Blogs
In-depth posts on real Go and Rust problems, each with a fix and links to the full docs chapter.
Why Are Nested Go Modules Bad?
A folder with its own go.mod is a separate module, not a package of the parent. The parent build skips it, and imports, tests, and versioning change.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Can I Never Remember Go Time Formats?
Go formats time with an example date, not symbols like YYYY. Learn the reference time, read any layout, and stop guessing.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Did The Standard HTTP Router Feel Limited For So Long?
Before Go 1.22, ServeMux matched exact paths and subtrees only, so method checks and path parsing lived inside handlers.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do Go Generics Feel Like A Type Puzzle?
Generics feel puzzling because every operation must be proved from the constraint, and the compiler infers types only from arguments, never from the result.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do Go Modules Break When A Repo Moves?
A repo move changes the module path, and the module path is the identity Go uses to find, version, and import the code.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do I Need A Pointer Just To Say A Value Is Missing?
A plain int cannot tell 0 from missing, because 0 is its zero value. A pointer adds nil, a separate missing state, with a nil check as its price.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do Long-Time Go Users Say Go Is Losing Its Simplicity?
Long-time users point to generics, modules, workspaces, and a larger standard library. The counter-view says the additions were optional and targeted.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do My Goroutines Leak When I Range Over A Channel?
A range over a channel ends only when the channel closes. If nothing closes it, the goroutine waits forever, and that waiting is the leak.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Do Teams Overuse Generics In Go?
Teams overuse generics when one concrete type or a small interface would do. Learn the signals, the costs, and how to pull back.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Error Handling In Go Web Apps Feel So Awkward?
Go handlers return no error, so every handler must turn a failure into a status, a safe message, and a log entry by hand.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Go Have No Built-In Generic Map And Filter?
Go has no built-in generic Map or Filter because a loop covers the common case, and generics let you write your own version in a few lines.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Go Have No Real Enums Or Option Type?
Go has no enum or Option type. Typed constants and iota cover the first half, and zero values, pointers, and comma-ok cover the second.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Go JSON Turn My Empty Slice Into Null?
Go JSON writes null for a nil slice and [] for a non-nil empty slice, because the encoder checks nil, not length.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Go Mod Tidy Change Things I Did Not Expect?
Tidy rewrites go.mod and go.sum to match the imports in your code, so additions, removals, and version changes all trace back to that rule.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does Learning Go Feel Hard Even Though The Syntax Looks Simple?
Go looks small at first, but fluency comes from idioms, not syntax. This article maps that gap and gives a layered path through it.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Does My Go Program Deadlock On Select And Unbuffered Channels?
An unbuffered send waits for a receiver, and a select with no ready case waits too, so a missing partner turns a wait into a deadlock.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is Go Error Handling So Verbose?
Go error handling is verbose because every failure is a value that must be checked, wrapped, and decided at the point where it happens.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is go.work So Frustrating?
go.work is for local multi-module development, not for releases or consumers. This article shows where workspace mode changes builds, and how to keep it local.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is Goroutine Lifetime So Manual In Go?
Go gives a goroutine no parent, no kill switch, and no automatic end, so the code that starts it must also give it a way to stop.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is GUI Development in Go Still Weak?
Go ships no GUI toolkit in its standard library, so every desktop interface starts with a third party choice and a second stack to learn.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is Private Go Module Access So Painful?
Private modules fail on the public path by design. This article explains the proxy, checksum, and authentication setup that makes them work.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is There No Compile-Time Deadlock Detection In Go?
Deadlock depends on runtime values, scheduling, and other goroutines, so the compiler cannot prove in advance that a wait will never end.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
Why Is Writing Good Idiomatic Go Harder Than Writing Go That Compiles?
The compiler checks types and syntax, not readability. Idiom is the set of choices that make Go code clear to the next reader.
Published on Oct 25, 2026
defer in a Go Loop: Why It's a Memory/Resource Leak Trap
defer runs when the surrounding function returns, not when the loop iteration ends.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go copy() vs append(): Which One Do You Actually Need?
append grows a slice and returns a new header. copy writes into a destination you already sized and never grows it. Clone with make+copy.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go Generics: comparable Constraint Explained With Real Examples
comparable means == and !=, not <. Slices, maps, and functions never satisfy it. A struct is comparable only if every field is.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go Method Values vs Method Expressions: What's Actually the Difference?
x.M binds the receiver now and yields func(args). T.M leaves the receiver as the first argument: func(T, args).
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go panic/recover vs Returning an Error: When to Use Which
Return an error for expected failures the caller can handle. Panic for programmer bugs and process-killing startup.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go Slice vs Array: When to Use Which
Use a slice almost everywhere. Use an array when the length is part of the type, you want a full copy on assignment, or the value must be comparable with ==.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go Type Assertion vs Type Switch: When to Use Each
Assert when you need one type (use comma-ok unless you own the value). Switch when you branch on several types. Assertion panics without ok.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
How Big Should a Go Interface Be?
As small as the call site. One method is the default (io.Reader, fmt.Stringer).
Published on Aug 16, 2026
How to Check If a Type Implements an Interface at Compile Time in Go
Go has no implements keyword. Force the check with var _ I = (*T)(nil) (pointer methods) or var _ I = T{} (value methods).
Published on Aug 16, 2026
How to Safely Do 2D Slices in Go Without the Footguns
[][]T is a slice of row headers, not a matrix type. make([][]int, rows) leaves nil rows. Initialize each row. Cap contiguous rows.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Named Return Values in Go: Useful Pattern or Anti-Pattern?
Name results when the signature documents the contract or a defer must write err. Bare return in a long function is the anti-pattern.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Understanding Go Slice Length vs Capacity (With Diagrams)
len is how many elements the slice currently shows. cap is how far the header can grow into the backing array without allocating. Indexing uses len.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Variadic Functions in Go: Common Mistakes and Gotchas
A ...T parameter is a slice. Individual args allocate a new backing array. s... shares the caller's array. You cannot mix 1, s.... Zero args is nil, not empty.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Are Deferred Function Arguments Evaluated Immediately in Go?
defer queues the call, not the expressions. Arguments, the receiver, and the function value are evaluated when defer runs. Closures read variables later.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Did append() Not Update My Original Slice?
append always returns a new header. If you ignore the return, the caller's len stays the same.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Did Modifying One Go Slice Change Another?
A slice is a header that points at an array. Reslicing does not copy. Writes through one slice hit the same memory the other slice still sees.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Did My Closure Capture the Wrong Loop Variable?
A closure captures the variable, not a snapshot. Before Go 1.22 one loop variable was reused, so delayed closures all saw the last value.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Does My nil Interface Not Equal nil?
An interface is nil only when both its type and its value are nil. Returning a nil concrete pointer boxed as error (or any interface) is not a nil interface.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Is My Go Slice Growing Unexpectedly?
append grows capacity in jumps, not one slot at a time. A tiny subslice can pin a huge backing array. Copy what you keep.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Should You Accept Interfaces, Return Structs in Go?
Parameters should name the methods you call, not *sql.DB. Return the concrete type you built so callers keep fields and extra methods.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Why Won't My Generic Type Satisfy This Interface in Go?
Constraints are type sets. type ID int is not int unless you write ~int. Methods on *T do not put T in the set.
Published on Aug 16, 2026
Go Pointer vs Value Receiver: Which Should You Use?
Use a pointer receiver if the method mutates the value, the type holds a mutex, or the struct is large.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Go Struct Embedding vs Composition: What's the Difference?
Embedding is composition with field and method promotion. A named field is composition without that shorthand.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
nil Pointer Dereference in Go: How to Actually Debug It
The panic is runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Why Are My Struct Fields Not Comparable with ==?
A struct is comparable with == only if every field is comparable. A slice, map, or function field makes the whole type illegal for == and unusable as a map key.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Why Can't I Take the Address of a Map Value in Go?
Map index expressions are not addressable. Go maps grow by moving buckets, so a pointer to m[k] would dangle.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Why Did My Struct Change Inside a Function But Not Outside?
Go copies structs when you pass them to a function. Mutations hit the copy, not the caller. Use a pointer (or return the new value) if the change must stick.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Why Does new() Behave Differently From a Struct Literal in Go?
new(T) returns a non-nil *T pointing at a zero T. T{} is a T value. &T{Field: x} sets fields. Since Go 1.26, new(expr) can set the value too.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Why Is My Embedded Field's Method Not Being Called?
Promoted methods still run on the inner value. An outer method with the same name shadows them; it does not override.
Published on Aug 15, 2026
Rust Ownership: Why Did My Value Move?
Fix "borrow of moved value" in Rust. Learn when a value moves, when it is copied, and when to borrow or clone instead.
Published on Jun 7, 2026