Gene — a homoiconic, general-purpose language built around a generic “Gene” data type
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1e75u/gene_a_homoiconic_generalpurpose_language_built/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hi, I’ve been working on Gene, a general-purpose, homoiconic language with a Lisp-like surface syntax, but with a core data model that’s intentionally not just “lists all the way down”. What’s unique: the Gene data type Gene’s central idea is a single unified structure that always carries (1) a type, (2) key/value properties, and (3) positional children: (type ^prop1 value1 ^prop2 value2 child1 child2 ...) The key point is that the type, each property value, and each child can themselves be any Gene data. Everything composes uniformly. In practice this is powerful and liberating: you can build rich, self-describing structures without escaping to a different “meta” representation, and the AST and runtime values share the same shape. This isn’t JSON, and it isn’t plain S-expressions: type + properties + children are first-class in one representation, so you can attach structured metadata without wrapper nodes, and build DSLs / transforms without inventing a separate annotation system. Dynamic + general-purpose (FP and OOP) Gene aims to be usable for “regular programming,” not only DSLs: FP-style basics: fn, expression-oriented code, and an AST-friendly representation OOP support: class, new, nested classes, namespaces (still expanding coverage) Runtime/tooling: bytecode compiler + stack VM in Nim, plus CLI tooling (run, eval, repl, parse, compile) Macro-like capability: unevaluated args + caller-context evaluation Gene supports unevaluated arguments and caller-context evaluation (macro-like behavior). You can pass expressions through without evaluating them, and then explicitly evaluate them later in the caller’s context when needed (e.g., via primitives such as caller_eval / fn! for macro-style forms). This is intended to make it easier to write DSL-ish control forms without hardcoding evaluation rules into the core language. I also added an optional local LLM backend: Gene has a genex/llm namespace that can call local GGUF models through llama.cpp via FFI (primarily because I wanted local inference without external services). Repo: https://github.com/gene-lang/gene I’d love feedback on: whether the “type/props/children” core structure feels compelling vs plain s-exprs, the macro/unevaluated-args ergonomics (does it feel coherent?), and what would make the project most useful next (stdlib, interop, docs, performance, etc.). <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/gcao99 (https://www.reddit.com/user/gcao99)
[link] (https://github.com/gene-lang/gene) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1e75u/gene_a_homoiconic_generalpurpose_language_built/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1e75u/gene_a_homoiconic_generalpurpose_language_built/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hi, I’ve been working on Gene, a general-purpose, homoiconic language with a Lisp-like surface syntax, but with a core data model that’s intentionally not just “lists all the way down”. What’s unique: the Gene data type Gene’s central idea is a single unified structure that always carries (1) a type, (2) key/value properties, and (3) positional children: (type ^prop1 value1 ^prop2 value2 child1 child2 ...) The key point is that the type, each property value, and each child can themselves be any Gene data. Everything composes uniformly. In practice this is powerful and liberating: you can build rich, self-describing structures without escaping to a different “meta” representation, and the AST and runtime values share the same shape. This isn’t JSON, and it isn’t plain S-expressions: type + properties + children are first-class in one representation, so you can attach structured metadata without wrapper nodes, and build DSLs / transforms without inventing a separate annotation system. Dynamic + general-purpose (FP and OOP) Gene aims to be usable for “regular programming,” not only DSLs: FP-style basics: fn, expression-oriented code, and an AST-friendly representation OOP support: class, new, nested classes, namespaces (still expanding coverage) Runtime/tooling: bytecode compiler + stack VM in Nim, plus CLI tooling (run, eval, repl, parse, compile) Macro-like capability: unevaluated args + caller-context evaluation Gene supports unevaluated arguments and caller-context evaluation (macro-like behavior). You can pass expressions through without evaluating them, and then explicitly evaluate them later in the caller’s context when needed (e.g., via primitives such as caller_eval / fn! for macro-style forms). This is intended to make it easier to write DSL-ish control forms without hardcoding evaluation rules into the core language. I also added an optional local LLM backend: Gene has a genex/llm namespace that can call local GGUF models through llama.cpp via FFI (primarily because I wanted local inference without external services). Repo: https://github.com/gene-lang/gene I’d love feedback on: whether the “type/props/children” core structure feels compelling vs plain s-exprs, the macro/unevaluated-args ergonomics (does it feel coherent?), and what would make the project most useful next (stdlib, interop, docs, performance, etc.). <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/gcao99 (https://www.reddit.com/user/gcao99)
[link] (https://github.com/gene-lang/gene) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1e75u/gene_a_homoiconic_generalpurpose_language_built/)
Article: Why Big Tech Turns Everything Into a Knife Fight
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1j104/article_why_big_tech_turns_everything_into_a/
<!-- SC_OFF -->An unhinged but honest read for anyone exhausted by big tech politics, performative collaboration, and endless internal knife fights. I wrote it partly to make sense of my own experience, partly to see if there’s a way to make corporate environments less hostile — or at least to entertain bored engineers who’ve seen this movie before. Thinking about extending it into a full-fledged Tech Bro Saga. Would love feedback, character ideas, or stories you’d want to see folded in. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/NoVibeCoding (https://www.reddit.com/user/NoVibeCoding)
[link] (https://medium.com/@dmitrytrifonov/why-big-tech-turns-everything-into-a-knife-fight-42e221944ec8) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1j104/article_why_big_tech_turns_everything_into_a/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1j104/article_why_big_tech_turns_everything_into_a/
<!-- SC_OFF -->An unhinged but honest read for anyone exhausted by big tech politics, performative collaboration, and endless internal knife fights. I wrote it partly to make sense of my own experience, partly to see if there’s a way to make corporate environments less hostile — or at least to entertain bored engineers who’ve seen this movie before. Thinking about extending it into a full-fledged Tech Bro Saga. Would love feedback, character ideas, or stories you’d want to see folded in. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/NoVibeCoding (https://www.reddit.com/user/NoVibeCoding)
[link] (https://medium.com/@dmitrytrifonov/why-big-tech-turns-everything-into-a-knife-fight-42e221944ec8) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1j104/article_why_big_tech_turns_everything_into_a/)
coco: a simple stackless, single-threaded, and header-only C++20 coroutine library
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1nrd8/coco_a_simple_stackless_singlethreaded_and/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hi all, I have rewritten my coroutine library, coco (https://github.com/kingluo/coco), using the C++20 coroutine API. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/Ill_Excuse_4291 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Ill_Excuse_4291)
[link] (http://luajit.io/posts/coco-cpp20-coroutine/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1nrd8/coco_a_simple_stackless_singlethreaded_and/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1nrd8/coco_a_simple_stackless_singlethreaded_and/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Hi all, I have rewritten my coroutine library, coco (https://github.com/kingluo/coco), using the C++20 coroutine API. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/Ill_Excuse_4291 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Ill_Excuse_4291)
[link] (http://luajit.io/posts/coco-cpp20-coroutine/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1nrd8/coco_a_simple_stackless_singlethreaded_and/)
Lessons from hash table merging
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1pbdk/lessons_from_hash_table_merging/
submitted by /u/attractivechaos (https://www.reddit.com/user/attractivechaos)
[link] (https://gist.github.com/attractivechaos/d2efc77cc1db56bbd5fc597987e73338) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1pbdk/lessons_from_hash_table_merging/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1pbdk/lessons_from_hash_table_merging/
submitted by /u/attractivechaos (https://www.reddit.com/user/attractivechaos)
[link] (https://gist.github.com/attractivechaos/d2efc77cc1db56bbd5fc597987e73338) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1pbdk/lessons_from_hash_table_merging/)
Can Bundler be as fast as uv?
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r096/can_bundler_be_as_fast_as_uv/
submitted by /u/iamkeyur (https://www.reddit.com/user/iamkeyur)
[link] (https://tenderlovemaking.com/2025/12/29/can-bundler-be-as-fast-as-uv/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r096/can_bundler_be_as_fast_as_uv/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r096/can_bundler_be_as_fast_as_uv/
submitted by /u/iamkeyur (https://www.reddit.com/user/iamkeyur)
[link] (https://tenderlovemaking.com/2025/12/29/can-bundler-be-as-fast-as-uv/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r096/can_bundler_be_as_fast_as_uv/)
Patching: The Boring Security Practice That Could Save You $700 Million
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r2a8/patching_the_boring_security_practice_that_could/
submitted by /u/trolleid (https://www.reddit.com/user/trolleid)
[link] (https://lukasniessen.medium.com/patching-the-boring-security-practice-that-could-save-you-700-million-4d8f8b4b56a1?source=user_profile_page---------2-------------e997ef2a34b8----------------------) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r2a8/patching_the_boring_security_practice_that_could/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r2a8/patching_the_boring_security_practice_that_could/
submitted by /u/trolleid (https://www.reddit.com/user/trolleid)
[link] (https://lukasniessen.medium.com/patching-the-boring-security-practice-that-could-save-you-700-million-4d8f8b4b56a1?source=user_profile_page---------2-------------e997ef2a34b8----------------------) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1r2a8/patching_the_boring_security_practice_that_could/)
The Zero-Rent Architecture: Designing for the Swartland Farmer
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1sclq/the_zerorent_architecture_designing_for_the/
submitted by /u/Happy-Snapper (https://www.reddit.com/user/Happy-Snapper)
[link] (https://medium.com/@paulallies/the-zero-rent-architecture-designing-for-the-swartland-farmer-b022ce7d440c) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1sclq/the_zerorent_architecture_designing_for_the/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1sclq/the_zerorent_architecture_designing_for_the/
submitted by /u/Happy-Snapper (https://www.reddit.com/user/Happy-Snapper)
[link] (https://medium.com/@paulallies/the-zero-rent-architecture-designing-for-the-swartland-farmer-b022ce7d440c) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1sclq/the_zerorent_architecture_designing_for_the/)
Matt Godbolt's Advent of Compiler Optimisations 2025
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1uqj9/matt_godbolts_advent_of_compiler_optimisations/
submitted by /u/alexeyr (https://www.reddit.com/user/alexeyr)
[link] (https://xania.org/AoCO2025-archive) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1uqj9/matt_godbolts_advent_of_compiler_optimisations/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1uqj9/matt_godbolts_advent_of_compiler_optimisations/
submitted by /u/alexeyr (https://www.reddit.com/user/alexeyr)
[link] (https://xania.org/AoCO2025-archive) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1uqj9/matt_godbolts_advent_of_compiler_optimisations/)
Article: The Tale of Kubernetes Loadbalancer "Service" In The Agnostic World of Clouds
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1vk1m/article_the_tale_of_kubernetes_loadbalancer/
submitted by /u/MindCorrupted (https://www.reddit.com/user/MindCorrupted)
[link] (https://hamzabouissi.github.io/posts/cloud_agnostic_lb_for_kubernetes/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1vk1m/article_the_tale_of_kubernetes_loadbalancer/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1vk1m/article_the_tale_of_kubernetes_loadbalancer/
submitted by /u/MindCorrupted (https://www.reddit.com/user/MindCorrupted)
[link] (https://hamzabouissi.github.io/posts/cloud_agnostic_lb_for_kubernetes/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1vk1m/article_the_tale_of_kubernetes_loadbalancer/)
We’re not concerned enough about the death of the junior-level software engineer
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wrjj/were_not_concerned_enough_about_the_death_of_the/
submitted by /u/ReplacementNo598 (https://www.reddit.com/user/ReplacementNo598)
[link] (https://medium.com/@austin-starks/the-death-of-the-code-monkey-why-i-fear-for-the-class-of-2026-13dbf531a76f) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wrjj/were_not_concerned_enough_about_the_death_of_the/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wrjj/were_not_concerned_enough_about_the_death_of_the/
submitted by /u/ReplacementNo598 (https://www.reddit.com/user/ReplacementNo598)
[link] (https://medium.com/@austin-starks/the-death-of-the-code-monkey-why-i-fear-for-the-class-of-2026-13dbf531a76f) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wrjj/were_not_concerned_enough_about_the_death_of_the/)
Why I switched away from Zig to C3
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wsgv/why_i_switched_away_from_zig_to_c3/
submitted by /u/Nuoji (https://www.reddit.com/user/Nuoji)
[link] (https://lowbytefox.dev/blog/from-zig-to-c3/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wsgv/why_i_switched_away_from_zig_to_c3/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wsgv/why_i_switched_away_from_zig_to_c3/
submitted by /u/Nuoji (https://www.reddit.com/user/Nuoji)
[link] (https://lowbytefox.dev/blog/from-zig-to-c3/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1wsgv/why_i_switched_away_from_zig_to_c3/)
The genesis of the “Hello World” programs
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1z9yg/the_genesis_of_the_hello_world_programs/
submitted by /u/amitmerchant (https://www.reddit.com/user/amitmerchant)
[link] (https://amitmerchant.com/the-genesis-of-the-hello-world-programs/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1z9yg/the_genesis_of_the_hello_world_programs/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1z9yg/the_genesis_of_the_hello_world_programs/
submitted by /u/amitmerchant (https://www.reddit.com/user/amitmerchant)
[link] (https://amitmerchant.com/the-genesis-of-the-hello-world-programs/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q1z9yg/the_genesis_of_the_hello_world_programs/)
Why users cannot create Issues directly
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q22k91/why_users_cannot_create_issues_directly/
submitted by /u/iamkeyur (https://www.reddit.com/user/iamkeyur)
[link] (https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty/issues/3558) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q22k91/why_users_cannot_create_issues_directly/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q22k91/why_users_cannot_create_issues_directly/
submitted by /u/iamkeyur (https://www.reddit.com/user/iamkeyur)
[link] (https://github.com/ghostty-org/ghostty/issues/3558) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q22k91/why_users_cannot_create_issues_directly/)
Was it really a Billion Dollar Mistake?
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q26xbi/was_it_really_a_billion_dollar_mistake/
submitted by /u/gingerbill (https://www.reddit.com/user/gingerbill)
[link] (https://www.gingerbill.org/article/2026/01/02/was-it-really-a-billion-dollar-mistake/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q26xbi/was_it_really_a_billion_dollar_mistake/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q26xbi/was_it_really_a_billion_dollar_mistake/
submitted by /u/gingerbill (https://www.reddit.com/user/gingerbill)
[link] (https://www.gingerbill.org/article/2026/01/02/was-it-really-a-billion-dollar-mistake/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q26xbi/was_it_really_a_billion_dollar_mistake/)
Verified Model-Based Conformance Testing for Dummies
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2k9dl/verified_modelbased_conformance_testing_for/
submitted by /u/DrJimmyBrungus_ (https://www.reddit.com/user/DrJimmyBrungus_)
[link] (https://welltyped.systems/blog/verified-conformance-testing-for-dummies) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2k9dl/verified_modelbased_conformance_testing_for/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2k9dl/verified_modelbased_conformance_testing_for/
submitted by /u/DrJimmyBrungus_ (https://www.reddit.com/user/DrJimmyBrungus_)
[link] (https://welltyped.systems/blog/verified-conformance-testing-for-dummies) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2k9dl/verified_modelbased_conformance_testing_for/)
Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2kz3k/malleable_software_restoring_user_agency_in_a/
submitted by /u/misterolupo (https://www.reddit.com/user/misterolupo)
[link] (https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/malleable-software/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2kz3k/malleable_software_restoring_user_agency_in_a/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2kz3k/malleable_software_restoring_user_agency_in_a/
submitted by /u/misterolupo (https://www.reddit.com/user/misterolupo)
[link] (https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/malleable-software/) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2kz3k/malleable_software_restoring_user_agency_in_a/)
How Uber Shows Millions of Drivers Location In Realtime
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2o00b/how_uber_shows_millions_of_drivers_location_in/
submitted by /u/Sushant098123 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Sushant098123)
[link] (https://sushantdhiman.substack.com/p/how-uber-shows-millions-of-drivers) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2o00b/how_uber_shows_millions_of_drivers_location_in/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2o00b/how_uber_shows_millions_of_drivers_location_in/
submitted by /u/Sushant098123 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Sushant098123)
[link] (https://sushantdhiman.substack.com/p/how-uber-shows-millions-of-drivers) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2o00b/how_uber_shows_millions_of_drivers_location_in/)
Research found indentation depth correlates with cyclomatic complexity. A language-agnostic approach to measuring code complexity
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2q1ib/research_found_indentation_depth_correlates_with/
submitted by /u/itaymendi (https://www.reddit.com/user/itaymendi)
[link] (https://softwareprocess.es/static/WhiteSpace.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2q1ib/research_found_indentation_depth_correlates_with/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2q1ib/research_found_indentation_depth_correlates_with/
submitted by /u/itaymendi (https://www.reddit.com/user/itaymendi)
[link] (https://softwareprocess.es/static/WhiteSpace.html) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2q1ib/research_found_indentation_depth_correlates_with/)
Why Developer Expertise Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2qa5m/why_developer_expertise_matters_more_than_ever_in/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Read “Why Developer Expertise Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI“ <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/iammidhul (https://www.reddit.com/user/iammidhul)
[link] (https://medium.com/understanding-javanoscript-developwithmi/why-developer-expertise-matters-more-than-ever-in-the-age-of-ai-a45a93ffc14f?sk=046291f3b71ef1fc8dbeaa5c1f96e6c7) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2qa5m/why_developer_expertise_matters_more_than_ever_in/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2qa5m/why_developer_expertise_matters_more_than_ever_in/
<!-- SC_OFF -->Read “Why Developer Expertise Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI“ <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/iammidhul (https://www.reddit.com/user/iammidhul)
[link] (https://medium.com/understanding-javanoscript-developwithmi/why-developer-expertise-matters-more-than-ever-in-the-age-of-ai-a45a93ffc14f?sk=046291f3b71ef1fc8dbeaa5c1f96e6c7) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2qa5m/why_developer_expertise_matters_more_than_ever_in/)
Encapsulating audio metadata and edit logic in a single text format
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2rvgs/encapsulating_audio_metadata_and_edit_logic_in_a/
<!-- SC_OFF -->CUE sheets describe audio timestamps and metadata, but I wanted something a bit more expressive.
I built a CUE-based text format and a tool with SQL-like methods, keeping it small and easy to implement while allowing simple but effective edits.
In the demo, an album medley is created using only MP3 drag & drop and text copy/paste—no waveform editing required. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/cutandjoin (https://www.reddit.com/user/cutandjoin)
[link] (https://youtu.be/-beNsYuPZaQ) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2rvgs/encapsulating_audio_metadata_and_edit_logic_in_a/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2rvgs/encapsulating_audio_metadata_and_edit_logic_in_a/
<!-- SC_OFF -->CUE sheets describe audio timestamps and metadata, but I wanted something a bit more expressive.
I built a CUE-based text format and a tool with SQL-like methods, keeping it small and easy to implement while allowing simple but effective edits.
In the demo, an album medley is created using only MP3 drag & drop and text copy/paste—no waveform editing required. <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/cutandjoin (https://www.reddit.com/user/cutandjoin)
[link] (https://youtu.be/-beNsYuPZaQ) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2rvgs/encapsulating_audio_metadata_and_edit_logic_in_a/)
identity is a physical property, not a digital permission
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2vf8z/identity_is_a_physical_property_not_a_digital/
<!-- SC_OFF -->The Problem
Almost every anti-counterfeit or authentication system today starts with a digital identity and tries to attach it to a physical thing. QR codes, serial numbers, NFC tags, cloud verification, even ML-based "real vs. fake" image checks—they all share one assumption: the digital layer is the source of truth. The physical object is just a carrier. That assumption started to feel backwards. The Core Idea: Extract, Don't Assign
What if a physical object already has a unique, measurable identity formed during its creation (microscopic misalignments, printing imperfections, layer offsets)?
What if, instead of gluing a digital code onto it, we just measure what's already there and make the digital layer a reference to that physical fingerprint? That’s the premise of PBM (Perspective-Based Markers). It's a simple physical-layer experiment. How It Works (The Simple Version)
The setup is deliberately low-tech: Print two high-frequency grid patterns, one on top of the other, with a tiny, fixed physical gap (millimeters) between them. Capture an image from a slight angle. The physics part: If a real 3D gap exists, you get parallax (the grids shift relative to each other in the image). If it's a flat photo, a screen replay, or a reprint, the parallax field collapses. The math is binary. What It Does NOT Use
This is the important part: No neural networks No "AI confidence score" No cloud API calls for the core verification No training data or heuristics What It DOES Use Deterministic signal processing: FFT and phase correlation. A simple signal-to-noise threshold. Output is PHYSICAL, NON_PHYSICAL, or UNDECIDABLE. The UNDECIDABLE result is intentional. If the signal is ambiguous, the system declares "I don't know." It won't guess. This feels healthier than systems that hallucinate certainty. Tested Bypass Methods (They Fail)
I tried the obvious attacks: Taking a photo of the token and printing it Showing the token on a phone screen High-resolution reprinting To the human eye, they look perfect. They might even pass a "strong signal" check. But the relative parallax between the two grid layers? Zero. Physics doesn't negotiate. You Can Try It Yourself (Seriously)
You don't need a lab. To see the parallax effect: An inkjet printer A4 paper A spacer like a CD case to create the gap A drop of cooking oil (to make the top paper translucent and see both layers) That's enough to observe the core principle. Why Publish This Openly?
I don't want this to turn into: "Trust our proprietary model" "Upload to our verification API" "Enterprise pricing available" This describes a physics-based constraint, not a product. If the method is flawed, I want it broken in public. If it's valid, it should belong to anyone who understands the math. The repository and full technical specification are public (link in comments). I'm happy to discuss why this might be a dead end, or where it could be genuinely useful. Happy New Year. https://github.com/illegal-instruction-co/pbm-core <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/Humble-Plastic-5285 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Humble-Plastic-5285)
[link] (https://github.com/illegal-instruction-co/pbm-core) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2vf8z/identity_is_a_physical_property_not_a_digital/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2vf8z/identity_is_a_physical_property_not_a_digital/
<!-- SC_OFF -->The Problem
Almost every anti-counterfeit or authentication system today starts with a digital identity and tries to attach it to a physical thing. QR codes, serial numbers, NFC tags, cloud verification, even ML-based "real vs. fake" image checks—they all share one assumption: the digital layer is the source of truth. The physical object is just a carrier. That assumption started to feel backwards. The Core Idea: Extract, Don't Assign
What if a physical object already has a unique, measurable identity formed during its creation (microscopic misalignments, printing imperfections, layer offsets)?
What if, instead of gluing a digital code onto it, we just measure what's already there and make the digital layer a reference to that physical fingerprint? That’s the premise of PBM (Perspective-Based Markers). It's a simple physical-layer experiment. How It Works (The Simple Version)
The setup is deliberately low-tech: Print two high-frequency grid patterns, one on top of the other, with a tiny, fixed physical gap (millimeters) between them. Capture an image from a slight angle. The physics part: If a real 3D gap exists, you get parallax (the grids shift relative to each other in the image). If it's a flat photo, a screen replay, or a reprint, the parallax field collapses. The math is binary. What It Does NOT Use
This is the important part: No neural networks No "AI confidence score" No cloud API calls for the core verification No training data or heuristics What It DOES Use Deterministic signal processing: FFT and phase correlation. A simple signal-to-noise threshold. Output is PHYSICAL, NON_PHYSICAL, or UNDECIDABLE. The UNDECIDABLE result is intentional. If the signal is ambiguous, the system declares "I don't know." It won't guess. This feels healthier than systems that hallucinate certainty. Tested Bypass Methods (They Fail)
I tried the obvious attacks: Taking a photo of the token and printing it Showing the token on a phone screen High-resolution reprinting To the human eye, they look perfect. They might even pass a "strong signal" check. But the relative parallax between the two grid layers? Zero. Physics doesn't negotiate. You Can Try It Yourself (Seriously)
You don't need a lab. To see the parallax effect: An inkjet printer A4 paper A spacer like a CD case to create the gap A drop of cooking oil (to make the top paper translucent and see both layers) That's enough to observe the core principle. Why Publish This Openly?
I don't want this to turn into: "Trust our proprietary model" "Upload to our verification API" "Enterprise pricing available" This describes a physics-based constraint, not a product. If the method is flawed, I want it broken in public. If it's valid, it should belong to anyone who understands the math. The repository and full technical specification are public (link in comments). I'm happy to discuss why this might be a dead end, or where it could be genuinely useful. Happy New Year. https://github.com/illegal-instruction-co/pbm-core <!-- SC_ON --> submitted by /u/Humble-Plastic-5285 (https://www.reddit.com/user/Humble-Plastic-5285)
[link] (https://github.com/illegal-instruction-co/pbm-core) [comments] (https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1q2vf8z/identity_is_a_physical_property_not_a_digital/)