Barry O'Sullivan
@barryosull.bsky.social
Just bounced off Notion and switched to Sublime Text for my markdown note taking needs.
Notion kept auto formatting things incorrectly and got in the way more than it helped.
Notion kept auto formatting things incorrectly and got in the way more than it helped.
January 6, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Just bounced off Notion and switched to Sublime Text for my markdown note taking needs.
Notion kept auto formatting things incorrectly and got in the way more than it helped.
Notion kept auto formatting things incorrectly and got in the way more than it helped.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
Nuance evaporates when oversimplification serves someone's agenda.
January 1, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Nuance evaporates when oversimplification serves someone's agenda.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
Next year, we’re going to Amsterdam!! 🇳🇱
The Collaborative Software Design Workshop with @kenny.weave-it.org and @gienverschatse.com will take place on June 16 - 17 in Amsterdam and registrations are now open! 🎆 www.avanscoperta.it/en/training/...
The Collaborative Software Design Workshop with @kenny.weave-it.org and @gienverschatse.com will take place on June 16 - 17 in Amsterdam and registrations are now open! 🎆 www.avanscoperta.it/en/training/...
December 30, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Next year, we’re going to Amsterdam!! 🇳🇱
The Collaborative Software Design Workshop with @kenny.weave-it.org and @gienverschatse.com will take place on June 16 - 17 in Amsterdam and registrations are now open! 🎆 www.avanscoperta.it/en/training/...
The Collaborative Software Design Workshop with @kenny.weave-it.org and @gienverschatse.com will take place on June 16 - 17 in Amsterdam and registrations are now open! 🎆 www.avanscoperta.it/en/training/...
I am trapped under a cat at at 1:15am. She's purring though, so fair trade.
December 23, 2025 at 1:16 AM
I am trapped under a cat at at 1:15am. She's purring though, so fair trade.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
I can personally recommend Lair of the Clockwork God. Great game!
Okay, it's that time again: you can currently buy all available Size Five games on Steam at 75% off. That's six brillo games for less than a tenner! What a festive treat!
December 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
I can personally recommend Lair of the Clockwork God. Great game!
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
I have again been asked if AI was used to make my game.
For transparency, my minions used generative AI to make all the parts of the game that didn't benefit from a human touch, were too boring to make or not important enough to craft by hand. In other words, we didn't use any generative AI.
For transparency, my minions used generative AI to make all the parts of the game that didn't benefit from a human touch, were too boring to make or not important enough to craft by hand. In other words, we didn't use any generative AI.
December 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
I have again been asked if AI was used to make my game.
For transparency, my minions used generative AI to make all the parts of the game that didn't benefit from a human touch, were too boring to make or not important enough to craft by hand. In other words, we didn't use any generative AI.
For transparency, my minions used generative AI to make all the parts of the game that didn't benefit from a human touch, were too boring to make or not important enough to craft by hand. In other words, we didn't use any generative AI.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
Cryptmaster ($16.24) - mavis beacon is still teaching typing, but now she's doing it with a sword in hand at the bottom of a dungeon. do battles, cast spells, solve riddles... all by typing! type anything!
seriously, fuck around with words, see what happens. store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/...
seriously, fuck around with words, see what happens. store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/...
December 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Cryptmaster ($16.24) - mavis beacon is still teaching typing, but now she's doing it with a sword in hand at the bottom of a dungeon. do battles, cast spells, solve riddles... all by typing! type anything!
seriously, fuck around with words, see what happens. store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/...
seriously, fuck around with words, see what happens. store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/...
We're using Macroscope AI for code analysis and half the time it gives us broken suggestions, including hallucinations where it makes up properties.
These tools are not production ready.
These tools are not production ready.
December 19, 2025 at 12:27 PM
We're using Macroscope AI for code analysis and half the time it gives us broken suggestions, including hallucinations where it makes up properties.
These tools are not production ready.
These tools are not production ready.
We're playing with LLM generated documentation. It sounds great in principle, but the non-deterministic nature of LLMs means the docs change every build and need constant reviewing for errors.
We have ideas on how to address this.
We have ideas on how to address this.
December 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
We're playing with LLM generated documentation. It sounds great in principle, but the non-deterministic nature of LLMs means the docs change every build and need constant reviewing for errors.
We have ideas on how to address this.
We have ideas on how to address this.
I've stopped reading PR descriptions written by LLMs. What's the point? They're usually overly verbose, don't make clear points, and are just poor rewording of the code change.
Why should I put effort into reading something you didn't write?
Why should I put effort into reading something you didn't write?
December 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I've stopped reading PR descriptions written by LLMs. What's the point? They're usually overly verbose, don't make clear points, and are just poor rewording of the code change.
Why should I put effort into reading something you didn't write?
Why should I put effort into reading something you didn't write?
I'm using Notion at work for note taking and it's the wrong tool for the job. All the auto-formatting gets in the way more than it helps.
I'm gonna switch back to Sublime Text and markdown, then sync the files to Google Drive.
I'm gonna switch back to Sublime Text and markdown, then sync the files to Google Drive.
Notion.at
December 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
I'm using Notion at work for note taking and it's the wrong tool for the job. All the auto-formatting gets in the way more than it helps.
I'm gonna switch back to Sublime Text and markdown, then sync the files to Google Drive.
I'm gonna switch back to Sublime Text and markdown, then sync the files to Google Drive.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
The Staff+ role is a fascinating place to be. Sometimes you feel accountable for everything yet nothing at the same time.
December 2, 2025 at 2:26 PM
The Staff+ role is a fascinating place to be. Sometimes you feel accountable for everything yet nothing at the same time.
Mocking method calls in unit tests gets so messy, especially when the method has 4+ params.
Solution: Bundle the params in a parameter object, have a factory for it in tests. BOOM, now your tests are cleaner!
Solution: Bundle the params in a parameter object, have a factory for it in tests. BOOM, now your tests are cleaner!
November 26, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Mocking method calls in unit tests gets so messy, especially when the method has 4+ params.
Solution: Bundle the params in a parameter object, have a factory for it in tests. BOOM, now your tests are cleaner!
Solution: Bundle the params in a parameter object, have a factory for it in tests. BOOM, now your tests are cleaner!
Good news: The support chat bot has finally given up and connected me to a real person.
Bad news: The real person's messages don't appear until I send a message. Looks like the polling or websocket implementation is broken.
Bad news: The real person's messages don't appear until I send a message. Looks like the polling or websocket implementation is broken.
November 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Good news: The support chat bot has finally given up and connected me to a real person.
Bad news: The real person's messages don't appear until I send a message. Looks like the polling or websocket implementation is broken.
Bad news: The real person's messages don't appear until I send a message. Looks like the polling or websocket implementation is broken.
Always fun when a support chat bot tells you to contact support.
November 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Always fun when a support chat bot tells you to contact support.
Life is not a problem to be solved.
November 12, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Life is not a problem to be solved.
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
One thing I wish somebody had told me 10+ years ago is that what you learn about software in training, books, and conferences has as much resemblance to reality as Instagram houses to your life.
Yes, there are some useful skills to learn, worthy aspirations to have, etc.
Yes, there are some useful skills to learn, worthy aspirations to have, etc.
October 28, 2025 at 2:41 PM
One thing I wish somebody had told me 10+ years ago is that what you learn about software in training, books, and conferences has as much resemblance to reality as Instagram houses to your life.
Yes, there are some useful skills to learn, worthy aspirations to have, etc.
Yes, there are some useful skills to learn, worthy aspirations to have, etc.
Highly recommend this game. A point and click/platformer combo with hilarious writing and excellent design. Well worth it!
Lair of the Clockwork God has a neat Steamdeck Verified page. Go look! (then buy a copy pls)
store.steampowered.com/verified/106...
store.steampowered.com/verified/106...
Lair of the Clockwork God is Steam Deck Verified
Lair of the Clockwork God is Steam Deck Verified
store.steampowered.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Highly recommend this game. A point and click/platformer combo with hilarious writing and excellent design. Well worth it!
I've been playing around with Claude AI by building a boardgame app. Claude is surprisingly useful if you know exactly what you want it to do and understand clean system design, e.g. DDD concepts, separation of concerns, testing... You can't trust the output, but as an assistant it's solid.
October 18, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I've been playing around with Claude AI by building a boardgame app. Claude is surprisingly useful if you know exactly what you want it to do and understand clean system design, e.g. DDD concepts, separation of concerns, testing... You can't trust the output, but as an assistant it's solid.
The abstractions you chose at the beginning will come to define your product. Great read on the value of design.
open.substack.com/pub/matttbro...
open.substack.com/pub/matttbro...
Your data model is your destiny
Your product's core abstractions determine whether new features compound into a moat or just add to a feature list. Here's how to get it right.
open.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The abstractions you chose at the beginning will come to define your product. Great read on the value of design.
open.substack.com/pub/matttbro...
open.substack.com/pub/matttbro...
Reposted by Barry O'Sullivan
twitter is currently a frankenstein combination of 4chan and tumblr. we all know this. but bluesky is a different beast that i don't think people born after ~2004 fully grasp. bluesky is a frankenstein combination of tumblr and somethingawful
October 3, 2025 at 4:40 PM
twitter is currently a frankenstein combination of 4chan and tumblr. we all know this. but bluesky is a different beast that i don't think people born after ~2004 fully grasp. bluesky is a frankenstein combination of tumblr and somethingawful
Claude told me that it doesn't automatically load CLAUDE.md files, despite the docs saying so.
When I asked why it contradicted its own docs, it went and scanned them (consuming loads of tokens) and told me I was correct and it was wrong.
You really can't trust this thing.
When I asked why it contradicted its own docs, it went and scanned them (consuming loads of tokens) and told me I was correct and it was wrong.
You really can't trust this thing.
September 30, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Claude told me that it doesn't automatically load CLAUDE.md files, despite the docs saying so.
When I asked why it contradicted its own docs, it went and scanned them (consuming loads of tokens) and told me I was correct and it was wrong.
You really can't trust this thing.
When I asked why it contradicted its own docs, it went and scanned them (consuming loads of tokens) and told me I was correct and it was wrong.
You really can't trust this thing.
I tried using claude to setup a simple laravel app with docker compose and it kept messing up. Docker was misconfigured repeatedly. Once I got it working the webserver wasn't even pointing at the right dir.
Absolute waste of time. I'm gonna do it manually instead.
Absolute waste of time. I'm gonna do it manually instead.
September 29, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I tried using claude to setup a simple laravel app with docker compose and it kept messing up. Docker was misconfigured repeatedly. Once I got it working the webserver wasn't even pointing at the right dir.
Absolute waste of time. I'm gonna do it manually instead.
Absolute waste of time. I'm gonna do it manually instead.