programmer Archives

Winsage

August 14, 2025

Ditch Windows Explorer! These programs are better for fast file transfers!

Windows Explorer struggles with file transfer speeds, capping around 3GBps, while SSD technology can reach up to 15GBps. Alternatives like XCOPY and FastCopy are recommended for better performance. XCOPY is a command-line utility that can significantly streamline file operations, offering various command switches such as /E (copies directories and subdirectories), /J (utilizes unbuffered I/O), /Q (suppresses file name display), and /I (assumes destination is a directory). FastCopy is a user-friendly tool that integrates into Explorer's context menus and often exceeds XCOPY's speeds, achieving nearly 9GBps in testing. XCOPY outperforms Windows Explorer by two to three times, while FastCopy achieves speeds up to 3.5 times that of Explorer.

Winsage

August 13, 2025

Tested: Backup and Restore (Windows 7) has just two jobs, but manages only one

The Backup and Restore (Windows 7) feature is located in the Control Panel under System and Security and can be accessed more conveniently through a desktop shortcut. It uses Microsoft’s VHDX files for imaging, allowing users to mount and browse images in Windows Explorer. The backup configuration defaults to user folders and full system images of internal drives, with options to customize selections. Backups can be saved to an internal hard drive or a network location, but not to directly attached external media like USB drives. Users can include non-user folders by transforming them into user libraries. The tool creates VHDX images, but the restoration process requires a physical disc (CD or DVD) and lacks an option to create an ISO file. Users have reported mixed results with Windows Recovery Drive, with some experiencing failures. Backup and Restore (Windows 7) does not support incremental or differential backups and is limited to a single job configuration. It cannot restore to a smaller capacity drive than the original, and the Recovery Drive is tied to the specific PC it was created on. Due to these limitations, it is recommended to consider alternatives like EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 or Macrium Reflect 8 Free for disaster recovery. However, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) remains suitable for creating VHDX images for browsing and manual recovery within the Windows ecosystem.

AppWizard

August 12, 2025

A veteran Final Fantasy programmer hates how indie games deliberately recreate PS1 visual bugs he made ‘many futile efforts’ to fix: ‘I just don’t get what’s so interesting about trying to replicate that’

Veteran programmer Koji Sugimoto criticized the trend of emulating retro visual glitches in modern games, particularly the revival of the affine texture warping effect from the original PlayStation. He expressed his discontent on August 5, lamenting that what was once a frustrating limitation is now celebrated as a charming quirk. Sugimoto previously described the deliberate use of warped textures as “detestable” and highlighted the challenges developers faced in overcoming these visual distortions. He noted a disconnect between the nostalgia some players feel and the difficulties encountered by developers.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

‘Let’s just kill everyone on the station:’ The videogame audio log was apparently invented to avoid ‘awkward’ RPG dialogue trees

Marc LeBlanc, a programmer from Looking Glass Studios, discussed the innovative design of audio logs in the game System Shock during a Nightdive podcast episode. The team aimed to move away from traditional RPG mechanics, avoiding the limitations of D&D-style stats and skills that could frustrate players. They rejected the idea of conversation trees with NPCs, seeking a more immersive narrative delivery. Designer Austin Grossman suggested using audio logs by having all characters dead, allowing players to access their diaries. This approach streamlined storytelling and enhanced player engagement. LeBlanc acknowledged that while audio logs can be overused today, they remain effective for narrative delivery, offering players choices in how they engage with the story.

Tech Optimizer

August 5, 2025

Building a job search engine with PostgreSQL’s advanced search features

Job search platforms connect employers and candidates through advanced search engines that analyze structured and unstructured data. These platforms require robust database technologies for executing complex queries, full-text and semantic searches, and geospatial functionalities. A modern job search engine consists of a data repository that stores job listings and candidate profiles, and a search engine that facilitates bidirectional searches. Key features of an effective job search engine include: - **Full-text search**: Provides lexical matching for job titles and skills, supporting exact phrase matching and typo-tolerant searches. - **Semantic search**: Uses vector-based similarity to understand context and relationships beyond literal terms. - **Geospatial search**: Incorporates geographic considerations to find opportunities within specific distances. PostgreSQL serves as both a data repository and search engine, supporting full-text search, semantic search via the pgvector extension, and geospatial queries using the PostGIS extension. The job search engine utilizes PostgreSQL to manage job listings and candidate profiles, enabling real-time searches across millions of entries. The data model for a job search engine includes tables for jobs and resumes, with columns for full-text search vectors, semantic vectors, and geographical locations. PostgreSQL's full-text search capabilities include tokenization, dictionaries for language-aware parsing, and ranking functions for relevance. Advanced features such as proximity search, simple and weighted ranking, and fuzzy matching enhance search accuracy. Vector embeddings represent text in high-dimensional space, allowing for semantic searches that recognize similar roles or skills. PostgreSQL supports vector similarity searches with specialized indexing methods like IVFFlat and HNSW for efficient querying. Geospatial search capabilities in PostgreSQL enable location-aware job searches, allowing candidates to find jobs within commuting distances. Combining different search techniques, such as full-text and semantic searches, provides more relevant results. Performance optimization features in PostgreSQL address challenges related to computational complexity, indexing overhead, and concurrent query loads. The architecture discussed is applicable to various applications beyond job search platforms, including e-commerce, real estate, content recommendation systems, travel, and healthcare provider matching.

AppWizard

July 27, 2025

Crash Bandicoot’s original lead programmer reckons the overhauled N. Sane Trilogy ‘got almost everything right’ except for one tiny detail: ‘they completely botched how jumping works’

The N. Sane Trilogy, released in 2017, received positive feedback but raised concerns about the jumping mechanics compared to the original PlayStation games. Players noted that Crash's jumping abilities seemed more challenging, leading to theories about changes in hitbox and the "hold X to jump higher" mechanic. Gavin highlighted that Naughty Dog had previously used a system that measured button press duration to create nuanced jumps, which Vicarious Visions may have disregarded. This oversight resulted in a binary jumping system where all jumps were set to maximum height, making them feel exaggerated and floaty. Despite the remake's advanced hardware, it failed to replicate the original's gameplay mechanics. Toys for Bob later refined platforming mechanics in 2020's Crash Bandicoot 4, suggesting potential evolution in the franchise's gameplay design.

AppWizard

July 25, 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 devs are the new popular kids on the RPG block, visiting both Hideo Kojima and Final Fantasy creators Square Enix for ‘a creatively rich exchange of visions and ideas’

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a video game developed by Sandfall Interactive, created by a team of over 30 individuals. The game's director, Guillaume Broche, along with lead programmer Tom Guillermin and co-founder Francois Meurisse, visited Square Enix to exchange ideas with notable figures such as Naoki Hamaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase. This collaboration reflects a constructive dialogue in the gaming industry, emphasizing admiration for established franchises. Additionally, Hideo Kojima has also engaged with the Sandfall team, showcasing a collaborative spirit in the industry.

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

Two Legends Of UK Game Development Team Up For New Spectrum Next & PC Game

Tony Warriner and Stoo Cambridge are developing a new action-arcade adventure game titled UrbX Warriors for Spectrum Next and PC. The game features two urban explorers, Alejandro and Ramona, who discover a perilous Mayan temple. Players will battle various adversaries and solve traps and puzzles. The project is currently on Kickstarter, having exceeded its funding goal of £6,000, with rewards including digital copies, standard editions, deluxe editions, and premium editions with a custom joystick. A demo is available on itch.io, and there are plans for potential releases on other platforms such as PSX, Switch, Dreamcast, and Amiga.

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

Over 25 Years Ago, This Lemmings-Esque Puzzler Was Sent Out To Die – Its Fans Had Other Plans

Monolith Productions announced its closure earlier this year, prompting tributes to its 30-year legacy. One notable title from the studio is Gruntz, a puzzle strategy game released for PCs in 1999, which has maintained an active community despite its initial rocky launch. The game was designed by Nick Newhard, who aimed to create a game that his wife would enjoy, blending real-time strategy elements with puzzles. After Newhard's departure from the project due to internal disagreements, Kevin Lambert took over development, infusing humor and personality into the characters. Gruntz received mixed reviews upon release, but found a favorable reception in Europe. The game's inclusion of level editing tools led to a dedicated fan community, with ongoing projects like Dizgruntled and Gruntz Unityverse. The community currently has over 368 accounts, showcasing the game's lasting appeal.

Winsage

April 4, 2025

Here’s the original source code for Microsoft’s very first product

Bill Gates marked Microsoft’s 50th Anniversary by unveiling the source code for Altair Basic, a programming language interpreter developed for the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer. This 157-page PDF is available for download on Gates' blog. Altair Basic was created in 1975 by Gates, Paul Allen, and Monte Davidoff, who worked intensively for two months after being inspired by the Altair 8800. They chose to develop an interpreter instead of a compiler to provide instant feedback for novice programmers. MITS licensed the software from Gates and Allen, leading to the founding of Micro-soft. The full code document is now accessible, along with a web page featuring animations and graphics celebrating this early coding project.