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Drop #337 (2023-09-20): Multi-threaded Edition 0.9.0

OpenSource.net; HFS; Introducing Ghostty and Some Useful Zig Patterns

boB Rudis

Sep 20, 2023

The left thumb is still on the mend (typing left-CMD and hitting the spacebar w/it are both verbotten, sigh), so I took the opportunity to steer folks to another, new-ish site for the first section, and have slightly fewer characters-per-section for the other two. Hoping this digit gets back to 100% sooner than later.

TL;DR

This is an AI-generated summary of today's Drop.

(Perplexity made up a URL for the third bullet which I had to delete.)

OpenSource.net: The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has become the new home for the former Opensource.com news site, providing a not-for-profit platform for sharing knowledge, perspectives, and advocacy to support a healthy open ecosystem. Visit the site at https://opensource.net
HFS: HTTP File Server (HFS) is a web file server that enables easy and fast access or sharing of files from your disk via the web, with unlimited space and bandwidth. Learn more at https://github.com/rejetto/hfs.
Introducing Ghostty: Ghostty is a new terminal emulator written in Zig, aiming to be fast like Alacritty while also having rich features like Kitty.

OpenSource.net

Open LED signage — Photo by Luke Southern on Unsplash

Ripping this right from their site (which is encouraged by their license!):

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has become the new home for the former Opensource.com news site. Writers and editors formerly contributing to Opensource.com will continue their work under the umbrella of the OSI, posting content at a domain owned by the OSI: OpenSource.net.
OpenSource.net launched in response to the halt of Opensource.com operations by supervising entity Red Hat, which supports the move. This includes facilitating the republishing of selected, previously published material from Opensource.com for the archives of OpenSource.net with the project’s community manager Seth Kenlon continuing to play an advisory and supporting role.
Now, the OSI, a 501c(3) organization and the custodian of the Open Source Definition, will oversee OpenSource.net. It will serve as a not-for-profit platform for sharing knowledge, perspectives and advocacy to support a healthy open ecosystem.

This is 100% one to add to your bookmarks or feeds if you're interested in open source news, commentary and perspectives.

They already have a number of 👍🏼 guides:

and even a few Community posts:

And, they encourage you to submit one as well!

We've covered tools to use when you NEED and HTTP server RIGHT NOW, and this one sort of fits into that category, but also levels up the experience quite a bit.

HFS, or HTTP File Server, is a web file server that enables us to share folders or even a single file from our systems using a virtual file system. It is designed to provide an easy and fast way to access or share files from your disk via the web, with unlimited space and bandwidth.

Running it is as simple as following the instruction to download the binary from the releases (run it from source — after inspecting said source — if you want to be sure what's happening) and running hfs. You'll get an admin screen similar to the one in the section header, and can configure everything you need to pretty quickly.

Along with basic file serving and an admin GUI, it comes with other batteries, such as support for:

Plug-ins
Real-time monitoring of connections
Speed throttling
Multi-language front-end
Virtual hosting (plug-in)
Anti-brute-force (plug-in)
Reverse-proxy support

While HFS is a useful tool, there are some precautions you should take when using it:

Security: Although HFS is likely as secure as any other web server/file sharing server, it is essential to follow best practices to ensure the safety of your data. Make sure to use strong passwords, limit access to authorized users, and keep your software up-to-date.
Privacy: When sharing files, be cautious about the information you make available to others. Ensure that you are not inadvertently sharing sensitive or personal data.
Legal considerations: Be mindful of copyright laws and other legal restrictions when sharing files. Do not share copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder.

I know I sounded like your daD just now, but HFS does make it way too easy to inadvertently expose things to others that you may not want to.

Of note: I spent zero time figuring it out, but it did not bind to my Tailscale interface by default, which means this is somewhat of a non-starter for me. If I do get that working, I'll report back.

File this under your "Keep an eye on" list

Mitchell Hashimoto transcribed a talk into a blog post that takes a look at a new (not-yet-released) terminal emulator written in Zig.

Ghostty is still in closed beta but aims to be fast like Alacritty while also having rich features like Kitty. Hashimoto discusses why he chose to create another terminal, highlighting opportunities for innovation.

This new entry into the TerminalVerse utilizes several Zig language patterns like comptime interfaces and data tables to implement platform-specific functionality efficiently. (Mitchell's talk track outlines Ghostty's architecture and how Zig enables features like tabling key codes.)

The post also explains how Ghostty integrates with Swift on macOS through a C API. Future work includes improving native platform experiences, ongoing performance optimizations, and expanding the beta program. Ghostty shows how Zig can be well-suited for terminal emulation and cross-platform applications.

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FIN

From some posts I've seen on Bluesky, Spring is truly arriving in the Southern Hemisphere. We're still waiting for leaves to show their colors where I live, but I'm excited to see the seasons progress! ☮️