Robuta

Dec 27, 2025 - This analysis of Valve’s approach to hardware was really interesting. I have bought all their hardware and will likely buy all the new stuff and this helps...

Slides and, when available, recordings of talks I’ve given.

CTPO and Homebrew Project Leader

I sometimes give interviews about open source, Workbrew, Homebrew, Git, GitHub and other things.

Dec 18, 2025 - Using Docker for local development on macOS is like putting a shipping container in your garden instead of buying a cupboard from IKEA.

CTPO and Homebrew Project Leader

Jan 6, 2026 - It’s that time of year again to look at your calendar like Marie Kondo and ask: “Does this (meeting) spark joy?” If not: try to cancel or shorten it.

Homebrew project leader. CTO and Cofounder at Workbrew. ex-GitHub. Rude people blocker. Wife, sons, dog and Apple things lover. Don't mention/email/DM me...

Feb 7, 2026 - Great take about the cultural requirements to create “10x engineers”

Sep 4, 2018 - In the technology sector in 2018 the use of open source software (OSS) is routine. Despite this many organisations find using OSS frustrating or confusing....

Oct 24, 2025 - Reflections on long-term commitments in life, work and hobbies, why patience compounds results, and when quitting is the right move.

Feb 7, 2026 - “This new technology will replace developers!” is not a new thing. Nice look at what some previous claims were (and how they resulted in more developers and...

Jan 31, 2026 - Homebrew 5.0.0 released in 2025. Walk through the major changes in 5.0.0, improving expectations based on other package managers and what they can learn from...

Dec 17, 2025 - I’ve added “thoughts” to my website. If these work correctly, they will be cross-posted to various social networks. Thanks to Justin Searls’ POSSE Party for...

CTPO and Homebrew Project Leader

Dec 18, 2025 - How I leaned harder into POSSE on this site: added a Thoughts section, reshuffled feeds and homepage, wired everything to POSSE Party/newsletter, and what...

Mar 1, 2015 - Two recent posts made me reconsider how I used social networking.

Jan 7, 2026 - I like this take on how to get promoted. My experience has been that promotions come from finding and doing important work. Being spoon-fed is fine for juniors...

Jan 28, 2026 - All the “faster Homebrew in Rust” projects are a bit like parsing HTML with regex. The simplest use-cases seem to work, it’s easier and there’s just edge cases...

Jan 15, 2026 - “The Failure Mode of Clever (is asshole)” Applies to some OSS commenters I’ve seen… Great take from John Scalzi (who also writes GREAT sci-fi books).

Jan 7, 2026 - I find myself referring too often to the “is it worth the time?” xkcd. This works best when the person doing the automation is also the person saving the time.

Feb 20, 2026

Jan 13, 2026 - Anil has a decent framework here for thinking if you’ll actually be happy in a job.

Principal Engineer, GitHub

Dec 29, 2025 - I agree with Sean here. The industry default seems to be “idealistic about engineering, cynical about management”. Things work better if you’re a little...

Oct 27, 2021 - “Open Source Economics” and the “Open Source Economy” are regularly discussed in the context of how to improve open source software’s sustainability,...

Dec 9, 2025 - Breaks estimation into quality, scope and delivery-date tradeoffs, argues you can only pick two at once, and suggests padding and communication to set...