Runtime Arguments

25: The X Window System and Wayland

If you've been using Linux on the desktop you almost certainly have been using the X Window System.In this episode we dive into what that is, where it came from and what kinds of choices you have.We get into the toolkits like GTK and Qt and talk about desktop environments like Gnome and KDE.Then we get into the future, namely Wayland.If you want to run an X client application on a remote server, you need to have an Xserver running local. If your desktop is MacOS, you can install Xquartz. If it's Windows, you can install Xming.  If your desktop is Linux, you already have an Xserver running (or maybe you have Wayland, in which case you can run Xwayland).The following command will log you into a remote system where you can run an X client application and have it display on your local desktop:ssh -X user@example.comIf you echo your $DISPLAY environment variable, you should see something like:localhost:10.0That's telling the X client app to send it's data using the X protocol to the your local desktop and proxy it over SSH.The next step is run on an X app. It's easy, just run it:xtermA terminal window should pop up on your local desktop.Hosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at jam@RuntimeArguments.fmWolf can be reached at wolf@RuntimeArguments.fmFollow us on Mastodon: @RuntimeArguments@hachyderm.ioIf you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeArguments.fmCheckout our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky

24: Bayes' Rule - The Formula For Learning Everything

If you've ever debugged a program, looked for lost socks or tried to figure out why red spots are developing on your skin, then Bayes' rule was almost certainly used to help you on your journey. Even if you don't know anything about it. Humans have evolved to solve problems but along the way, we as a species sometimes fall for traps or fail to consider all the evidence when figuring things out.In this episode, Wolf explains what Bayes' rule is, how we use it and how we could use it better to solve our mysteries.One sentenceBayes' Rule is the formula that tells you how to update what you believe when you get new evidence — it combines what was already true with what you just learned.The mathThe probability of A given B equals the probability of B given A, times the probability of A, divided by the probability of BP(A | B) = P(B | A) * P(A) / P(B)Key conceptsBayes' Rule — the formula for updating what you believe when you get new evidenceRepresentativeness heuristic — substituting "how well does this match?" for "how likely is this?" (ignoring base rates)Base rate neglect — the tendency to ignore population-level frequencies when evaluating specific casesPrior / likelihood / posterior — what you believed before, how likely the evidence is, what you should believe nowSystem 1 / System 2 — Kahneman's framework for fast intuitive thinking vs. slow deliberate reasoningThe Tom W problemFrom Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, Chapter 14. A personality description that tricks you into ignoring base rates. The Sin of Representativeness — Unearned WisdomThe cab problemAlso from Kahneman. A witness, a hit-and-run, and the surprising math of why 80% reliability doesn't mean 80% probability. Kahneman's Bayesian inference exampleBooks:Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) — the Tom W problem, the cab problem, System 1/System 2, representativenessSharon Bertsch McGrayne, The Theory That Wouldn't Die (2011) — the history of Bayes' theorem from its discovery through the frequentist wars to its modern resurgenceDouglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (1979) — a Pulitzer-winning exploration of how self-reference and formal systems connect mathematics, art, and musicErnest Nagel and James R. Newman, Gödel's Proof (1958) — a concise, accessible walkthrough of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems for non-mathematiciansHistorical:Thomas Bayes (1701–1761) — Presbyterian minister who first derived the theorem; never published it. Richard Price submitted it posthumously.Pierre-Simon Laplace — independently derived and generalized Bayes' work; arguably did the heavier mathematical liftingTools (if you want to go deeper):PyMC — Python library for Bayesian statistical modelingBayes' theorem — WikipediaThinking, Fast and Slow — WikipediaHosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at jam@RuntimeArguments.fmWolf can be reached at wolf@RuntimeArguments.fmFollow us on Mastodon: @RuntimeArguments@hachyderm.ioIf you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeArguments.fmCheckout our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky

23: Containers - What's in the box????

Containers have become the standard way for deploying applications on servers and the web and sometimes even on the desktop.In this episode we dive into what containers are, how they work, how to build them and what you can do with them.Whether you are using containers in your development environment, deploying on servers in your data center or as a cloud service, containers save time, handle dependencies, increase security and just make things easier and better in so many ways.We discuss several commands to build and run containers and we've included examples here:Dockerfile example:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FROM ubuntuRUN apt update && apt install -y apache2ENTRYPOINT [ "/usr/sbin/apachectl", "-D", "FOREGROUND", "-k", "start" ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Build the image using the above Dockerfile:    docker buildx build --tag my_container ./Run the container:    docker run -p 8080:80 -d my_containerNow, point your web browser at http://localhost:8080 (assuming you did this on your desktop)Display a list of running containers:    docker compose lsAttach to a running container and get a shell:    docker exec -it [container name] /bin/bashStop a container:    docker container stop [container name]Start it running again:    docker container start [container name]Remove a container (after stopping it)    docker container rm [container name]Hosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at jam@RuntimeArguments.fmWolf can be reached at wolf@RuntimeArguments.fmFollow us on Mastodon: @RuntimeArguments@hachyderm.ioIf you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeArguments.fmCheckout our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky

22: With Claude, I'm doing the right things better and quicker

In episode 8, Wolf talks about using AI to write code; and a bit of the landscape around that. In this episode, he describes what he’s learned on his journey from just coding to using AI as a major tool in his toolbox for addressing friction in every area of (mostly) work and (a bit of) life.Less about the landscape and more about the applications, the reasoning, the big-picture, and having the right expectations.Links:Claude best practices guide - https://code.claude.com/docs/en/best-practicesClaude Opus 4.6: The Biggest AI Jump I've Covered – It's Not Close - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKk77rzOL34The OpenClaw Saga: Zuckerberg Begged This developer to Join Meta. He Said No - https://youtu.be/5IzPLjqkFaE?si=P-2Ba1WHXmkU_zOjSeth Godin - https://seths.blog/2026/02/how-to-write-a-coaching-learning-prompt/Hosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at jam@RuntimeArguments.fmWolf can be reached at wolf@RuntimeArguments.fmFollow us on Mastodon: @RuntimeArguments@hachyderm.ioIf you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeArguments.fmCheckout our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky

21: Everything Is A Database Problem

Jim brings his vast knowledge of Databases and dives into the history, some theory, some best practices and some choices you can make.Links:Claude best practices guide - https://code.claude.com/docs/en/best-practicesPasskeys Server and Client - https://github.com/Runtime-Arguments/passkeys-demoWebassembly History - https://bytecodealliance.org/articles/ten-years-of-webassembly-a-retrospectiveE.F.Codd - Relational Model of Data for Large Data Banks- https://www.seas.upenn.edu/~zives/03f/cis550/codd.pdf - E.F.CoddLessons about rewriting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_TheseusHosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at jam@RuntimeArguments.fmWolf can be reached at wolf@RuntimeArguments.fmFollow us on Mastodon: @RuntimeArguments@hachyderm.ioIf you have feedback for us, please send it to feedback@RuntimeArguments.fmCheckout our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky