The Standup with ThePrimeagen Why is Microsoft updating their text editors!?
25 snips
Mar 6, 2026 
Casey Muratori, software developer and low-level security analyst, breaks down risky design choices in Notepad and Notepad++. They discuss how Notepad passed raw Markdown links to the shell and a targeted Notepad++ updater supply-chain attack. Short, sharp takes on AI-driven spikes in lines-of-code, gamified developer metrics, and the weird hardware memes that followed.
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AI Changed How People Value Lines Of Code
- The sudden surge in lines-of-code bragging reflects that AI tools let many newer developers massively increase output overnight.
- ThePrimeagen argues longtime critics flip positions once tools make alternative workflows easier, revealing arguments were often convenience rationales.
Commit Charts Turned Engineers Into Competitors
- Trash Dev shared that exposing engineers to a commit/LOC leaderboard instantly gamified productivity and got the team to 'code hard' to reach the top-right.
- He noted the metric was used for fun, not decisions, but it dramatically increased output and focus.
Avoid Using Lines Of Code As Productivity Metric
- Avoid measuring developer productivity by raw lines of code since larger codebases increase AI token costs and encourage bloat.
- Tie incentives to removals and small, self-contained modules to reduce tokens and future maintenance costs, says Teige (Teej).
