5khR4g7PJbSLmADahf0LOpTLifiCra) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r8ysub/learn_c_by_example_frances_buontempo_matt_godbolt/)
Compiler Education Deserves a Revolution
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90cwl/compiler_education_deserves_a_revolution/
submitted by /u/thunderseethe (https://www.reddit.com/user/thunderseethe)
[link] (https://thunderseethe.dev/posts/compiler-education-deserves-a-revoluation/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90cwl/compiler_education_deserves_a_revolution/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90cwl/compiler_education_deserves_a_revolution/
submitted by /u/thunderseethe (https://www.reddit.com/user/thunderseethe)
[link] (https://thunderseethe.dev/posts/compiler-education-deserves-a-revoluation/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90cwl/compiler_education_deserves_a_revolution/)
Cosmologically Unique IDs
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90jg9/cosmologically_unique_ids/
submitted by /u/schmul112 (https://www.reddit.com/user/schmul112)
[link] (https://jasonfantl.com/posts/Universal-Unique-IDs/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90jg9/cosmologically_unique_ids/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90jg9/cosmologically_unique_ids/
submitted by /u/schmul112 (https://www.reddit.com/user/schmul112)
[link] (https://jasonfantl.com/posts/Universal-Unique-IDs/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90jg9/cosmologically_unique_ids/)
MySQL and PostgreSQL: different approaches to solve the same problem
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90loc/mysql_and_postgresql_different_approaches_to/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Both DBs solve the same problem: How to most effectively store and provide access to data, in an ACID-compliant way? ACID compliance might be implemented in various ways and SQL databases can vary quite substantially how they choose to go about it. MySQL in particular, with the default InnoDB engine, takes a completely different approach to Postgres. Both implementations have their own tradeoffs, set of advantages and disadvantages. In theory, the MySQL (InnoDB) approach should have an edge for: partial updates of tables with more indexes - not all indexes but only of changed columns have to be modified querying tables by the Primary Key - index is the table so it should be as fast as it gets, since data is read from a single place previous row versions are stored in a separate space on the disk, therefore active transactions are less affected by the potentially large older row versions Postgres advantages are: uniform search performance for all indexes - there is no primary/secondary index distinction, performance is the same for all of them smaller penalty for random inserts because tables are stored on a heap, in random order, in contrast with sorted MySQL Clustered Index (table) previously started transactions have better access to prior row versions, since they are stored in the same disk space there is less need for locking (virtually none) to support more demanding isolation levels and concurrent access - previous row versions are stored in the same disk space and can be considered or discarded based on special columns (xmin, xmax mostly) In theory, theory and practice are the same. But, let's see how it is in practice! <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/BinaryIgor (https://www.reddit.com/user/BinaryIgor)
[link] (https://binaryigor.com/mysql-and-postgresql-different-approaches.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90loc/mysql_and_postgresql_different_approaches_to/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90loc/mysql_and_postgresql_different_approaches_to/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Both DBs solve the same problem: How to most effectively store and provide access to data, in an ACID-compliant way? ACID compliance might be implemented in various ways and SQL databases can vary quite substantially how they choose to go about it. MySQL in particular, with the default InnoDB engine, takes a completely different approach to Postgres. Both implementations have their own tradeoffs, set of advantages and disadvantages. In theory, the MySQL (InnoDB) approach should have an edge for: partial updates of tables with more indexes - not all indexes but only of changed columns have to be modified querying tables by the Primary Key - index is the table so it should be as fast as it gets, since data is read from a single place previous row versions are stored in a separate space on the disk, therefore active transactions are less affected by the potentially large older row versions Postgres advantages are: uniform search performance for all indexes - there is no primary/secondary index distinction, performance is the same for all of them smaller penalty for random inserts because tables are stored on a heap, in random order, in contrast with sorted MySQL Clustered Index (table) previously started transactions have better access to prior row versions, since they are stored in the same disk space there is less need for locking (virtually none) to support more demanding isolation levels and concurrent access - previous row versions are stored in the same disk space and can be considered or discarded based on special columns (xmin, xmax mostly) In theory, theory and practice are the same. But, let's see how it is in practice! <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/BinaryIgor (https://www.reddit.com/user/BinaryIgor)
[link] (https://binaryigor.com/mysql-and-postgresql-different-approaches.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r90loc/mysql_and_postgresql_different_approaches_to/)
-fbounds-safety: Enforcing bounds safety for C
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r92foq/fboundssafety_enforcing_bounds_safety_for_c/
submitted by /u/Maybe-monad (https://www.reddit.com/user/Maybe-monad)
[link] (https://clang.llvm.org/docs/BoundsSafety.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r92foq/fboundssafety_enforcing_bounds_safety_for_c/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r92foq/fboundssafety_enforcing_bounds_safety_for_c/
submitted by /u/Maybe-monad (https://www.reddit.com/user/Maybe-monad)
[link] (https://clang.llvm.org/docs/BoundsSafety.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r92foq/fboundssafety_enforcing_bounds_safety_for_c/)
Lessons learned building a cross-language plot capture engine in R & Python
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r93zyo/lessons_learned_building_a_crosslanguage_plot/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I spent a lot of time trying to build a "zero-config" plot capture system for both R and Python. It turns out the two languages have fundamentally different philosophies on how pixels get to the screen which make this easy in Python and super hard in R. I wrote a deep dive comparing the display architectures in both languages, including some admittedly hacky ways to find figure objects through stack inspection. Hope it helps someone avoid our mistakes! <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/mpacula (https://www.reddit.com/user/mpacula)
[link] (https://quickanalysis.substack.com/p/capturing-plots-in-r-and-python-a) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r93zyo/lessons_learned_building_a_crosslanguage_plot/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r93zyo/lessons_learned_building_a_crosslanguage_plot/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I spent a lot of time trying to build a "zero-config" plot capture system for both R and Python. It turns out the two languages have fundamentally different philosophies on how pixels get to the screen which make this easy in Python and super hard in R. I wrote a deep dive comparing the display architectures in both languages, including some admittedly hacky ways to find figure objects through stack inspection. Hope it helps someone avoid our mistakes! <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/mpacula (https://www.reddit.com/user/mpacula)
[link] (https://quickanalysis.substack.com/p/capturing-plots-in-r-and-python-a) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r93zyo/lessons_learned_building_a_crosslanguage_plot/)
Choosing a Language Based on its Syntax?
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94fzu/choosing_a_language_based_on_its_syntax/
submitted by /u/gingerbill (https://www.reddit.com/user/gingerbill)
[link] (https://www.gingerbill.org/article/2026/02/19/choosing-a-language-based-on-syntax/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94fzu/choosing_a_language_based_on_its_syntax/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94fzu/choosing_a_language_based_on_its_syntax/
submitted by /u/gingerbill (https://www.reddit.com/user/gingerbill)
[link] (https://www.gingerbill.org/article/2026/02/19/choosing-a-language-based-on-syntax/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94fzu/choosing_a_language_based_on_its_syntax/)
Most Developers Don’t Build New Things
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94m2g/most_developers_dont_build_new_things/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I wrote this after noticing how much framework discussion focuses on greenfield work. In practice, most teams I see are inside 10 or 12-year-old systems, evolving them under real constraints. The piece is about that “second act” of software. After launch. After early growth. When reliability and discipline matter more than novelty. Curious how others here think about this. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/robbyrussell (https://www.reddit.com/user/robbyrussell)
[link] (https://robbyonrails.com/articles/2026/02/18/most-developers-dont-build-new-things/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94m2g/most_developers_dont_build_new_things/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94m2g/most_developers_dont_build_new_things/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I wrote this after noticing how much framework discussion focuses on greenfield work. In practice, most teams I see are inside 10 or 12-year-old systems, evolving them under real constraints. The piece is about that “second act” of software. After launch. After early growth. When reliability and discipline matter more than novelty. Curious how others here think about this. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/robbyrussell (https://www.reddit.com/user/robbyrussell)
[link] (https://robbyonrails.com/articles/2026/02/18/most-developers-dont-build-new-things/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94m2g/most_developers_dont_build_new_things/)
How Timsort Algorithm Works
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94qe7/how_timsort_algorithm_works/
submitted by /u/sdxyz42 (https://www.reddit.com/user/sdxyz42)
[link] (https://newsletter.systemdesign.one/p/timsort-algorithm) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94qe7/how_timsort_algorithm_works/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94qe7/how_timsort_algorithm_works/
submitted by /u/sdxyz42 (https://www.reddit.com/user/sdxyz42)
[link] (https://newsletter.systemdesign.one/p/timsort-algorithm) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r94qe7/how_timsort_algorithm_works/)
Farewell, Rust
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r97is7/farewell_rust/
submitted by /u/skwee357 (https://www.reddit.com/user/skwee357)
[link] (https://yieldcode.blog/post/farewell-rust/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r97is7/farewell_rust/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r97is7/farewell_rust/
submitted by /u/skwee357 (https://www.reddit.com/user/skwee357)
[link] (https://yieldcode.blog/post/farewell-rust/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r97is7/farewell_rust/)
The Claude C Compiler: What It Reveals About the Future of Software - Chris Lattner
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r99sn0/the_claude_c_compiler_what_it_reveals_about_the/
submitted by /u/mttd (https://www.reddit.com/user/mttd)
[link] (https://www.modular.com/blog/the-claude-c-compiler-what-it-reveals-about-the-future-of-software) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r99sn0/the_claude_c_compiler_what_it_reveals_about_the/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r99sn0/the_claude_c_compiler_what_it_reveals_about_the/
submitted by /u/mttd (https://www.reddit.com/user/mttd)
[link] (https://www.modular.com/blog/the-claude-c-compiler-what-it-reveals-about-the-future-of-software) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r99sn0/the_claude_c_compiler_what_it_reveals_about_the/)
Amazon service was taken down by AI coding bot [December outage]
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9nhsx/amazon_service_was_taken_down_by_ai_coding_bot/
submitted by /u/DubiousLLM (https://www.reddit.com/user/DubiousLLM)
[link] (https://www.ft.com/content/00c282de-ed14-4acd-a948-bc8d6bdb339d) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9nhsx/amazon_service_was_taken_down_by_ai_coding_bot/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9nhsx/amazon_service_was_taken_down_by_ai_coding_bot/
submitted by /u/DubiousLLM (https://www.reddit.com/user/DubiousLLM)
[link] (https://www.ft.com/content/00c282de-ed14-4acd-a948-bc8d6bdb339d) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9nhsx/amazon_service_was_taken_down_by_ai_coding_bot/)
No Skill. No Taste.
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9o4lo/no_skill_no_taste/
submitted by /u/itb206 (https://www.reddit.com/user/itb206)
[link] (https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9o4lo/no_skill_no_taste/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9o4lo/no_skill_no_taste/
submitted by /u/itb206 (https://www.reddit.com/user/itb206)
[link] (https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9o4lo/no_skill_no_taste/)
A Brief History of Bjarne Stroustrup, the Creator of C++
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pd1u/a_brief_history_of_bjarne_stroustrup_the_creator/
submitted by /u/BlueGoliath (https://www.reddit.com/user/BlueGoliath)
[link] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDtvEsv730Y) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pd1u/a_brief_history_of_bjarne_stroustrup_the_creator/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pd1u/a_brief_history_of_bjarne_stroustrup_the_creator/
submitted by /u/BlueGoliath (https://www.reddit.com/user/BlueGoliath)
[link] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDtvEsv730Y) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pd1u/a_brief_history_of_bjarne_stroustrup_the_creator/)
How I made a shooter game in 64 KB
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pwhk/how_i_made_a_shooter_game_in_64_kb/
submitted by /u/Chii (https://www.reddit.com/user/Chii)
[link] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qht68vFaa1M) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pwhk/how_i_made_a_shooter_game_in_64_kb/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pwhk/how_i_made_a_shooter_game_in_64_kb/
submitted by /u/Chii (https://www.reddit.com/user/Chii)
[link] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qht68vFaa1M) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9pwhk/how_i_made_a_shooter_game_in_64_kb/)
AWS suffered ‘at least two outages’ caused by AI tools, and now I’m convinced we’re living inside a ‘Silicon Valley’ episode
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xd58/aws_suffered_at_least_two_outages_caused_by_ai/
<!-- SC_OFF -->"The most efficient way to get rid of all the bugs was to get rid of all the software, which is technically and statistically correct." <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/squishygorilla (https://www.reddit.com/user/squishygorilla)
[link] (https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/aws-suffered-at-least-two-outages-caused-by-ai-tools-and-now-im-convinced-were-living-inside-a-silicon-valley-episode) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xd58/aws_suffered_at_least_two_outages_caused_by_ai/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xd58/aws_suffered_at_least_two_outages_caused_by_ai/
<!-- SC_OFF -->"The most efficient way to get rid of all the bugs was to get rid of all the software, which is technically and statistically correct." <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/squishygorilla (https://www.reddit.com/user/squishygorilla)
[link] (https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/aws-suffered-at-least-two-outages-caused-by-ai-tools-and-now-im-convinced-were-living-inside-a-silicon-valley-episode) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xd58/aws_suffered_at_least_two_outages_caused_by_ai/)
I built the same PostgreSQL REST API in 6 languages — here's how the database libraries compare
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xv1x/i_built_the_same_postgresql_rest_api_in_6/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I've been building an identical CRUD API backed by PostgreSQL in six languages to compare how each ecosystem handles database access in practice. Covered: TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, Go, and Kotlin. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/davideme (https://www.reddit.com/user/davideme)
[link] (https://davideme.com/articles/crud-postgres/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xv1x/i_built_the_same_postgresql_rest_api_in_6/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xv1x/i_built_the_same_postgresql_rest_api_in_6/
<!-- SC_OFF -->I've been building an identical CRUD API backed by PostgreSQL in six languages to compare how each ecosystem handles database access in practice. Covered: TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, Go, and Kotlin. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/davideme (https://www.reddit.com/user/davideme)
[link] (https://davideme.com/articles/crud-postgres/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1r9xv1x/i_built_the_same_postgresql_rest_api_in_6/)
Django ORM Standalone⁽¹⁾: Querying an existing database
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra066j/django_orm_standalone%C2%B9_querying_an_existing/
submitted by /u/spirittowin (https://www.reddit.com/user/spirittowin)
[link] (https://www.paulox.net/2026/02/20/django-orm-standalone-database-inspectdb-query/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra066j/django_orm_standalone%C2%B9_querying_an_existing/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra066j/django_orm_standalone%C2%B9_querying_an_existing/
submitted by /u/spirittowin (https://www.reddit.com/user/spirittowin)
[link] (https://www.paulox.net/2026/02/20/django-orm-standalone-database-inspectdb-query/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra066j/django_orm_standalone%C2%B9_querying_an_existing/)
ThunderKittens 2.0: Even Faster Kernels for Your GPUs
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra32mk/thunderkittens_20_even_faster_kernels_for_your/
submitted by /u/mttd (https://www.reddit.com/user/mttd)
[link] (https://hazyresearch.stanford.edu/blog/2026-02-19-tk-2) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra32mk/thunderkittens_20_even_faster_kernels_for_your/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra32mk/thunderkittens_20_even_faster_kernels_for_your/
submitted by /u/mttd (https://www.reddit.com/user/mttd)
[link] (https://hazyresearch.stanford.edu/blog/2026-02-19-tk-2) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1ra32mk/thunderkittens_20_even_faster_kernels_for_your/)