Lynx - TikTok's Alternative to React Native
Happy Wednesday!
The weekend is almost here, and I’ve got some great articles to share with you. Start by reading how 11 different teams use AI to improve productivity, check out Lynx, a potential alternative to React Native, and explore Manus, the AI agent that’s getting a lot of attention.
If you’re in the mood for some more personal stories, here’s an analysis of Shopify’s journey to scaling observability, and an interesting case of a student using AI to ace technical interviews at major companies.
Grab your coffee and enjoy reading Frictionless!
In the Queue
Reduce Friction
How to Use AI to Increase Software Development Productivity
How are engineering leaders actually using AI in their teams? Where is AI making the biggest impact, and what are the limits? Read insights from 11 leaders who’ve integrated AI into their workflows, boosting productivity anywhere from 10% to 5x.?
Applied "Software Engineering at Google"
Knowing how to balance speed with long-term stability has helped Google become an industry leader. Addy Osmani, an engineering leader there, shares practices that keep their systems reliable and that any team can apply to their work.
Who Gets to Do Strategy?
Some believe they need a promotion before they can do any real strategizing. But could it be that strategy emerges at every level of a company, not only the executive team? Give it some thought.
Tech Debt Is an Outdated Concept
The term “technical debt” often creates tension between engineers and business teams, making every shortcut feel like a mistake that needs fixing. I’ve always seen it as a necessary trade-off, but this article made me rethink that. It offers a refreshing perspective on long-term technical decisions.
Deepen Your Expertise
Lynx: Unlock Native for More
Have you heard of Lynx? It’s a new framework from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, that lets you build native UIs with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s already catching developers’ attention as a potential alternative to React Native, but we’ll see if it lives up to the expectations.
What Can We Learn From Analyzing Vercel’s v0’s 2000+ Line System Prompt
Vercel’s v0 system prompt outlines how the company’s AI assistant operates behind the scenes. While the authenticity of the recent leak hasn’t been confirmed, there’s still plenty to learn from the prompt engineering behind it.
Dark Side of Distributed Systems: Latency and Partition Tolerance
Scaling a system requires more than adding new nodes. Latency, consistency challenges, and unexpected failures can turn a well-designed system into a mess, which is why it’s so important to manage them well. Here’s what to watch for to keep distributed systems reliable and scalable.
What You Need To Know About Manus, The New AI Agentic System From China Hailed As A Second ‘DeepSeek Moment’
Developed by Monica, Manus is an autonomous AI agent is designed to handle complex tasks independently, integrating multiple models to streamline workflows. Some are already calling it a “second DeepSeek moment” for China’s AI industry.
Next.js App Router vs Page Router Comparison
Next.js’ evolution with the App Router brought in more flexibility, improved data fetching, and built-in support for React Server Components. Kamil Ziemann from our team put together a great breakdown of how it compares to the Pages Router and what developers should keep in mind when making the switch.
High Vercel Bills? Try Self-Hosting!
Join me and Jakub Dakowicz on March 20th at 11 AM (EST) for a live session with Q&A at the end.
Learn how to replace Vercel’s built-in services with self-hosted alternatives and configure serverless functions for a frictionless, and cost-effective migration of your Next.js app.
Increase Scalability
How Slack Built Enterprise Search to Be Secure and Private
Giving teams the right access to information is crucial, but how do you do that without risking security? Slack’s new approach brings in data from tools like Google Drive and GitHub, all while keeping sensitive information safe and secure.
The Reality of Long-Term Software Maintenance From the Maintainer's Perspective
Software development isn’t a one-time job. It requires ongoing updates and improvements to keep things running smoothly. This is especially true for platforms like Construct, where constant enhancements are key, but it’s something every company can relate to.
A Quarter of Startups in YC’s Current Cohort Have Codebases that are Almost Entirely AI-Generated
A quarter of Y Combinator’s startups are using AI for 95% of their code. While YC leaders agree that strong coding skills are important for long-term success, they stressed that the new “vibe-coding” practice will likely dominate the industry.
Shopify’s Journey to Planet-Scale Observability
Monitoring and processing events at Shopify was no easy task. Their team did what many companies shy away from and built a stack tailored to their needs. They created Observe, an in-house observability solution using open-source tools.
Just Cool
A Student Used AI to Beat Amazon’s Brutal Technical Interview. He Got an Offer and Someone Tattled to His University
A Columbia University student used an AI program to ace FAANG interviews and land internship offers. He’s facing a disciplinary hearing now and is considering dropping out, saying the interview process killed his passion for programming.
Let’s Stay in Touch! ??
Do you have any comments about this newsletter issue or questions you want to ask? Drop me a message at Chris Lojniewski or book a meeting.