inexperienced protobuf user here -- why do non-googlers generally use protobuf?
inexperienced protobuf user here -- why do non-googlers generally use protobuf? is it for the wire format, or for the schema language, or for the codegen? i have a feeling there is an unmet need for something without all the google-cruft but still gives you a nice schema language and convenient codegen. just a simple stripped-down service and types definition with some support for codegen plugins would cover most crud-like applications in the wild without requiring much fuss. even just supporting only JSON would be acceptable -- maybe an optional buyin for msgpack. i'm thinking twirp, but abandoning protobuf and using a new, simpler schema format.
Posted by krullin on Jul 12, 2026, 7:05 PM
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- The issue is really the extreme difficulty of programming them, especially for anything sequential (rather than combinatorial).
- I probably could have beared with it if it was only limited to programming, but it showing up in creative fields has made me feel all sor...
- I hate that I'm in deep enough to know what you mean.
- The biggest problem with “AI” is that big corps are shoving it down our throats.
- in the middel of a coding session with 5.6 sol.
- [Hero Run] 535B-A23B on 18T tokens
Raise real-world problems, find people facing the same issue, and discuss solutions.2,000 issues0 comments
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The issue is really the extreme difficulty of programming them, especially for anything sequential (rather than combinatorial).
I probably could have beared with it if it was only limited to programming, but it showing up in creative fields has made me feel all sor...
I hate that I'm in deep enough to know what you mean.
The biggest problem with “AI” is that big corps are shoving it down our throats.
in the middel of a coding session with 5.6 sol.
[Hero Run] 535B-A23B on 18T tokens
I hate that this is how AI is being used..
inexperienced protobuf user here -- why do non-googlers generally use protobuf?
inexperienced protobuf user here -- why do non-googlers generally use protobuf?
inexperienced protobuf user here -- why do non-googlers generally use protobuf? is it for the wire format, or for the schema language, or for the codegen? i have a feeling there is an unmet need for something without all the google-cruft but still gives you a nice schema language and convenient codegen. just a simple stripped-down service and types definition with some support for codegen plugins would cover most crud-like applications in the wild without requiring much fuss. even just supporting only JSON would be acceptable -- maybe an optional buyin for msgpack. i'm thinking twirp, but abandoning protobuf and using a new, simpler schema format.
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