The article discusses the overhaul of internal tools for visualizing the compilation of JavaScript and WebAssembly in SpiderMonkey, focusing on the development of an interactive graphing tool called iongraph. The author explains t...
About:
Ben Visness is a software developer and engineer with interests in programming, robotics, and game development. He enjoys hobbies such as 3D rendering, VR development, and Lua programming.
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Low-level programming is crucial for enhancing software quality and innovation, enabling developers to make better engineering choices and create effective high-level tools.
The Memory64 proposal for WebAssembly, recently implemented in Firefox 134 and Chrome 133, introduces 64-bit pointers to WebAssembly. Despite the expectation that 64-bit WebAssembly would perform better on 64-bit hardware, it ofte...
0Micro-libraries need to die already
2024-08-18 •
In the year 2024, Ben Visness argues against the use of micro-libraries, emphasizing the costs and benefits of dependencies. He provides a case study of the npm package is-number to illustrate his points, ultimately advocating for...
0How does Spectre work?
2024-03-24 •
The blog post explains how Spectre, a CPU vulnerability, works by leveraging speculative execution to extract secret information. It discusses the impact of speculative execution on cache, timing attacks, and how to exploit memory...
0I made JSX for Lua (because I hate static sites)
2023-12-27 •
Ben Visness created a custom language called LuaX to avoid static sites and make web development more dynamic. LuaX allows for writing Lua files that return HTML, enabling more interesting and flexible web pages. Ben explains his ...
0“You can’t do that because I hate you.”
2023-07-26 •
The author discusses frustrating experiences with Python, Rust, and Rust dependencies, where developers seem to know what users want but refuse to provide it, leaving users feeling insulted and condescended to.
0Coroutines make robot code easy
2023-06-19 •
Ben Visness discusses the challenges of writing autonomous code for robots in the FIRST Robotics Competition and explains how using coroutines in Lua can simplify the process. He compares traditional state machine approaches with ...
0How (not) to write a manifesto
2023-05-19 •
Ben Visness discusses the evolution of the Handmade Manifesto, highlighting the shift in messaging and focus on software development practices. He emphasizes the importance of building software that works with hardware, addressing...
0"It's always a tradeoff"
2023-04-15 •
The blog post discusses the concept of tradeoffs in programming, highlighting examples of poor coding practices and emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions rather than settling for subpar solutions.
0I did Advent of Code on a PlayStation
2022-12-31 •
The author, Ben Visness, took on the challenge of completing Advent of Code in Dreams, a PlayStation game creation platform. Despite facing challenges due to the visual scripting system, he managed to complete 15 out of 25 days of...
0Essential complexity does not exist
2022-10-15 •
The author argues that essential complexity does not exist, as the complexity of a problem is determined by the solutions available. Faster computers have reduced accidental complexity in engineering tasks, changing the nature of ...
0Untangling a bizarre WASM crash in Chrome
2021-07-09 •
The author discusses a bizarre WASM crash in Chrome while rewriting the Handmade Network website in Go. The crash was related to WASM optimization, specifically TurboFan, and was caused by a branchy initialization of a map in the ...
0How to make a 3D renderer in Desmos
2019-04-14 •
The blog post discusses how to create a 3D renderer in Desmos, an online graphing calculator, by explaining the math behind 3D rendering and the transformations involved. It covers moving from model space to world space, world spa...
0UE4: How to Make Awesome Buttons in VR
2017-08-27 •
The blog post discusses the challenges faced in creating interactive buttons in VR using Unreal Engine 4. The author details the problems encountered with using physics-based interactions and the solution found through box tracing...
0Blender masking layers: a quick tutorial
2017-04-25 •
The blog post is a tutorial on using Blender masking layers to create a realistic 3D render. The author explains how to set up layers, add shadows and ambient occlusion, and match the floor material to the picture for accurate lig...
0UE4: Controlling Spotify in-game
2017-02-12 •
The blog post discusses how to control Spotify in-game by simulating media key presses using C++ in Unreal Engine 4. The author explains the process and provides code examples for integrating this functionality into a project.
0Compiling and using libgit2
2017-01-02 •
The blog post provides a detailed guide on compiling and using libgit2 on Windows and Mac, including installing dependencies, compiling the source code, and resolving linker errors. It covers essential steps such as setting up CMa...
0Project spotlight: VRInteractions
2016-11-07 •
VRInteractions is an engine plugin created by Ben Visness to simplify common VR interactions by providing classes for Hand, Grabbable, and Interactable objects. It allows for easy implementation and handling of grabbing and intera...