In the tech world, there is a constant flow of changes and keeping up with them means the choice for tools and technologies which are the most appropriate to invest your time in.
In 2026 the best programming language or technology stack to learn really depends on your personal aims, hobbies, and apps you are going to create.
The use of AI is increasing. AI as a “Pair Programmer” is becoming the default. Code completion, refactoring, and boilerplate generation are used often. Devs spend more time reviewing and steering code than typing it. “Explain this error” and “why is this slow?” prompts are useful.
In prompt-Driven Development programmers describe the intent in natural language and then let AI generate first drafts of functions, APIs, or configs. Iterate by refining prompts rather than rewriting code. Trend: Knowing how to ask is becoming as important as syntax.
Strong growth in: Auto-generated unit and integration tests and edge-case discovery. Trend: “Test-first” is easier when AI writes the boring parts.
AI is moving up the stack. Trend: AI as a junior architect or reviewer, not the final decider.
AI comes to Security & Code Quality Scanning. Rapid adoption in: Static analysis and vulnerability detection, secret leakage and dependency risk checks. AI can give secure-by-default code suggestions. Trend: AI shifts security earlier in the SDLC (“shift left”).
Instead of one-off prompts: AI agents that plan → code → test → fix → retry. Multi-step autonomous tasks (e.g., “add feature X and update docs”) can be done in best cases. Trend: Still supervised, but moving toward semi-autonomous dev loops.
AI is heavily used for explaining large, unfamiliar codebases and translating between languages/frameworks. It helps onboarding new engineers faster.
What’s changing: Less manual boilerplate work
More focus on problem definition, review, and decision-making. There is stronger emphasis on fundamentals, architecture, and domain knowledge. Trend: Devs become editors, designers, and orchestrators.
AI usage policies and audit trails is necessary. Trend: “Use AI, but safely.”
Likely directions:
Deeper IDE + CI/CD integration
AI maintaining legacy systems
Natural-language → production-ready features
AI copilots customized to your codebase
126 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://developer.rustexpertisecenter.com/?fbclid=Iwb21leAPrYrhleHRuA2FlbQEwAGFkaWQBqy577zmwpnNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHkrr1ydph-dBNFuCk_ZOgWJ4lGnGsmyPPaHzJfi5FdwzhKmqwepj2S2u5m-s_aem_zQ9VsFrHeSsPXeEaDT1EYQ&utm_medium=paid&utm_source=fb&utm_id=120240924220680614&utm_content=120240924220740614&utm_term=120240924220730614&utm_campaign=120240924220680614
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://aihiodigital.fi/2024/05/28/mika-ihmeen-sivustokartta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.xda-developers.com/developer-tools-that-are-incredible-even-if-you-are-not-a-developer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vanilla OS 2 lets me run Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch apps at the same time
https://www.xda-developers.com/vanilla-os-2-lets-run-ubuntu-fedora-arch-and-android-apps-same-time/
Linux is a big and rich ecosystem, but one of the annoying things about how flexible it is as a platform is the disparity that can appear between using the different flavors of Linux out there. Even app compatibility can be a problem, because distros like Debian and Ubuntu support DEB packages, others like Fedora may use RPM packages, and others still may just rely on a package manager, and even those package managers are different between distros. There are “cross-platform” packages like Flatpak, but not every app is available in that format.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thenewstack.io/jule-open-source-programming-language/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windows PCs fade away
analysis
Feb 6, 2026
5 mins
https://www.infoworld.com/article/4128164/windows-pcs-fade-away.html
The era of true ownership is ending as cloud services and AI are transforming the PC. What does this mean for user control?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Python everywhere—but are we there yet?
analysis
Feb 6, 2026
3 mins
Which Python JIT compiles faster, what’s the easiest way to run PostgreSQL in Python, and can we run Python apps in Wasm yet? Find answers to these questions and more in this week’s report.
https://www.infoworld.com/article/4127491/python-everywhere-but-are-we-there-yet.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yeachan-Heo
/
oh-my-claudecode
Public
Multi-agent orchestration for Claude Code with 5 execution modes: Autopilot (autonomous), Ultrapilot (3-5x parallel), Swarm (coordinated agents), Pipeline (sequential chains), Ecomode (token-efficient). 31+ skills, 32 specialized agents, zero learning curve.
https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode
Tomi Engdahl says:
6 Open-Source AI Tools That Made Me Love Building Again
There’s a strange burnout developers don’t talk about. Not from coding. From tools.
https://medium.com/@neurominimal/6-open-source-ai-tools-that-made-me-love-building-again-133df79fe7d0
Tomi Engdahl says:
4
Stop Installing Libraries: 10 Browser APIs That Already Solve Your Problems
#
webdev
#
frontend
#
javascript
The web platform is way more powerful than most developers realize — and every year it quietly gains new superpowers.
https://dev.to/sylwia-lask/stop-installing-libraries-10-browser-apis-that-already-solve-your-problems-35bi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Getting Feedback from Test-Driven Development and Testing in Production
https://www.infoq.com/news/2026/02/feedback-TDD-production/
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Can ‘Remap’ Your PC’s Copilot Key to Do Something Actually Useful
Launch any app, or bring back the right ctrl key.
https://lifehacker.com/tech/how-to-remap-your-copilot-key-on-pc
Tomi Engdahl says:
I ditched my regular ‘Pro’ laptop for a gaming laptop for work — and my productivity just doubled
Features
By Darragh Murphy published February 3, 2026
Monstrous power on the go
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/laptops/i-turned-my-gaming-laptop-into-a-go-to-machine-for-work-heres-how-it-went
In the not-too-distant past, it was largely considered that gaming laptops simply wouldn’t fit into the world of work, whether that be in an office, while writing up documents in a coffee shop or hammering in numbers on a spreadsheet while traveling abroad. “They’re too clunky,” or “they just don’t last without being plugged in,” have been fair assessments, and even “they don’t have that office appeal.”
Today, however, the memo has changed. Faster, sleeker and more battery efficient than ever, gaming laptops have become a fine fit for work and, of course, play.
To put that to the test, I used an Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI as my main laptop for work, and as I type out this piece on the very machine, I can say it more than does the job — and then some.
An ideal laptop geared towards professionals needs to have the performance to handle a multitude of websites, apps and tools needed to get through the working day. All without that ever-annoying lag when multitasking, mind you, as a stall when switching tabs, video editing, punching in numbers and the like takes away from finishing work on time.
For me, that includes opening up dozens of tabs on Google Chrome, working through documents, light photo editing, transferring video and, yes, testing (and playing) games for benchmarking. Oh, and watching shows like “Wonder Man” in my downtime.
As you might have guessed, it’s a given that gaming laptops will be able to handle these tasks without breaking a sweat.
Even when compared to the latest Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro and MacBook Pro M5, laptops that are made for professionals in a variety of fields, Acer’s gaming machine came out with flying colors. That’s thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX chip, 64GB of RAM and 1TB SSD, which my unit comes with under the hood. The Acer did particularly well in the Handbrake video transcoding test, finishing over a minute faster than the MacBook Pro M5.
Recently, though, many laptops made for gaming have steered towards a more universal, subtle look; one that doesn’t blare RGB lights or proclaim “made to game” on their lid.
No, it’s not the thinnest or lightest laptop around, but given its 16-inch design that comes in at just 19.9mm thin and 5.9 pounds, it makes this machine fairly portable for carrying around.
Like most, I often stuff my laptop backpack with all the essentials my usual working day needs: lunch, a water bottle, chargers, a notebook and, of course, the laptop itself — and most likely whatever device I’m reviewing for the week. The Predator Helios Neo 16 AI fit in without taking up so much space, and it didn’t give me backaches when heading to the office, either.
Now, battery life is another key factor. While a laptop that takes me through the whole workday is ideal, especially one I don’t need to plug in for at least 10 hours, when I’m at a desk or coffee shop with a power outlet, I make sure it’s charged to full more often than not.
With this in mind, the Predator Helios Neo 16 AI doesn’t have the longest endurance. While working on it, the laptop lasted just over five hours before needing some juice. It’s certainly not the longest, but that’s still half a day of work before a charge is needed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thenewstack.io/for-darryl-webassembly-and-web-workers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft says 32GB RAM is ideal for serious gamers on Windows 11, recommends Copilot+ PCs for gaming
https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/02/08/microsoft-says-32gb-ram-is-ideal-for-serious-gamers-on-windows-11-recommends-copilot-pcs-for-gaming/
Tomi Engdahl says:
op7418
/
CodePilot
Public
A native desktop GUI for Claude Code — chat, code, and manage projects visually. Built with Electron + Next.js.
https://github.com/op7418/CodePilot
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.stackademic.com/7-things-c-taught-me-about-programming-that-no-other-language-did-92693ab72cc4
Tomi Engdahl says:
anthropics
/
claudes-c-compiler
Public
Claude Opus 4.6 wrote a dependency-free C compiler in Rust, with backends targeting x86 (64- and 32-bit), ARM, and RISC-V, capable of compiling a booting Linux kernel.
https://github.com/anthropics/claudes-c-compiler
Tomi Engdahl says:
Running Pydantic’s Monty Rust sandboxed Python subset in WebAssembly
6th February 2026
There’s a jargon-filled headline for you! Everyone’s building sandboxes for running untrusted code right now, and Pydantic’s latest attempt, Monty, provides a custom Python-like language (a subset of Python) in Rust and makes it available as both a Rust library and a Python package. I got it working in WebAssembly, providing a sandbox-in-a-sandbox.
https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/6/pydantic-monty/
Tomi Engdahl says:
gavrielc
/
nanoclaw
Public
A lightweight alternative to Clawdbot / OpenClaw that runs in Apple containers for security. Connects to WhatsApp, has memory, scheduled jobs, and runs directly on Anthropic’s Agents SDK
https://github.com/gavrielc/nanoclaw
Tomi Engdahl says:
How StrongDM’s AI team build serious software without even looking at the code
7th February 2026
Last week I hinted at a demo I had seen from a team implementing what Dan Shapiro called the Dark Factory level of AI adoption, where no human even looks at the code the coding agents are producing. That team was part of StrongDM, and they’ve just shared the first public description of how they are working in Software Factories and the Agentic Moment:
We built a Software Factory: non-interactive development where specs + scenarios drive agents that write code, run harnesses, and converge without human review. [...]
In kōan or mantra form:
Why am I doing this? (implied: the model should be doing this instead)
In rule form:
Code must not be written by humans
Code must not be reviewed by humans
Finally, in practical form:
If you haven’t spent at least $1,000 on tokens today per human engineer, your software factory has room for improvement
https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/7/software-factory/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-keep-your-cold-drives-from-dying/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.howtogeek.com/the-one-reason-why-you-should-keep-important-files-on-an-ssd-instead-of-an-hdd/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thenewstack.io/docker-versus-nix-the-quest-for-true-reproducibility/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://dmitrybrant.com/2026/02/01/defeating-a-40-year-old-copy-protection-dongle
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://thenewstack.io/how-ai-coding-makes-developers-56-faster-and-19-slower/