I would play Knights and Merchants again. Why don't we get games like this anymore? Simple, slow, strategic, and so much fun.
eshlox
@eshlox.net
Software developer since 2002. TypeScript, Node, React Native, backend & frontend. Writing about tech, crypto and whatever catches my attention. Blog: eshlox.net
I tested Lima, sbx, Tart, containers, remote VPS development, and a bunch of other sandboxing setups. I’m starting to believe the simplest and most secure setup for web, backend, and mobile dev, including iOS, is just a separate Mac with no iCloud login and no personal or sensitive data.
Flutter and Expo are great. But if AI can build Swift and Kotlin apps in parallel from the same spec, why compromise? Maybe the future is two native apps, same features, same design, each fully optimized for its platform.
Every time AI breaks something, it's usually not the AI's fault. It's because you: - didn't review the code - gave it too much access - merged what you didn't understand AI is a force multiplier. It multiplies both good engineering... and bad engineering.
Before AI, changing my blog layout was a yearly event. Now I can ask: > "What if it looked a bit more minimal?" > "Now make it more brutalist." > "Now Apple." > "Now Linear." > "Now Stripe." > "Actually... go back." Six redesigns later, the only thing that hasn't changed is the content. 😂
Every company CEO: I'm concerned new hires are increasingly joining for the paycheck rather than our core mission of building the product.
It looks like Docker sbx + Codex Desktop might become my favourite coding setup. One sbx sandbox per project. SSH into everything from one app. Side by side git diff, code review with comments, GitHub integration, terminal, file previews, multiple projects and tasks.
Feature idea: Every time an AI says "Sorry" or "You're right", it should refund the tokens it just used. 😄
Testing Cursor for remote SSH development for the first time, and it works exactly how I wanted. Now I’m curious. How do the subscriptions compare to Claude Code Max or Codex? Which one gives the best value for coding? 🤔
The biggest AI bug I've found so far? Assuming it did what I meant instead of checking what it actually built. Review the idea. Understand the architecture. Then merge.
How big are the tasks you hand to AI? Do you review the code? Do you actually know how your AI-built app works?
AI built my side project in six hours. 150 endpoints, mobile app, admin panel, website. 100k+ lines. It ran. Then I tested it. Every screen had bugs and I don't know a single line of the code. That is everything I liked. eshlox.net/ai-wrote-100...
AI wrote 100k lines in six hours and now I have to read them | eshlox
I let AI build a full side project in one run. It ran, but every screen had bugs and I do not know the code. Now I think small tasks, real reviews, and my own merge decision are still the way to work.
eshlox.net
I'm starting to think the bigger the task I give AI, the bigger the trap later. Sure, AI can write an entire project from scratch overnight, but without constant review and control, it can create a lot of mess you don't want.
I love GitHub, but lately I keep wondering if I really need it. A simple self-hosted git server, locked down with Tailscale, feels like the better move. Full control, zero exposure.
I just found out by accident that mIRC is still being maintained! 😄 Version 7.84 was released on June 23, 2026. I really didn't expect that! Do people still use IRC?
Can someone turn off all those AI models? I already have more side projects in progress and in my backlog than Google has products. Please, I'm running out of weekends!
After trying every shiny new tool, I somehow ended up back in tmux. Still the best.
I moved my whole dev stack to a Hetzner server. 🚀 eshlox.net/i-moved-my-d...
I moved my whole dev stack to a Hetzner server | eshlox
I moved all my development off my MacBook and onto an always-on Hetzner VPS, reached over Tailscale. The laptop is now a thin client running only Ghostty, Tailscale, Secretive, and a few small tools.…
eshlox.net
Me: Let's build a tiny side project for myself. Here is the plan. AI: Done. 5 minutes. 500 lines. Me: Maybe open source it? Add a few features, foo, bar, baz? AI: Done. 26 minutes. 1,872,732 lines. Added API, SDK, CLI, plugins, website, mobile app, docs and Enterprise Edition. Ready to commit?
Two months ago I switched from GUI tools to a terminal-first setup. Last week I tried to go back. I didn't even finish the setup before returning to tmux, SSH and containers.
Just tested OpenCode + OpenRouter + Kimi 2.7 Code. Only a small task so far, but I really like the OpenCode TUI UX. The whole setup feels surprisingly responsive. Faster than I expected, and faster than Codex and Claude in this test.
Being an Apple user in the EU is like reading release notes with a firewall in front of them.
Moving my dev environment to a VPS might be one of the best upgrades this year. Tailscale for access. Cloudflare tunnels for services. Now my MacBook is mostly a terminal with a keyboard attached. The server does the work, AI agents keep running, and I can shut the laptop whenever I want.
Anthropic just killed Claude Fable 5 worldwide. 3 days after launch. One US gov letter ordered it blocked for foreign nationals, so they shut it off for everyone. If a single letter can delete a product overnight, what stops it hitting your stack next?
Everyone has a website for their tools, so do I! Reintroducing dvm: disposable dev VMs that let you break everything without consequences. No host mounts, no regrets. dvm.eshlox.net
DVM - Disposable development VMs
A small Bash wrapper around Lima for disposable development VMs. No host mounts, your own setup scripts, a clean host machine.
dvm.eshlox.net
Please stop producing new software that often! I just finished migrating from the thing I switched to after migrating from the thing I switched to before that. Herdr looks nice though... should I switch again?
Herdr — one terminal for the whole herd
Terminal-native agent runtime and multiplexer. Detach, reattach, SSH in, and keep every agent visible.
herdr.dev
Something happened to Codex. Since at least yesterday it's been doing things its own way and making up nonsense. It was good for a while and I even started using it more, but today I'm going back to Claude Code. 🤷♂️