In the main segment, we unpack “The Humble Programmer” (1972) and why it still reads like a briefing for 2025. Dijkstra’s claim that “programming will remain very difficult” lands squarely in the age of AI code generation: as tools remove circumstantial cumbersomeness, our ambitions expand and the problems get harder. We connect his call to “prepare ourselves for the shock” with today’s anxieties about what changes (tooling, surface syntax) versus what persists (the intellectual work of modeling complex systems, making tradeoffs, and ensuring software actually works).

We also look at the economic and perception cycles Dijkstra flagged—how developers oscillate between being overpraised and undervalued—and argue for humility plus discipline over curmudgeonly fatalism. The takeaway: better tools don’t trivialize programming; they raise the ceiling on what we attempt.

Then in the news roundup: (1) Chrome will warn by default on first‑time HTTP navigations, effectively finishing the move to HTTPS‑everywhere; (2) Apache Fory Rust promises zero‑copy, cross‑language, high‑throughput serialization; and (3) Samsung makes idle‑screen ads official on high‑end smart fridges.

• Original blog post: 53 Years Later, The Humble Programmer Still Explains Our Existential Panic
• E. W. Dijkstra — The Humble Programmer (EWD340), PDF
• E. W. Dijkstra — The Humble Programmer (EWD340), HTML transcription
• Edsger W. Dijkstra — Wikipedia
• “Go To Statement Considered Harmful” — DOI
• Dijkstra's algorithm — Wikipedia
• Structured programming — Wikipedia
• ALGOL — Wikipedia
• Fortran — Wikipedia
• Lisp (programming language) — Wikipedia

• Chrome to warn on unencrypted HTTP by default
• Introducing Apache Fory Rust: A Versatile Serialization Framework for the Modern Age
• Samsung makes ads on $3,499 smart fridges official

In the main segment, we challenge the rewrite-first mindset and make the case for durability, maintenance, and reuse as creative acts. Drawing from experience upgrading decades-old scientific code and from industry examples that outlive frameworks and fads, we explore the high cost of throwing software away and the value of architecture that separates what changes from what doesn’t. We also consider how AI assistants can help us understand and maintain existing systems rather than reflexively rewriting them. Read the original post for context: Your Code Might Outlive You.

Then in the news roundup: (1) Cisco’s open-source MCP-Scanner uses YARA rules and LLM-based analysis to hunt for risks in Model Context Protocol servers; (2) a proposal to bring a reactive programming DSL to Go, nudging developers beyond goroutines-and-channels for event streams; and (3) a bit of rail magic — the sleeper train from Milan to Sicily that still rides a ferry across the Strait of Messina — and the 13.5B€ bridge that could end the ritual.

• Your Code Might Outlive You (blog post)
• Things You Should Never Do, Part I — Joel Spolsky
• Hexagonal Architecture (Ports & Adapters) — Alistair Cockburn
• Apache Log4j 2 — Project page
• COBOL — Wikipedia
• Upgrading to React 18 — React Blog
• Software maintenance — Wikipedia

• MCP-Scanner — Scan MCP servers for vulnerabilities (GitHub)
• Go beyond Goroutines: introducing the Reactive paradigm (Substack)
• ro — Reactive programming for Go (GitHub)
• The last European train that travels by sea (BBC Travel)

Generative AI can now rebuild full software products in minutes — but can it do that legally? In this episode, we dive into the collision between AI-generated code and the fine print of software licenses. Tools like Cursor, Copilot, and ChatGPT are transforming how developers work, but they’re also testing the limits of what “independent development” really means.

This episode summarizes this Medium post - https://medium.com/@tobrien/the-fine-print-ai-forgot-982934bfd923 We’ll look at how vendors are rewriting terms of service to prevent being “AI’d out of business,” why clauses about “competing software” suddenly matter again, and how lawsuits like Doe v. GitHub are setting early precedents. Along the way, we’ll unpack real-world examples — from Highcharts’ license language to Meta’s Llama 2 restrictions — and talk about the ethics of cloning software with a model.

The takeaway: with great AI power comes great legal responsibility. Before you ship your next AI-generated feature, read the terms — or risk reading a summons instead. Links from the News:

• Rust GPUI Components – GitHub: Rust GUI components library for building cross-platform apps using GPUI (by Longbridge) – https://github.com/longbridge/gpui-component

• GPUI Official Site: Introduction and docs for the GPUI framework (from the creators of Zed editor) – https://www.gpui.rs/

• “Recall for Linux” Satire – GitHub: Parody repository bringing Microsoft’s Recall to Linux (humorous project poking fun at Windows Recall) – https://github.com/rolflobker/recall-for-linux

• Stockholm Univ. News – Unexpected Astronomical Observations: Researchers find surprising patterns in 1950s telescope data – https://www.su.se/english/news/unexpected-patterns-in-historical-astronomical-observations-1.855042