Idle/Random/whatever Thoughts of a Demented/Idle/Whatever Mind

1. Why you should never use !! in Kotlin - Using double-bang operator(!!) is a bad practice; multiple alternatives cover every other possible case. Using it is a hack and a shortcut that will backfire while not saving you much time at the time of writing using it. You shouldn’t use it unless you're writing a short personal script. My Take : The double-bang operator (!!)  which throws null pointer exception in Kotlin might very well be considered " Billion Dollar Mistake ." While it offers a concise way to assert that a variable is not null, I believe it's preferable to have slightly more verbose code that explicitly handles nullability and avoids potential runtime exceptions. Null pointer exceptions have plagued programmers for decades, and introducing a feature that can easily lead to them seems counterproductive. I'm uncertain whether all Kotlin linters currently check for excessive or inappropriate use of the !! operator, but if yours don't, I strongly re...

1. Llama 3.3 -  Llama 3.3 70B model offering similar performance to the Llama 3.1 405B model, allowing developers to achieve greater quality and performance on text-based applications at a fraction of the cost.  My Take : Meta continues to impress with each new release. Their recent claim that the 3.3 70B model performs as well as the 3.1 405B model is particularly noteworthy. This rapid progress suggests that these powerful models could soon be running on personal computers or even directly in web browsers.Meanwhile, OpenAI's recent move to introduce a $200 monthly subscription for advanced access to its models raises questions about its long-term strategy. While the initial novelty factor might justify such a premium, it seems excessive, especially for users in regions like India. It's likely that we'll see highly capable language models running on mobile devices within the next six months, potentially even before desktop deployment. My experience with a Llama 3.2 1B mod...

1. C++ Pitfalls - this article, explains some of the pitfalls you can fall into when programming in C++ and shares their experience with them. This includes Operator precedence, Arithmetic conversion rules, Right bit-shift, Implicit conversions and Order of evaluation.  My Take : We've all read about JavaScript's quirks, leading to unexpected outputs. But let's remember that such behaviors aren't unique to JavaScript. Even languages like C and C++ have their share of ambiguities and compiler-specific behaviors. While it's tempting to dive deep into these intricacies, I've found that focusing on clear, consistent, and unambiguous code is often more practical. However, understanding these nuances is essential for any experienced programmer. It helps us avoid pitfalls and write robust, reliable code. Remember, mastering a language isn't just about writing "Hello World." It involves delving into its intricacies, including its counterintuitive and ambi...