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<![CDATA[My journey to using and programming computers started around 1983 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K, the very first I owned. At the time I was clueless. For example, I wondered whether, once I loaded a program from tape, I needed to write it back at the end of the session so that it didn't vanish when turning off the machine. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum Introduction and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum BASIC programming guides that came with the device were my first learning resources, complemented by the great Italian computer magazine MC-microcomputer. Aside from some books, in that pre-online era technical documentation wasn't easy to come by in Italy, especially foreign works in English. I pored over the Spectrum manuals, reread them many times, and experimented with the sample code. I've never been into gaming but did run many games to see what the machine could do. I've come a long way since then, hopefully. #retrocomputing #personal a href="https://remark.as/p/journal.paoloamoroso.com/the-origins-of-my-computing-journey"Discuss.../a Email | Reply @[email protected] !--emailsub--]]>
<![CDATA[GravityLoops, my gravity simulator in Interlisp and LOOPS, can finally show something on the screen. The program now animates a body of mass like the Moon interacting under gravity with a body of mass like the Earth. The dots in the simulation window here are the bodies after 180 days of simulated time, with the Earth at left. Watch the full run. Screenshot of a still frame of a simulation of a body like the Earth and one like the Moon interacting under the muatal gravity. Well, that's not much. But the code confirms the simulation loop with an offscreen buffer works well. After putting in place some infrastructure, to get there I wrote the simulation loop, tweaked a few methods, wrote a demo function that sets up the simulation, and fixed a few bugs. There's a lot more to do. I need to make the graphics of the body markers more complete and explanatory, control the speed of the animation, fix more bugs, and refactor to decouple some interclass dependencies. And, of course, GravityLoops will also have a user interface to control the simulation and enter the parameters. #GravityLoops #Interlisp #Lisp a href="https://remark.as/p/journal.paoloamoroso.com/early-simulations-with-gravityloops"Discuss.../a Email | Reply @[email protected] !--emailsub--]]>
<![CDATA[I started working on the class Universe of GravityLoops, my gravity simulator in Interlisp and LOOPS. I defined the class itself and the main methods, Universe.Register and Universe.Simulate. The class represents a collection of bodies and manages the parameters and state of the simulation. Universe.Register adds a body to a universe, Universe.Simulate runs the simulation. In the C++ code of the article my design draws inspiration from, an instance variable of the class UNIVERSE holds a pool of bodies in an array, with the most recently added body indexed by another instance variable. In GravityLoops the corresponding instance variable bodyPool is a list which, as the article notes, is more versatile and doesn't need the index. Universe.Simulate, just a stub for now, is the core method. It will update the state of the simulation, display the bodies in a graphical window along with status information, and check whether the user interrupts the simulation. The C++ program runs the simulation until the user presses a specific key and GravityLoops will have a similar feature. I'll also have the program accept a number of time ticks to step the simulation through. For Universe.Simulate I'll mostly follow the C++ code. But I plan to revisit the decision after I have something running to experiment with. I may want to split the simulation functionality into more than one method to separate the simulation itself from output, or redesign control around LOOPS' active values. #GravityLoops #Interlisp #Lisp a href="https://remark.as/p/journal.paoloamoroso.com/representing-the-universe-of-gravityloops"Discuss.../a Email | Reply @[email protected] !--emailsub--]]>
<![CDATA[I started working on GravityLoops, a software that simulates a collection of bodies interacting under the mutual gravity. I develop it on Medley in Interlisp and its object extension LOOPS, the Lisp Object-Oriented Programming System. GravityLoops will show an animation of the bodies and their motions, along with facilities for defining the parameters of the system and controlling the simulation. Motivation I've been meaning to do a LOOPS learning project but none of the ideas I initially came up with clicked. I wanted something more complex than a toy but easy enough to implement with reasonable effort. The project should also incorporate naturally the features of LOOPS, such as the gauges library of graphical meters and dials for displaying quantities. I finally stumbled upon the gravity simulator described in the article Force-Based Simulations by Todd King in the September, 1989 issue of Dr. Dobbs Journal. It's just perfect. I'm adapting to LOOPS the design of the sample C++ code that comes with the article. It's nice as it reads like an object-oriented domain specific language for simulation. The code is so short and clean I can fully understand it despite my minimal C++. I never thought I would say that of C++. There is much to like of King's program starting from its domain, astronomy and physics, which overlaps with some of my passions. The project is period accurate too as when Dr. Dobb's Journal published the article LOOPS was still under development. And, along with window systems, simulation was among the killer applications object-oriented programming proponents pointed to. The program comprises only two, hierarchically unrelated classes, a shallow inheritance design more in line with the later evolution of object-oriented programming. But the application does offer other potential classes that are a good fit for LOOPS. For example, I plan to specialize the LOOPS class Window to represent the simulaton window. I will likely need more classes for the GUI, such as dialogs for entering the simulation parameters. LOOPS is one of the subsystems best integrated with the Interlisp environment and comes with good documentation. I want to experience this high integration, the ability of combining tools designed to work together that comes natural once you're familiar with the environment. Adapting King's program to the Interlisp environment is also an opportunity to employ useful programming techniques like screen buffering to improve animation fluidity. Plus, anything that draws pretty graphics is fun. Design To adapt Todd's design to LOOPS I create matching classes with similar instance variables and methods, named according to the LOOPS style. I will rename a few confusing methods, such as UNIVERSE::service() to register a body with a universe which I'll call Universe.Register, and UNIVERSE::big_bang() to run the simulation which will become Universe.Simulate. The C++ code represents a 2D vector as a struct that I map to an Interlisp record. A class seems overkill. Todd's program outputs to the MS-DOS text console via the conio library. GravityLoops instead will draw graphics in a window. So far the code implements the Body class that represents a body. I'm about to start working on the Universe class that holds a collection of bodies and manages the parameters and state of the simulation. Once the core classes are in place I will turn to implementing the animated simulation. #GravityLoops #Interlisp #Lisp a href="https://remark.as/p/journal.paoloamoroso.com/gravityloops-a-gravity-simulator-in-interlisp-and-loops"Discuss.../a Email | Reply @[email protected] !--emailsub--]]>
<![CDATA[Insphex adds the Hexdump item to the File Browser menu to view the hex dump of the selected files. The initial implementation called the public API for adding commands at the top level of the menu. To later move the item to the See sumbenu that groups various file viewing commands I resorted to list surgery, as the API doesn't support submenus. The problem is internal system details can and do change, which happened to the File Browser menu and led to an Insphex load error. I fixed the issue by reverting the public API call and now the item is back at the top level of the menu. Insphex is a hex dump tool similar to the Linux command hexdump. I wrote it in Common Lisp on Medley Interlisp. #insphex #CommonLisp #Interlisp #Lisp a href="https://remark.as/p/journal.paoloamoroso.com/rearranging-the-file-browser-menu-for-insphex"Discuss.../a Email | Reply @[email protected] !--emailsub--]]>
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Once a year at my church, I usually give one sermon. I was asked to tie the theme to a young adult retreat we had taken to the Sunshine Coast. My first experience giving a sermon was many years ago at my old home church in El Monte, California. It was a Vietnamese-American church, but…
Practical tools for design engineers to explore possible futures through speculative design
As with my last post on AI, let me open with a statement: Just because most people hold AI a certain way, doesn’t mean that we always must, either now or in the future. As I noted in that piece, and my shades of gray post, I am well aware — and agree with — … Continue reading Must we always use LLMs this way? →
The CSS Working Group resolved to use cursor: pointer for buttons and other clickable form controls in the new appearance: base styles. That happened on October 21, but I posted about it yesterday and, uh, people have feelings about cursors. I wrote about buttons and cursors back in 2022, when a post titled "Buttons shouldn't have a hand cursor" was making the rounds. I admitted I didn't have a strong opinion either way, then argued that not using the hand cursor had become the new anti-pattern anyway. The web isn't an operating system, and people expect clickable things to show a hand. The issue is Cursors For Base Appearance in CSS Forms Level 1. The group adopted the rules from this comment, and the part that's triggering half the Web is: select, option, input[type=checkbox], input[type=radio], button, input[type=button], input[type=submit], input[type=reset], input[type=color], input[type=image], ::file-selector-button { cursor: pointer; } It seems like we have a tabs vs. spaces sort of debate. Again. Nicole Sullivan pulled cursor data from a bunch of design systems and, in September, 27 of the 33 systems that set a cursor used pointer. After she added more systems, it was closer to a 50/50 split. Elika Etemad made the usability case in the meeting. Per the minutes, she said the hand "makes it clear, as soon as you're hovering an interactive control, you're supposed to click on it," and called it a "usability benefit even if not historically done on some platforms." "But the hand means it's a link" Haz had an interesting reaction: The debate is over, and evil has won. His point is that he can't tell whether ⌘-clicking something will open it in a new window anymore. He feels more confident clicking a button when he knows it won't change the URL, like when it just opens a popover or a panel. He's not wrong about that.* I replied that I've been on team evil since 2022 (albeit without a strong opinion, just following what users seem to expect). Touch screens don't have a cursor at all, and on desktop, browsers show a link's URL in the corner when you hover it. That's some type of hint, at least. Haz pushed back that he'd have to watch the bottom-left corner with his peripheral vision, which is fair. He also said he never cared which cursor buttons got, he just wanted links to have their own. I can appreciate that. "But desktop apps don't do it!" Jacob Paris liked the standard cursor on buttons because it makes web apps feel more like desktop apps than websites. My opinion hasn't changed, though. People have already learned that a hand cursor means clickable on the Web. It's by no means mandatory, but it's familiar and satisfying, so it stuck. Either way, nothing changes today. The resolution only covers appearance: base, which browsers haven't shipped yet. Buttons and selects still use appearance: auto, and their cursor is still default. If your CSS reset, design system, or web components already set cursor: pointer on buttons, keep it. When appearance: base ships, controls that opt in will get the same cursors by default. But remember, these are only defaults! You can still add whatever cursor you want to whatever element you want. Nobody's gonna stop you. In 2022, I said I'd keep changing the cursor on buttons until there's a good reason to stop. In 2026, I still haven't found one…and neither has the CSS Working Group. *Thinking about this more, if 50% of design systems opted to add cursor: pointer to buttons already, isn't this already a moot argument? **In general, I think the Web should be more personal and expressive so who even cares about a default? This is especially true for personal and fun sites. Just don't go too crazy, especially when it affects accessibility and the overall user experience.
TokyoDev has grown substantially over the past few years. We’ve expanded our community, dramatically increased the scope and frequency of our events, and have curated a library of articles for international developers. Despite all that, the way we run the business hasn’t changed much. I’ve continued to coordinate most of these activities myself, making the final decisions and keeping everything connected. In short, TokyoDev cannot run without my daily input. That approach worked well when TokyoDev was smaller, but it’s increasingly limiting how much we can accomplish. To help the business grow further, I wanted to find someone to take over some of my responsibilities and bring a fresh perspective. This is a significant step for me personally, as while I have worked with many contractors over the years, I have never actually hired a regular employee. Most importantly, I wanted to ensure that this person was someone I could trust to understand what TokyoDev stands for, and to make decisions in line with our philosophy. So I’m happy to announce that Scott Rothrock is joining TokyoDev full time as our Head of Operations. About Scott Scott has lived in Japan for nearly 20 years and has worked as a software engineer in multiple industries and environments, including small Japanese-owned businesses, overseas employers, and international companies based in Japan. Until the end of October 2026, he was the head of the Japan Markets team at Kraken Technologies, where he led an international team of software engineers in delivering complicated, regulated products on strict timelines for Japanese electricity and gas retailers, while also ensuring compliance with evolving organizational and global standards. He’s made a name for himself both inside and outside Japan as a kind, effective mentor who can cultivate great engineers and leaders. Scott’s previous role in TokyoDev Some of you may already know Scott in another capacity, as he has been involved with TokyoDev since 2022. He began as a community volunteer and later became our community manager, which also included responsibilities such as managing our article pipeline from submission to publishing. When I created TokyoDev’s Discord, I had no previous experience running an online community. Scott joined soon after I started and began helping other members, stepping in when people behaved inappropriately, and configuring our roles and permissions and safety features. I was impressed by his initiative and asked him to become an official moderator in January 2023. Outside of his role as a moderator, Scott has always pushed TokyoDev to grow; for example, he arranged internet events such as livestreamed AMAs and interviews. He organized TokyoDev’s first meetup as a volunteer in February 2023, which taught me that there was interest in TokyoDev events outside of the internet. By the end of 2023, I had brought him on as our part-time community manager. What I saw throughout his tenure was that Scott continued to take initiative in expanding TokyoDev. Scott was one of our first external contributors, writing about his experience living with a disability in Japan. He encouraged me to expand and refine both our editing and submission processes so that we could reach out to even more contributors and platform their perspectives. The editorial team now consists of him and Rebecca Callahan, and they’ve had a hand in every article that TokyoDev has published. In other words, since 2022, Scott has shown that he cares about TokyoDev as much as I do. He is invested in what we do and why we do it, and shares my vision for what TokyoDev can become. What changes now Scott’s experiences as an engineer, a mentor, and a leader make me confident that, as our Head of Operations, he will continue to help TokyoDev mature. A big part of what has made TokyoDev successful is that I see the software developers who use our site as my peers and genuinely want to help them. Scott shares that perspective, and will join me in ensuring that TokyoDev remains true to its principles while we grow. So what changes in the short term? Nothing dramatic. I will teach Scott about managing TokyoDev as a business, and he will document our processes and products as a part of that learning. He will also look for areas of improvement while ensuring that we remain compliant with regulations and labor law. Over time, I will hand over some other responsibilities. I will continue to run TokyoDev, but TokyoDev will become less dependent on me for its day-to-day operations. Long term, I’m excited about what this will enable us to do. TokyoDev has always been about helping international software developers build successful careers in Japan, and bringing Scott on full time puts us in a much better position to continue doing that. We look forward to writing the next chapter of TokyoDev together.
