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David Majda

David Majda

@majda.cz

40 followers 10 following 36 posts

Software engineer and engineering manager with a passion for programming languages, web technologies, software craftsmanship, and sustainability. https://majda.cz

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Reposted by David Majda

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Oct 1

Politics isn't manipulation and backstabbing. It's understanding how decisions actually get made and learning to navigate that reality.

Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...

Stop Avoiding Politics

Most engineers think workplace politics is dirty. They’re wrong. Refusing to play politics doesn’t make you noble; it makes you ineffective.

terriblesoftware.org

David Majda @majda.cz · Oct 1

“What happens when something we enjoy doing that took effort becomes effortless? And what happens if that original effort was a foundation on which we saw value in ourselves?”

I have exactly the same feelings regarding AI writing code as the author of this post.

weakty.com/posts/efforts/

Our efforts, in part, define us

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 24

It reminds me of my favorite thought experiment: imagining a world where organizations with more than 150 members (Dunbar’s number) are simply not allowed.

It’s an interesting exercise to think through what the world with such a rule would look like and what the gains and losses would be.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 24

This is currently #2 on Hacker News and is worth reading in my opinion:

mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1152599...

Terence Tao (@[email protected])

Some loosely organized thoughts on the current Zeitgeist. They were inspired by the response to my recent meta-project mentioned in my previous post https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115254145226514817, wh...

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 23

Nice post showing how to write a simple recursive descent parser in Rust:

jhwlr.io/intro-to-par...

A practical introduction to parsing

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

The above is really just the first approximation: many other factors can sway the decision in one way or the other. But I still think it’s a good starting point for making the choice.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

If you’re not in such a situation, but still need speed, Go is usually a better choice (unlike Rust, it can be learned in a week). In all other cases, it’s probably best to go with the language your team feels most productive in.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

The main issue is that Rust is quite complex and takes time to learn. I believe this complexity, which is a result of making a fast language secure, is warranted only in specific situations.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

Your decision tree should look like this:

▪ If you need raw speed and absolute control over memory (e.g., can’t tolerate GC pauses and/or memory overhead), go with Rust.
▪ If you only need speed, but can live with GC, use Go.
▪ Otherwise, use Python, Node.js, or whatever else your team prefers.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

My recent talk sparked some discussion (both online and offline) on when to use Rust, especially on the backend. My take in mini-🧵 below.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

Omlouvat se netřeba 🙂 Doufám, že jste si to užili.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 19

Jasné, chápu. A díky za prvotní impulz k té přednášce (přenesený následně přes Janu)!

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 18

Po přednášce jsem mimochodem od účastníků několikrát slyšel stejný příběh o tom, jak se Rust začali učit, ale z různých důvodů toho po čase zanechali. Zdá se, že Rust vyžaduje větší motivaci než jiné programovací jazyky.

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 18

Včerejší přednáška o Rustu se mi myslím docela povedla, kompletní slajdy zde:

speakerdeck.com/dmajda/rust-...

Rust for Python People

You’ve probably heard about Rust — a modern take on a systems programming language. Today, we’ll explore it from the perspective of a Python developer. …

speakerdeck.com

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 16

Připomínám svou zítřejší přednášku o Rustu na Pražském Pyvu. A přidávám malou ochutnávku ze slajdů. #python #rust

pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...

Úvodní slajd přednášky s jejím názvem, autorem a dalšími detaily

Slajd přednášky se schématem znázorňujícím programovací jazyky, které významně ovlivnily Rust

Slajd přednášky s kódem ukazujícím odlišné řešení stejného problému v Pythonu a Rustu

Slajd přednášky se schématem znázorňujícím dvě hodnoty typu String sdílející stejný buffer (hypotetická situace)

David Majda @majda.cz · Sep 12

Ve středu 17. září budu na Pražském Pyvu povídat o Rustu z pohledu Python vývojáře. Pokud vás zajímá, co vám Rust může nabídnout, jak se v něm ve srovnání s Pythonem programuje a jak ho můžete začlenit do svého projektu, přijďte se podívat. #python #praha #pyvo

pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...

Pražské Pyvo #172 Rust for Python People

Pyva jsou setkání příznivců programovacího jazyka Python a spřízněných technologií.

David Majda @majda.cz · Aug 25

In case you think string length is a simple topic, here is a really thorough write-up that should convince you otherwise:

hsivonen.fi/string-length/

It’s not wrong that "🤦🏼‍♂️".length == 7

Reposted by David Majda

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Jul 18

How much of your feedback is actually about performance vs. personal preference?

If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.

terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...

Why Most Feedback Shouldn’t Exist

Before giving feedback, ask yourself: is there measurable impact? Most manager feedback is just personal preference disguised as professional development. Stop policing personality.

terriblesoftware.org

David Majda @majda.cz · Jul 8

When I’m programming in Go, I tend to be pragmatic and down-to-earth. When programming in Rust, however, I suddenly become a perfectionist and have to restrain myself from abstracting too much.

I wonder whether this is just a cultural influence or a manifestation of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.

David Majda @majda.cz · Jun 18

So I wrote a small compiler. For fun! And not once, but twice.

See “Story behind the project” in project’s README for the whole story:

github.com/dmajda/wabbi...

GitHub - dmajda/wabbiter: Compiler of the Wabbit language into LLVM IR written in Go

Compiler of the Wabbit language into LLVM IR written in Go - dmajda/wabbiter

David Majda @majda.cz · Apr 30

Playing with Zed, trying to use it as my primary code editor.

The experience so far has been great. Zed is a bit rough, but much faster and less bloated than VS Code. I think I’ll stick with it.

zed.dev

Zed — The editor for what's next

Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.

David Majda @majda.cz · Apr 25

I feel the same, some of the joy is definitely gone for me. I’ve decided not to use AI for personal/learning projects precisely for this reason.

Reposted by David Majda

Matheus Lima @terriblesoftware.org · Apr 23

I just published "The Hidden Cost of AI Coding"

As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?

terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...

The Hidden Cost of AI Coding

AI coding tools boost productivity but may sacrifice the flow state and deep satisfaction developers experience when writing code by hand. What are we losing?

terriblesoftware.org

David Majda @majda.cz · Apr 13

Baví mě, že (zřejmě) tréninkové lety policejních vrtulníků často vypadají jako výlet po českých hradech a zámcích. Schválně, kolik jich tady z hlavy dokážete identifikovat?

(Zachyceno náhodně pár týdnů zpátky.)

Screenshot z webu ADS-B Exchange, na kterém je na mapě vyznačena trasa policejního vrtulníku OK-BYE vedoucí nad několika středočeskými hrady a zámky.

David Majda @majda.cz · Apr 13

“I’ve noticed something interesting about almost every engineer I’ve managed: their biggest strengths and their most frustrating weaknesses are often the exact same trait showing up in different contexts.”

terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...

So true. Discovered this too a few years ago.

Your Strengths Are Your Weaknesses

The qualities you value most in engineers are also creating your biggest problems. Here’s how to handle this paradox.

terriblesoftware.org