If LLMs live up to their potential, then they should be able to rewrite language runtimes to eventually be as fast or faster than systems languages. "Sufficiently intelligent compiler" and whatnot
It’s true that many providers need a custom solution for their unique workflows, and the one-size-fits-all EHR is often a myth. The problem is that many EHRs try to solve this with customizations, which can be expensive and still feel like a compromise.
On the other hand, when a team tries to build their own tools, they quickly realize they have to build a ton of compliance and interop code they never wanted to touch in the first place. That’s why open source platforms that handle the core infrastructure, like Medplum, HAPI, or OpenEMR, can be such a good starting point. They get the team 90% of the way there, so they can focus on what really matters: building a great UI/UX for their users.
I don’t think providers truly want to go back to pen and paper, but they are looking for a better way. They can see the promise of what the solution could be, but they just haven't experienced it yet.
> given AI seems like a winner takes all type market
Unfortunately for OpenAI and Softbank, it seems like AI will not be "winner take all", and may actually be quite commoditized. It's as easy as choosing a different model in a dropdown in Cursor or whatever your tool of choice.
Learning assembly was profound for me, not because I've used it (I haven't in 30 years of coding), but because it completed the picture - from transistors to logic gates to CPU architecture to high-level programming. That moment when you understand how it all fits together is worth the effort, even if you never write assembly professionally.
There are two interesting "safety nets" at play here: the classic "Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM" principle (where ubiquity creates an implicit guarantee of continuity), and a less visible but equally powerful one where certain open source tools become such fundamental infrastructure that they're essentially "too critical to fail." Think curl, gpg, or apt - most users never directly interact with these, but they're so deeply embedded in the internet's fabric that the ecosystem ensures their maintenance. One heuristic I've found helpful is looking at major corporate adoption patterns - it can be a decent signal for identifying which tools fall into these categories.
I highly recommend js13k (https://js13kgames.com), an annual game jam where your entire game must fit in 13 kilobytes. The tight size limit forces you to get creative with optimization - think procedural generation, custom minimal engines, and code golf techniques that actually matter. While the games might be "useless" in a practical sense, you'll learn more about low-level JavaScript optimization than from most serious projects, all while being part of an incredibly supportive community that loves sharing tricks and tips.
js13k is a game jam competition. Make a game that fits in a 13 kilobyte zip.
"The thirteenth, anniversary edition of the online js13kGames competition starts… NOW! Build a Web game on a given theme within the next month and fit it into a 13 kilobyte zip package to win lots of cool prizes, eternal fame, and respect!"
Medplum (YC S22) is an open source, API first, healthcare developer platform. "Headless EHR", we take care of the security, compliance, and regulatory burdens of healthcare software development. Well funded and growing fast.
We're hiring an amazing Dev-Ex / Dev-Rel engineer to delight customers, build sample apps, and promote the Medplum platform.
That's the equivalent of explaining how to spell "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" -- yeah, it's an English word, but it's ridiculous and nobody really expects you to know how to spell it.
Most simplified characters can be explained with a handful of strokes. Furthermore, many of them can be broken down into "radicals" which are commonly repeated patterns.