Topic: Open Source

Today we highlight a major milestone in computational mathematics as Terence Tao reports on AI tools nearly autonomously solving Erdős problem #728. This development showcases the growing synergy between large language models and formal verification tools like Lean, allowing for rapid formalization and verification of complex proofs while maintaining human oversight of core concepts. We also dive into a viral critique of modern automotive consumption, using the vintage Citroën C15 as a benchmark for repairability and utility over the "car-as-a-service" trend. The digest further explores technical discussions on Vietnam's restrictive banking app policies for rooted devices and the enduring relevance of Markdown in AI-driven workflows. Finally, we cover a Cochrane study confirming that regular exercise offers depression relief comparable to psychotherapy, alongside creative coding projects like the 140-character JavaScript art platform Dwitter.

We are highlighting a significant update to a classic developer utility with the launch of gisthost.github.io, a fork of the long-dormant gistpreview project. This tool addresses a common limitation where GitHub Gists serve HTML files with "text/plain" headers, preventing direct browser rendering. By leveraging the GitHub API and the "Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *" header, we can fetch Gist content and use document.write() to execute inline scripts and render complete HTML pages hosted entirely on GitHub's infrastructure. Our update introduces critical fixes, such as handling URL mangling caused by platforms like Substack, ensuring the tool remains reliable for high-traffic scenarios via GitHub’s caching CDN. This project demonstrates how to build powerful web tools using existing infrastructure without incurring hosting costs.

The Hacker News top stories for December 28, 2025, highlight a mix of performance optimization, open-source legal battles, and interactive art. A technical analysis of the uv package manager explains its massive speed advantage over pip, attributing success to modern PEP standards and static metadata parsing rather than just the Rust language. In the open-source community, FFmpeg has formally accused Rockchip of violating LGPL by copying code into their MPP drivers and improperly relicensing it under Apache 2.0. Apple contributed to the AI space by open-sourcing SHARP, a model capable of generating 3D Gaussian Splatting from 2D images in under one second. Additional reports cover security vulnerabilities in insulin pump controllers and the unique interactive pixel art of the Floor796 project. These developments underscore the industry's focus on architectural efficiency and the critical importance of maintaining software licensing integrity.

The Hacker News top stories for December 28, 2025, highlight a mix of performance optimization, open-source legal battles, and interactive art. A technical analysis of the uv package manager explains its massive speed advantage over pip, attributing success to modern PEP standards and static metadata parsing rather than just the Rust language. In the open-source community, FFmpeg has formally accused Rockchip of violating LGPL by copying code into their MPP drivers and improperly relicensing it under Apache 2.0. Apple contributed to the AI space by open-sourcing SHARP, a model capable of generating 3D Gaussian Splatting from 2D images in under one second. Additional reports cover security vulnerabilities in insulin pump controllers and the unique interactive pixel art of the Floor796 project. These developments underscore the industry's focus on architectural efficiency and the critical importance of maintaining software licensing integrity.