# Weekly Tech Review & Highlights
*Published every Friday – Tech content worth sharing.*
This magazine is **[open-source](https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly)**, and **[contributions](https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues)** are welcome.
For programmer job postings, visit **[“Who’s Hiring”](https://github.com/ruanyf/weekly/issues/8003)**.
For cooperation, please **[contact via email](http://www.ruanyifeng.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bcc5d5dad9d2db92cec9ddd2fcdbd1ddd5d092dfd3d1)**.
---
## Cover Image
**Winter at the Self-Study Hall, National Library of China, Beijing**
([Source](https://www.xinhuanet.com/photo/20251103/d338bbe8a8104730816261a553dd7b9a/c.html))
---
## How to Design Better Software Interfaces
### 1. The Problem: UI Design Neglect
UI design is its own discipline, yet many programmers lack intuition for it.
A common mistake: **cramming all functions into one interface** without thinking about usability.
---
### 2. Case Study – *Handbrake*
[Handbrake](https://handbrake.fr/) is a powerful, free, multi-platform video conversion tool.
However, its **default interface is bewildering to non-experts**:
Packed with technical jargon, this design overwhelms beginners, creating **usage anxiety** and discouragement.
Even worse, exploring **Settings** deepens confusion:
---
### 3. The Redesign
Developer [Daniel Delaney](https://danieldelaney.net/normal/) built a **simplified UI**:
Key improvements:
- **Single upload button** – nothing else clickable until a file is added.
- **Zero decision points** – default settings are applied automatically.
**Design lesson:**
> Avoid multiple entry points; provide sensible defaults; keep choices minimal.
Advanced/power users? Offer a **Pro Mode** with the original interface.
---
### 4. Other Examples of Bad UI
TV remotes crowded with buttons:
Some users tape over unused buttons:
Better design: hide rarely used buttons under a cover.
---
## This Week’s Software: **NocoBase**
[NocoBase](https://github.com/nocobase/nocobase) is an open-source low/no-code platform (17K stars).
**Getting started:**
1. Connect to a database.
2. Configure interface (WYSIWYG).
3. Add plugins (permissions, SSO login, printing, documents, etc.).
Highlights:
- **AI Employees** for integrating LLM capabilities into business systems.
- Commercial version earns **10M RMB/year** from users in 50+ regions.
Try online: [Official Site](https://www.nocobase.com/cn/)
Self-host: [GitHub](https://github.com/nocobase/nocobase)
---
## Tech Updates
### 1. Sponsored Wedding
A struggling entrepreneur got **26 companies** to sponsor his wedding by offering brand placement.
---
### 2. Shanghai's First AI Prompt Copyright Case
Verdict: prompts without creative structure cannot be copyrighted.
---
### 3. First Household Robot for Sale ($20K)
Limited autonomy – most actions are remote-controlled and slow.
---
### 4. Windows Fixes 20-Year “Update and Shut Down” Bug
Now truly shuts down after update instead of restarting.
---
### 5. **EagleEye** AI Military Helmet
Overlays maps, drone feeds, and sensor data onto the visor.
---
## Articles Worth Reading
1. [How to Set Up a Dark Web Site](https://flower.codes/2025/10/23/onion-mirror.html)
2. [Filter Web Crawlers Using Server Config](https://fxgn.dev/blog/anubis/)
3. [HTML Tables API Explained](https://christianheilmann.com/2025/10/08/...)
4. [Status of Compiler Development](https://abhinavsarkar.net/notes/2025-compiler-backend-survey/)
5. [Network Boot for Raspberry Pi](https://www.xda-developers.com/booting-raspberry-pi-network-huge-performance-difference/)
6. [Little Works Animation Story](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/when-stick-figures-fought)
---
## Tools Spotlight
1. [Zensical](https://github.com/zensical/zensical) – MkDocs-compatible upgrade.
2. [Affinity](https://www.affinity.studio/) – Photoshop alternative, now free.
3. [FileBrowser Quantum](https://github.com/gtsteffaniak/filebrowser) – Web-based file manager.
4. [Texo](https://github.com/alephpi/Texo) – OCR for math formulas.
5. [TDesign uniapp](https://github.com/novlan1/tdesign-uniapp) – Cross-platform UI library.
6. [GreenWall](https://github.com/zmrlft/GreenWall) – GitHub contributions art tool.
7. [BakLab](https://github.com/biliqiqi/baklab-web) – Forum + chat platform.
8. [Chinese Holidays](https://github.com/vsme/chinese-days) – Holiday & solar term queries.
---
## AI Projects Worth Exploring
1. [Jta](https://github.com/hikanner/jta) – Translate JSON via AI.
2. [Smart Excalidraw](https://github.com/liujuntao123/smart-excalidraw-next) – NL-powered diagram tool.
3. [VibeVoiceFusion](https://github.com/zhao-kun/VibeVoiceFusion) – Multi-speaker voice synthesis.
4. [Mini-Kode](https://github.com/minmaxflow/mini-kode) – AI programming assistant for teaching.
5. [SQLBot](https://github.com/dataease/SQLBot) – Text-to-SQL via AI.
6. [Docutranslate](https://github.com/xunbu/docutranslate) – AI document translation.
7. [Paper Burner X](https://github.com/Feather-2/paper-burner-x) – AI literature processing.
---
## Resources
1. [Apple App Store Web](https://apps.apple.com/) – Built with **Svelte**.
2. [ASCIIMoon](https://asciimoon.com/) – ASCII moon phase visualizer.
---
## Images
### The Hindenburg Airship
Luxury passenger airship from 1930s Germany – destroyed in hydrogen explosion, 1937.
---
## Excerpt: The AI Investment Illusion
- **180K tech workers laid off in 2025** – funds shifted to AI investment.
- Spending circulates among giants (Apple, Google, NVIDIA, TSMC).
- Stock valuations inflated via mutual purchases.
- AI not yet profitable, but stopping investment would crash stock prices.
---
## Selected Quotes
- *“I once said there would never be a third version of htmx, but never said there wouldn’t be a fourth.”* — Carson Gross
- *“Should volunteers fix vulnerabilities found by AI scans from tech giants for free?”* — FFmpeg team
- *“$70T in inheritance to worsen inequality.”* — The Guardian
- *“Luck shortens success time by exposing bigger opportunities.”* — Zach Holman
- *“Future programmers must master systems, security, and AI collaboration.”* — Deepak Gupta
---
## Past Issues
- [#325 – Is VS Code’s Next Stop Zed?](https://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2024/11/weekly-issue-325.html)
- [#275 – Peter Thiel’s Experiment](https://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2023/10/weekly-issue-275.html)
- [#225 – NPC Actors as a Profession](https://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2022/09/weekly-issue-225.html)
- [#175 – Breadth vs Depth](https://www.ruanyifeng.com/blog/2021/09/weekly-issue-175.html)
---
