Greg Navis
@gregnavis.bsky.social
🖥 Fractional CTO, product designer, product engineer
📢 Tweets about Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL, TypeScript, Hotwire
🛠 Creator of active_record_doctor
📢 Tweets about Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL, TypeScript, Hotwire
🛠 Creator of active_record_doctor
I had a bike accident on Friday and spent the weekend with a concussion. I'm better now, so I'd like to announce ...
active_record_doctor 2, nicknamed Bouncing Brain 🧠
Interested in learning what's new? Read on below 👇🏻
active_record_doctor 2, nicknamed Bouncing Brain 🧠
Interested in learning what's new? Read on below 👇🏻
October 1, 2025 at 1:25 PM
I had a bike accident on Friday and spent the weekend with a concussion. I'm better now, so I'd like to announce ...
active_record_doctor 2, nicknamed Bouncing Brain 🧠
Interested in learning what's new? Read on below 👇🏻
active_record_doctor 2, nicknamed Bouncing Brain 🧠
Interested in learning what's new? Read on below 👇🏻
I'm releasing active_record_doctor 2.0!
September 24, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I'm releasing active_record_doctor 2.0!
I built my own simple deployment tool that allows me to deploy my Rails application to production in 18 seconds. It's based on POSIX shell and Ruby.
September 12, 2025 at 8:44 AM
I built my own simple deployment tool that allows me to deploy my Rails application to production in 18 seconds. It's based on POSIX shell and Ruby.
My wife's iPhone 13 mini is driving me nuts!
1. eSIM stopped working and cannot be removed - it gets stuck on "Removing".
2. I can't update to iOS 18.6 - gets stuck on "Verifying update".
Any tips?
1. eSIM stopped working and cannot be removed - it gets stuck on "Removing".
2. I can't update to iOS 18.6 - gets stuck on "Verifying update".
Any tips?
September 11, 2025 at 6:05 PM
My wife's iPhone 13 mini is driving me nuts!
1. eSIM stopped working and cannot be removed - it gets stuck on "Removing".
2. I can't update to iOS 18.6 - gets stuck on "Verifying update".
Any tips?
1. eSIM stopped working and cannot be removed - it gets stuck on "Removing".
2. I can't update to iOS 18.6 - gets stuck on "Verifying update".
Any tips?
I've just pushed the first improvement to cyborg: checking for backup preconditions.
I needed that to ensure my home lab server has its encrypted ZFS partition mounted, as otherwise I'd be backing up an empty directory.
github.com/gregnavis/cy...
I needed that to ensure my home lab server has its encrypted ZFS partition mounted, as otherwise I'd be backing up an empty directory.
github.com/gregnavis/cy...
Add support for auto backup preconditions · gregnavis/cyborg@66f8382
In certain cases it doesn't make sense to proceed with an automated
backup unless a precondition is met. A great example is a storage server
that doesn't have its storage file system mounte...
github.com
September 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
I've just pushed the first improvement to cyborg: checking for backup preconditions.
I needed that to ensure my home lab server has its encrypted ZFS partition mounted, as otherwise I'd be backing up an empty directory.
github.com/gregnavis/cy...
I needed that to ensure my home lab server has its encrypted ZFS partition mounted, as otherwise I'd be backing up an empty directory.
github.com/gregnavis/cy...
cyborg is live! If you're looking for a tool to make encrypted backups easy I suggest you take a look at github.com/gregnavis/cy....
I use it to back up my Mac Mini, my FreeBSD home server, and my OpenBSD app server.
I use it to back up my Mac Mini, my FreeBSD home server, and my OpenBSD app server.
GitHub - gregnavis/cyborg: POSIX-compatible and user-friendly frontend for borg
POSIX-compatible and user-friendly frontend for borg - gregnavis/cyborg
github.com
September 6, 2025 at 9:12 AM
cyborg is live! If you're looking for a tool to make encrypted backups easy I suggest you take a look at github.com/gregnavis/cy....
I use it to back up my Mac Mini, my FreeBSD home server, and my OpenBSD app server.
I use it to back up my Mac Mini, my FreeBSD home server, and my OpenBSD app server.
I'm going to release a small POSIX shell script today called cyborg. It's a thin wrapper around borg that makes it easy to run backups configured via configuration files.
I use it on MacOS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD: that's the beauty of POSIX! ✨
I use it on MacOS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD: that's the beauty of POSIX! ✨
September 5, 2025 at 9:19 AM
I'm going to release a small POSIX shell script today called cyborg. It's a thin wrapper around borg that makes it easy to run backups configured via configuration files.
I use it on MacOS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD: that's the beauty of POSIX! ✨
I use it on MacOS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD: that's the beauty of POSIX! ✨
👋🏻 I'm available for work and can help with:
1️⃣ Solving complex software engineering problems, especially in Rails apps.
or
2️⃣ Turning product ideas into working teams and code - from pre-seed to series A.
If it sounds like I could help you drop me a DM.
1️⃣ Solving complex software engineering problems, especially in Rails apps.
or
2️⃣ Turning product ideas into working teams and code - from pre-seed to series A.
If it sounds like I could help you drop me a DM.
September 2, 2025 at 4:24 PM
👋🏻 I'm available for work and can help with:
1️⃣ Solving complex software engineering problems, especially in Rails apps.
or
2️⃣ Turning product ideas into working teams and code - from pre-seed to series A.
If it sounds like I could help you drop me a DM.
1️⃣ Solving complex software engineering problems, especially in Rails apps.
or
2️⃣ Turning product ideas into working teams and code - from pre-seed to series A.
If it sounds like I could help you drop me a DM.
If you live in the EU then you need to be aware the EU is considering requiring electronic communications surveillance. If you don't like mass indiscriminate spying then I urge you to take action:
fightchatcontrol.eu
fightchatcontrol.eu
Fight Chat Control - Protect Digital Privacy in the EU
Learn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.
fightchatcontrol.eu
August 25, 2025 at 9:11 AM
If you live in the EU then you need to be aware the EU is considering requiring electronic communications surveillance. If you don't like mass indiscriminate spying then I urge you to take action:
fightchatcontrol.eu
fightchatcontrol.eu
I started using open-props.style and really like it: vanilla CSS is very powerful, and open-props saves you time by providing design tokens.
Open Props: sub-atomic styles
Open source CSS custom properties to help accelerate adaptive and consistent design. Available from a CDN or NPM, as CSS or Javascript.
open-props.style
August 17, 2025 at 11:02 AM
I started using open-props.style and really like it: vanilla CSS is very powerful, and open-props saves you time by providing design tokens.
I'm experimenting with a new source code layout. What do you think?
August 7, 2025 at 11:06 AM
I'm experimenting with a new source code layout. What do you think?
@thoughtbot.com has just published a wonderful list of 70 companies on Rails. 😍
thoughtbot.com/blog/70-comp...
thoughtbot.com/blog/70-comp...
70 Companies You Didn't Know Were Using Rails in 2025
For twenty-two years, thoughtbot has helped companies and organizations of...
thoughtbot.com
August 6, 2025 at 11:35 AM
@thoughtbot.com has just published a wonderful list of 70 companies on Rails. 😍
thoughtbot.com/blog/70-comp...
thoughtbot.com/blog/70-comp...
I'm test driving @zed.dev (per @hacktec.bsky.social's recommendation), including AI coding via Claude. It's sooo apparent that AI has absolutely zero reasoning skills.
August 2, 2025 at 11:30 AM
I'm test driving @zed.dev (per @hacktec.bsky.social's recommendation), including AI coding via Claude. It's sooo apparent that AI has absolutely zero reasoning skills.
It's this time of month again! Head over to whoishiring.jobs if you're looking for a new role.
August 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
It's this time of month again! Head over to whoishiring.jobs if you're looking for a new role.
I also pushed an update to pocus: it allows you to cast a subset of spells. If you're looking for a lightweight YAML-free alternative to Ansible then have a look.
Man, I missed working on open source so much ...
github.com/gregnavis/po...
Man, I missed working on open source so much ...
github.com/gregnavis/po...
GitHub - gregnavis/pocus: Simple server provisioning via POSIX-shell
Simple server provisioning via POSIX-shell. Contribute to gregnavis/pocus development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
July 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
I also pushed an update to pocus: it allows you to cast a subset of spells. If you're looking for a lightweight YAML-free alternative to Ansible then have a look.
Man, I missed working on open source so much ...
github.com/gregnavis/po...
Man, I missed working on open source so much ...
github.com/gregnavis/po...
Success! A new version of whoishiring.jobs has just been deployed. I had to reconfigure Solid Queue and now it's properly picking up new jobs.
whoishiring.jobs – find you dream tech startup job
Find your dream tech startup job with whoishiring.jobs
whoishiring.jobs
July 13, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Success! A new version of whoishiring.jobs has just been deployed. I had to reconfigure Solid Queue and now it's properly picking up new jobs.
I'm so excited to make my own production console work on OpenBSD! It's a matter of running `bin/rails production:console` to connect Heroku-style. So satisfying!
July 13, 2025 at 5:15 AM
I'm so excited to make my own production console work on OpenBSD! It's a matter of running `bin/rails production:console` to connect Heroku-style. So satisfying!
Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸
July 4, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸
A security vulnerability in sudo allows users to obtain root privileges. sudo is 20k lines of C. My recommendation is to replace it with doas - 630 lines of C + 290 lines of YACC.
cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cven...
cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cven...
CVE -
CVE-2025-32463
The mission of the CVE™ Program is to identify, define, and catalog publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
cve.mitre.org
July 1, 2025 at 7:13 PM
A security vulnerability in sudo allows users to obtain root privileges. sudo is 20k lines of C. My recommendation is to replace it with doas - 630 lines of C + 290 lines of YACC.
cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cven...
cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cven...
I've just published something: Slice.spoon. It's a Pomodoro timer for Hammerspoon that's minimal, configurable, and persistent in asking you to use it 😁
It's a newborn, so no README, but the code is clear.
github.com/gregnavis/Sl...
It's a newborn, so no README, but the code is clear.
github.com/gregnavis/Sl...
GitHub - gregnavis/Slice.spoon: A Pomodoro timer for Hammerspoon
A Pomodoro timer for Hammerspoon. Contribute to gregnavis/Slice.spoon development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
May 19, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I've just published something: Slice.spoon. It's a Pomodoro timer for Hammerspoon that's minimal, configurable, and persistent in asking you to use it 😁
It's a newborn, so no README, but the code is clear.
github.com/gregnavis/Sl...
It's a newborn, so no README, but the code is clear.
github.com/gregnavis/Sl...
I've told you it's coming!
April 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
I've told you it's coming!
I'm working on something ...
Do you like it?
Do you like it?
January 11, 2025 at 5:22 PM
I'm working on something ...
Do you like it?
Do you like it?
I've just released transient_record 3.0 which adds support for arbitrary query execution. I had to bump the major version due to dropping support for older Rubies and Active Record.
github.com/gregnavis/tr...
github.com/gregnavis/tr...
GitHub - gregnavis/transient_record: Transient Record helps define transient tables and Active Record models for testing purposes
Transient Record helps define transient tables and Active Record models for testing purposes - gregnavis/transient_record
github.com
January 11, 2025 at 2:36 PM
I've just released transient_record 3.0 which adds support for arbitrary query execution. I had to bump the major version due to dropping support for older Rubies and Active Record.
github.com/gregnavis/tr...
github.com/gregnavis/tr...
I FINALLY found some time to work on active_record_doctor. I added support for multiple databases to three detectors.
I hope I'll be able to finish that next week, as it's a frequently requested feature.
I hope I'll be able to finish that next week, as it's a frequently requested feature.
November 30, 2024 at 1:43 PM
I FINALLY found some time to work on active_record_doctor. I added support for multiple databases to three detectors.
I hope I'll be able to finish that next week, as it's a frequently requested feature.
I hope I'll be able to finish that next week, as it's a frequently requested feature.
Exciting update for whoishiring.jobs! I split the job filters into tabs:
👉 Switching tabs is 1 line of JS + some CSS
👉 Tabs are scrollable left and right on mobile - 95-line long (incl. whitespace) Stimulus controller
👉 Tab highlights - pure CSS
🤩
Not in production, yet!
👉 Switching tabs is 1 line of JS + some CSS
👉 Tabs are scrollable left and right on mobile - 95-line long (incl. whitespace) Stimulus controller
👉 Tab highlights - pure CSS
🤩
Not in production, yet!
November 23, 2024 at 5:26 PM
Exciting update for whoishiring.jobs! I split the job filters into tabs:
👉 Switching tabs is 1 line of JS + some CSS
👉 Tabs are scrollable left and right on mobile - 95-line long (incl. whitespace) Stimulus controller
👉 Tab highlights - pure CSS
🤩
Not in production, yet!
👉 Switching tabs is 1 line of JS + some CSS
👉 Tabs are scrollable left and right on mobile - 95-line long (incl. whitespace) Stimulus controller
👉 Tab highlights - pure CSS
🤩
Not in production, yet!