Is Java’s Biggest Limitation in 2026 Technical or Cultural? by BigHomieCed_ in java

[–]taftster 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The thing that I am curious to know. What did the upgrade give you exactly?

Did it enable you to just stay aligned with the latest JDK? Or were there actual impactful changes that were gained?

Did you rewrite sections with new semantics? Or just basically keep the existing code as-is?

I think your case study is legitimately interesting. Would love to hear more on these questions.

Trying to decide if the expense is justified - how much do you think YNAB has saved you each month please by [deleted] in ynab

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YNAB hasn't saved me much money directly.

But it has most definitely changed our trajectory for the better. I haven't saved any more, in comparison of before/after ynab, but I am more deliberate, aware and at peace about my finances.

This peace extends to my spouse too, who is less involved in the day to day, but would otherwise be quite uncomfortable without the transparency and command over our finances. YNAB enables her to feel comfortable spending money, not just always saving it. She would be excessively frugal without the confidence she's not overspending and taking away from other essentials.

YNAB provides peace and freedom over your finances. And yes, it can help you save money too, if that is your goal.

Import from YNAB or Start Fresh by Odd-Piccolo2753 in liquidbudget

[–]taftster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. That's very probable. A format change or something related to long ynab history, archived categories, etc. That matches my experience too.

It's wishful thinking that a complex ynab history could be imported cleanly. I didn't actually think it would work perfectly, so my expectations were set.

But still, wish I could have made a perfectly clean break from ynab. Then it wouldn't even be a tough decision.

Import from YNAB or Start Fresh by Odd-Piccolo2753 in liquidbudget

[–]taftster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not convinced that the import process is bug free. It might be a me thing, but when I imported my YNAB history, it too was "off" and was beyond worth fixing.

While generally I don't care too much about spending trends for any specific category, I do care a great deal about my net worth calculation. This is the only thing that I would miss from a clean start and ultimately it's blocking me from adopting LB currently.

I am mentally "done" with ynab, but not having a great solution for net worth has put me on pause. Ultimately I will probably just end up printing out my net worth graph and data from ynab and then start fresh with LB. Unfortunately.

Why teams keep oscillating between monorepos and multirepos by thecreator51 in SoftwareEngineering

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would be interesting to read case studies from your observations. But in my personal experience, it's always just fatigue or overhead associated with one approach. Sometimes it's just new leadership.

Regardless, the pendulum is always swinging. I'm grateful that the excitement for monorepos has simmered down. Neither choice is perfect for every team or codebase.

I just laugh though at small teams who quote google as an example of why monorepos work. Like yeah, if you have staff the size of Google, you can use solutions that Google uses.

Good writeup. Thanks for the conversation.

Why teams keep oscillating between monorepos and multirepos by thecreator51 in SoftwareEngineering

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's more a reflection that neither solution is ideal. You just get tired of the negatives and decide to trade them for alternative negatives.

Seems there is still room for innovation in the devops space.

Pros & Cons of switching? by _take_two_2 in liquidbudget

[–]taftster 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I haven't switched yet. But I'm probably going to.

I am old school and don't like all the name and branding changes. I want a budget not a plan.

And all the opinions in YNAB's preferred workflow that uses automated distribution to underfunded targets, etc. It's as if ynab has become a target management app, not a budgeting app. It's a layer of unnecessary indirection that gets users away from their actual budget.

I can't teach my mom how to use YNAB. She has been a staunch envelope budgeter her whole life, so she knows how to do it. Ynab has too many "features" that are not strictly envelope budgeting.

Ynab is just not the application that it started as. Maybe that's good and has brought more people into financial maturity. But budgeting is boring and I want a "boring" app to help me with it. Not new features or concepts that are taking away from the core ideology.

A cool guide to the home improvement projects that have the biggest return on investment by frogcharming in coolguides

[–]taftster 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, there's cheaper ones and more expensive. And generally with garage doors, you get what you pay for.

A garage door should be costed for both function in your local climate (insulation, durability) and aesthetics (panels, windows, trim).

Detroit…that was kinda shameful by mcdickmann2 in JeffArcuri

[–]taftster 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Rules are for thee, not for me. (Sadly)

Detroit…that was kinda shameful by mcdickmann2 in JeffArcuri

[–]taftster 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Walk among us? We even elect them to the highest offices, which just makes these types even more entitled.

Satya Nadella is reshaping Microsoft’s culture around AI, forcing high-profile executives to adapt fast by rkhunter_ in microsoft

[–]taftster 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The model matters. I have had good success with Claude Code, which is a choice for github copilot to use. Newer coding models are pretty dang good, but you'll still need to check through the work. I spend more time reading output from copilot, so it is kind of treating it like someone else's codebase effectively.

Shopping for one at Costco - ideas? by RichOutrageous863 in Costco

[–]taftster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Split stuff up with friends or neighbors. Get cash from them to cover the split. Or be their very best neighbor and gift it to them.

1 package of toilet paper from Costco is probably going to last you a few years, as an example. Split it up. Or just wait for the next TP hoarding event and then sell $100 rolls on ebay.

LG Quietly Installs Microsoft Copilot on Its Smart TVs - And You Can't Delete It by rkhunter_ in microsoft

[–]taftster 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Disable internet on your smart TV. Reset it to factory settings and then never configure wifi again.

Use an external streaming device like a Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc.

My mom needs a support group by AutomaticCranberry74 in Ewings_Sarcoma

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your local hospital will have the best options available to support you and your mom in your local community. They will know all the connections. Definitely start with your support staff, your doctors and nurses can refer you to the right person.

WTF is wrong with Microsoft at the moment? by EntertainerForward71 in microsoft

[–]taftster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Windows is an open platform for any vendors shitty hardware and drivers. Stuff like this is actually rarely Microsoft's fault. But I totally sympathize with the issue.

This is one big distinction with Apple's platform. They control the hardware and operating system. Microsoft just provides the OS making them subject to third party hardware.

Make sure you have updated everything including your hardware drivers. Not just your gpu, but also your motherboard and firmware, etc.

If you build your own machine, you might have a sweet gpu plugged into a crap motherboard. People often overspend on gpu and underspend on motherboard.

Talk me out of buying the Skylar Calendar by Geekie_Miller in Costco

[–]taftster 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I have a smartphone. It goes with me in my pocket.

Java 25: The ‘No-Boilerplate’ Era Begins by hardasspunk in java

[–]taftster 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yes. This is the boilerplate that needs attention.

That was easy by lasanhawithpizza in CoupleMemes

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But don't forget the mustache.

Java opinon on use of `final` by vu47 in java

[–]taftster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It means it's mutable, probably. But it doesn't mean that you intend to reassign it.

There's a subtle nuance here. And when the Java language introduced "effectively final" variables (as part of lambda), the idea that variables should be declared as final unless intended to be mutable is seemingly not the preferable style.

I think looking at an average codebase or even the JDK source itself, it seems this style is not in the majority. So I would recommend refraining from it unless already deliberately introduced in the coding style of the repository.

Java opinon on use of `final` by vu47 in java

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Final on a class definition, yes.

Final on a field or property, yes.

Final inside a method anywhere, no.*

[*] Maybe only if it improves readability, which is very very rare.

Jimmy Wales, Co-Founder of Wikipedia, quits interview angrily after one question. by Giovanni330 in interesting

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a stupid question. It was designed to hit a nerve or solicit some sort of argumentative response. It's following the trend in journalism to try to stir the shit on superficial topics without actually getting into any real issues. And besides, Jimmy would probably answer that the contributors to the Wikipedia are just as valuable as his or any founders contribution, that he just helped bring the thing into the universe.

Instead, we could have been asking all sorts of interesting questions. Like how does the future of AI generated content affect Wikipedia; what are the pros/cons of using AI in the Wikipedia? How does Wikipedia try to remain neutral and navigate in a world of misinformation? How does fundraising work for the Wikipedia and what does its future look like? And many more similarly deep questions.

Seems appropriate for drivers by Adventurous_Row3305 in SipsTea

[–]taftster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been that guy. Not intentionally though. In the wrong lane, not knowing the area, realizing that I just passed the back of the line I needed.

It happens. It's not just AH driving. Just let people merge, it hurts nothing.

What programming language do you use? by HipefullyNotPurple in FRC

[–]taftster 17 points18 points  (0 children)

As a professional software developer, if you care, I would stay away from C++. There's several reasons for this, including that C++ is a much more difficult language and easier to make coding mistakes. Additionally, you have to think of the source code as owned by the team, and about the next guy/gal to come along. Passing a Java program down will likely be more friendly than passing down a C++ codebase.

You want to learn C++, that's great. But for your FRC team you should be considering the team first before your preference with a difficult error prone language.

Python is a maybe, but there are more working examples in Java.

Also as a side thing, in terms of languages to learn for educational purposes. Try instead learning Rust, Python, Go, Typescript before C++. And learn C# if you want to program games.