C#
Building the Smallest C# Game That Doesn’t Need .NET (via Nick Chapsas)
This example took a self-contained “.NET application” (this is in quotation marks because the code itself looks like fairly low-level C code for Windows) and combined it with compression and IL trimming (i.e., tree shaking) to get rid of things the app doesn’t need from the .NET Framework. To get the executable even smaller, the PublishAot (ahead of time compilation) flag is set. (At this point the executable has shrunk from 64 MB to just over 1 MB.) More wizardry comes through OptimizationPreference=Size, StackTraceSupport=false, InvariantGlobalization=true, and UseSystemResourceKeys=true; at this point it’s less than 1 MB. To take it even smaller, you need the Bflat C# compiler. You can pick the runtime library: .NET or ZeroLib (from the creator of Bflat). The last few tricks involve switching from x64 to x32, compiling to an object file, then run Crinkler to link the libraries into a native executable.
C# Is Programming Language of the Year (via Nick Chapsas)
Well, it depends. Nick explains how the TIOBE score is computed and why it’s not a good measure of a language’s popularity. Essentially the score is based on search results, which can be highly erroneous. This article breaks down why the TIOBE index shouldn’t be used.
Leadership
The Best Leaders Can’t Be Replaced by AI (via HBR)
Although AI technologies far exceed human potential in some areas, surveys have indicated that people prefer to be led by other humans. Three areas in particular where leaders should focus are (1) awareness — the mind being cognizant of itself and others around you, (2) compassion, (3) and wisdom, including the ability to keep a beginner’s mind despite your experience.