{
  "id": 20038529,
  "title": "That key left of '1' on many keyboards is actually crucial for programmers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/that-key-left-of-1-on-many-keyboards-is-actually-crucial-for",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-14T19:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Engadget",
    "slug": "engadget",
    "url": "https://www.engadget.com/2309616/that-key-left-of-1-on-many-keyboards-is-actually-crucial-for-programmers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The tilde symbol, often found left of the '1' key on keyboards, holds great importance for programmers across various languages such as C, C++, Java, and Python. Its primary role in programming is to serve as a bitwise NOT operator that inverts all bits of a binary number, turning zeroes into ones and vice versa. This operation is particularly useful for optimizing systems, like inverting colors in old-school video games or flipping numerical digits to their binary equivalents.\n\nBeyond bit manipulation, the tilde symbol has diverse applications in programming. It can be used to index files, find missing elements in strings, and even act as a class destructor in languages like C++ and C#. A class destructor is a special function that runs when an object is deleted, helping to clean up resources and free allocated memory. This is crucial in large-scale open-world games where constant object deletion would otherwise cause memory leaks and slow performance.\n\nIn CSS, the tilde symbol serves as a general sibling selector, automatically selecting all matching elements that follow it. This tool is particularly handy for batch changes in user interfaces, websites, or web applications. Although less common in traditional video game development, it finds use in web-based games, game launchers, store pages, and settings menus for quick visual style adjustments.",
  "summary": "The humble tilde has many uses.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tilde symbol left of 1 key crucial for programmers",
    "Bitwise NOT operator inverts binary numbers",
    "Used in bit manipulation, indexing, destructors"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}