susam-net

Wander Console 0.5.0 has been released, featuring a built-in console network crawler that performs breadth-first search traversal of the Wander network. The decentralized, self-hosted web console allows visitors to explore websites recommended by independent website owners.

The author shares monthly notes from January, focusing on algebraic graph theory concepts including Cayley graphs, vertex-transitive graphs, and Tutte's theorem. The notes also cover a JavaScript linear congruential generator implementation and line numbering with cat and nl commands.

The author reflects on 25 years of computing experiences, sharing personal stories from university days to professional career. These include learning HTML from a fellow student, experimenting with processor reset vectors, transitioning to software security work, and participating in a Capture the Flag event.

The author switched from ZNC to Soju as their IRC bouncer, finding Soju easier to set up on Debian. Unlike ZNC, Soju automatically configures itself without requiring manual file management. The article provides installation and configuration commands for Soju.

The Soju IRC bouncer uses a confirmation token for user deletion derived from the username via SHA-1 hash. The token is generated by taking the first 6 characters of the SHA-1 hash of the username, which remains consistent across user creation and deletion cycles.

The article contrasts how chess players maintain recognition despite computers surpassing them, while software developers face different challenges. Programmers may continue to enjoy their craft but credit and economic value will shift toward those who define problems and make technology useful in real-world situations.

Nerd Quiz #4 is a single-page HTML application that challenges users with a brief quiz to measure their inner geek. This release introduces five new questions covering topics like computing history, graph theory, and Unix.

The author shares monthly notes on algebraic graph theory, focusing on concepts from Norman Biggs's book. Key topics include vertex orbits, regular non-vertex-transitive graphs, and distinctions between vertex-transitive, edge-transitive, and symmetric graphs. The author aims to eventually understand Tutte's theorem on arc-transitive cubic graphs.

HN Skins 0.1.0 is a browser userscript that adds custom visual themes to Hacker News. It requires a userscript manager like Greasemonkey or Tampermonkey to install and use. The source code is available under the MIT license.

HN Skins 0.2.0 is a minor update to the Hacker News theming userscript that removes excessive vertical space below reply links, sorts skin options alphabetically, and fixes the Terminal skin's navigation bar color. The update addresses several minor styling issues from the initial release.

HN Skins 0.3.0 is a minor update to the Hacker News theming userscript. It fixes font consistency issues, mutes visited link colors for better distinction, and renames some skins like Teletype to Courier and Nox to Midnight.

HN Skins 0.4.0 is a minor update that fixes an issue with the commemorative black bar that appears on Hacker News when notable figures pass away. The update ensures the bar remains visible across all skins, with dark themes displaying it as a lighter grey for sufficient contrast.

The article explains how Git commands like checkout and reset map to the newer restore command introduced in Git 2.23. It provides a comparison table showing equivalent commands for resetting the working tree, index, or both. The restore command offers a clearer interface for these operations.

Wander 0.1.0 is a decentralized, self-hosted web console that lets visitors explore websites recommended by a community of personal website owners. It requires only two static files and can be hosted on basic web servers or platforms like GitHub Pages.

Susam has created a tool called Wander to explore personal websites. The Wander console is available at susam.net/wander/, and website owners can host their own instance by following instructions on Codeberg.

Wander Console 0.2.0 introduces sandboxed iframes for security, customization options including CSS/JavaScript and URL blocking, and an expanded Console dialog showing configuration details and wandering history. Over 30 people have set up Wander consoles since its announcement.

Wander Console 0.3.0 fixes bugs that prevented the console dialog from loading without an ignore list and resolved iframe loading issues for websites relying on same-origin context. The release also includes minor fixes for horizontal scrolling on small devices and duplicate recommendations.

The author tested whether Codeberg, like GitHub, allows accessing fork commits via the original repository's URL. While GitHub successfully displays commits from forks with a warning, Codeberg returns a 404 error for such requests.

The author shares March 2026 notes covering algebraic graph theory studies from textbooks by Godsil & Royle and Norman Biggs, along with group theory concepts like permutations and homomorphisms. They also mention developing an open-source tool called Wander Console that recommends independent websites, which gained community interest on Hacker News.

Wander Console 0.4.0 introduces wildcard patterns for ignore lists, adds a 'via' query parameter to track console origins, and includes algorithm improvements for console selection. The release also relaxes sandbox restrictions to allow links opening in new tabs.