Can LLMs Write Fast Code? Not Really.
There's a lot of buzz around AI writing code - but can it write good code? A recent deep-dive from The New Stack says: not really, at least when it comes to performance.
While LLMs like GPT-4 are great at cranking out code that works, they often miss the mark on things like speed, efficiency, and smart resource use. Think slow algorithms, bloated memory use, and missed optimization tricks. Why? Because these models are trained more to mimic common coding patterns than to truly understand what makes code run well in the real world.
Developers who've looked under the hood are clear: LLMs are fine for quick scripts or prototypes, but if you're building something performance-sensitive - like a game engine or trading platform - you still need a human in the loop. The best bet right now? Use AI to get a rough draft, then let real engineers tune it up. Until these models start learning from actual performance data, we're not handing over the keys just yet.
Read more here.
Cisco Drops Its First Open-Source Security LLM
Cisco just made a bold move in the AI + cybersecurity space - and it's open source. Say hello to Foundation-sec-8b, a Llama-based security LLM built specifically for the challenges of modern, AI-driven threat landscapes.
Released by Cisco's Foundation AI team and now live on Hugging Face, this model is engineered for real-world security work - think faster threat detection, smarter incident response, and workflows that you can actually audit, adapt, and trust.
Unlike many closed models that come with compliance headaches and black-box behavior, Foundation-sec-8b is all about transparency, scalability, and community-driven defense. It's part of Cisco's larger push to democratize AI tools in cybersecurity and create a shared front against increasingly complex threats.
Read more here.
WSL Goes Fully Open Source
In a big win for developers everywhere, Microsoft has officially open-sourced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) - a move that's been years in the making and is now finally live on GitHub. If you're one of the many developers who rely on WSL to blend Linux workflows with the Windows ecosystem, this is huge. You now have the power to customize, contribute to, and shape the future of one of Windows' most critical dev tools.
WSL has come a long way - from lightweight emulation in v1 to running a real Linux kernel in v2. Now, by opening up the toolchain, Microsoft is doubling down on its vision of WSL as a hybrid OS bridge - combining the performance of Windows with the flexibility of Linux in a way that works for real-world devs.
This move isn't just about code transparency; it's about trust, adaptability, and community ownership. Developers can now fix bugs, build tailored versions, and future-proof their workflows - whether they're debugging containers, building cross-platform apps, or writing bash scripts at 2 AM.
Bottom line? WSL just graduated from being a powerful tool for developers to being one run by developers. And that's a shift worth watching.
Read more here.
Microsoft's Postgres Strategy: 2025 Update
Microsoft just dropped its 2025 roadmap for PostgreSQL - and it's packed with signals that they're not just supporting Postgres, they're investing deeply in its future. Postgres came up four times in Microsoft's third-quarter earnings call with a mention that Postgres on Azure is now powering technologies like ChatGPT, at global scale.
Whether you're running self-hosted clusters or leaning on Azure Database for PostgreSQL, this update has something for you.
At the heart of it: a GitHub-level commitment to open source. Microsoft's contributing upstream, funding core improvements, and actively working to keep the ecosystem robust and future-proof. On the cloud side, Azure's Postgres offerings are getting smarter - better resource management, deeper JSONB support, tighter AI integrations, and a serious focus on performance.
But it's not just code. Microsoft's backing the Postgres community in a big way - sponsoring PGConf.dev, running its own Postgres-first event (POSETTE), and funding key open-source initiatives. The blog post even includes a hand-crafted infographic walking through the technical workstreams and the people making it happen.
This is a long read but absolute read for all postgres fans out there.
Read more here.
A New IDE for PostgreSQL… Inside VS Code
Yes, Microsoft just shipped a dedicated PostgreSQL IDE right inside VS Code. Think schema browsing, query execution, local + Azure support, and tighter dev loop. If Postgres is your jam, this one's worth checking out.
Read more here.