Ken Kocienda
@kocienda.bsky.social
Past: 15 years at , inventor of iPhone autocorrect, author of “Creative Selection”
Over the last year or so, I’ve made the biggest-ever change to the way I write software. I now code with AI assistance all the time. Here’s why. Here’s how.
kocienda.micro.blog/2025/06/25/c...
kocienda.micro.blog/2025/06/25/c...
June 25, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Over the last year or so, I’ve made the biggest-ever change to the way I write software. I now code with AI assistance all the time. Here’s why. Here’s how.
kocienda.micro.blog/2025/06/25/c...
kocienda.micro.blog/2025/06/25/c...
We’ve been making great progress at Infactory, the company I co-founded last year. We help developers build natural language APIs over structured data: connect data sources, build query programs, and deploy them as REST endpoints. infactory.ai/developers
Infactory AI
Infactory empowers enterprises to build trustworthy AI assistants, agents, and search tools. The Infactory platform connects your data sources, generates accurate queries, and gives enterprises comple...
infactory.ai
April 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
We’ve been making great progress at Infactory, the company I co-founded last year. We help developers build natural language APIs over structured data: connect data sources, build query programs, and deploy them as REST endpoints. infactory.ai/developers
Reposted by Ken Kocienda
How do you solve a design challenge full of unknown unknowns? Jump back to 2005 and try the Blob Keyboard,
@kocienda.bsky.social's first working prototype for the iPhone keyboard, created during a UX crisis.
@kocienda.bsky.social's first working prototype for the iPhone keyboard, created during a UX crisis.
April 9, 2025 at 3:46 PM
How do you solve a design challenge full of unknown unknowns? Jump back to 2005 and try the Blob Keyboard,
@kocienda.bsky.social's first working prototype for the iPhone keyboard, created during a UX crisis.
@kocienda.bsky.social's first working prototype for the iPhone keyboard, created during a UX crisis.
When I add big new features to code, I hack away wildly in my work branch. I'll often break other features. I don't care. I just want to see the new feature ASAP. Once I have that, I usually find it pretty easy to go back, fix any breakages, and neaten things up.
March 29, 2025 at 3:37 PM
When I add big new features to code, I hack away wildly in my work branch. I'll often break other features. I don't care. I just want to see the new feature ASAP. Once I have that, I usually find it pretty easy to go back, fix any breakages, and neaten things up.
There are “Esperanto” ideas, proposals which sound great, but are complex and impractical, and so they never take off. There also are “tweet” ideas, trivial things which don’t seem to do much at all, but are simple and appealing to everyone, and so they spread everywhere.
March 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
There are “Esperanto” ideas, proposals which sound great, but are complex and impractical, and so they never take off. There also are “tweet” ideas, trivial things which don’t seem to do much at all, but are simple and appealing to everyone, and so they spread everywhere.
I’ve been doing a bunch of coding over the past few days with claude-3.7-sonnet MAX in Agent mode in Cursor. It’s been amazing. It’s like having a junior dev who works fast, knows a lot for its experience level, gets a lot right (and a lot wrong too), but is always willing to go back and try again.
March 22, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I’ve been doing a bunch of coding over the past few days with claude-3.7-sonnet MAX in Agent mode in Cursor. It’s been amazing. It’s like having a junior dev who works fast, knows a lot for its experience level, gets a lot right (and a lot wrong too), but is always willing to go back and try again.
I’m proud to have started Infactory with Brooke, and I think we’re making great progress, but I know it’s rarely easy for her. Let her tell you.
www.linkedin.com/posts/abhart...
www.linkedin.com/posts/abhart...
Brooke Hartley Moy on LinkedIn: #womenintech #startuplife #motherhood #femalefounders
To my son: I'm building this company for you. But some days, that means building it instead of being with you.
The startup world loves to talk about juggling…
www.linkedin.com
February 5, 2025 at 3:52 PM
I’m proud to have started Infactory with Brooke, and I think we’re making great progress, but I know it’s rarely easy for her. Let her tell you.
www.linkedin.com/posts/abhart...
www.linkedin.com/posts/abhart...
I haven't written software for Apple platforms since 2020, but over the last few days, I've been working on an iOS demo app for a prospective customer. In an Xcode log message, I was unexpectedly greeted by an old friend: UIKeyboardLayoutStar. I wrote the first version of that class back in ~2008.
January 27, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I haven't written software for Apple platforms since 2020, but over the last few days, I've been working on an iOS demo app for a prospective customer. In an Xcode log message, I was unexpectedly greeted by an old friend: UIKeyboardLayoutStar. I wrote the first version of that class back in ~2008.
I have a “software mindset”. When I think about ideas or look at systems, I imagine the abstractions, data, and algorithms I would need to write a relevant program, either to examine a topic, simulate a real-world thing, or actually implement some working code.
December 30, 2024 at 7:30 PM
I have a “software mindset”. When I think about ideas or look at systems, I imagine the abstractions, data, and algorithms I would need to write a relevant program, either to examine a topic, simulate a real-world thing, or actually implement some working code.
It’s 6:30 AM. In my favorite Hawaiian spot. Already finished a leisurely breakfast. Beautiful view of the surf. Laptop opened. A wonderful day ahead of programming ahead of me, since that’s what I like to do best.
December 29, 2024 at 4:35 PM
It’s 6:30 AM. In my favorite Hawaiian spot. Already finished a leisurely breakfast. Beautiful view of the surf. Laptop opened. A wonderful day ahead of programming ahead of me, since that’s what I like to do best.
I do a lot of python programming these days, and sadly, there’s no consistency anywhere. Let’s take just one example, is it: len(foo), foo.len, foo.length, foo.len(), or foo.length()? I never know.
December 26, 2024 at 7:54 PM
I do a lot of python programming these days, and sadly, there’s no consistency anywhere. Let’s take just one example, is it: len(foo), foo.len, foo.length, foo.len(), or foo.length()? I never know.
I enjoyed every day I worked with Apple ObjC frameworks. Once you learned the naming conventions, you could guess names even in new frameworks. It made it easy to think in that code.
December 26, 2024 at 7:54 PM
I enjoyed every day I worked with Apple ObjC frameworks. Once you learned the naming conventions, you could guess names even in new frameworks. It made it easy to think in that code.
Merry Christmas to my internet friends. 🎄
December 24, 2024 at 8:55 PM
Merry Christmas to my internet friends. 🎄
There’s a fine line between software that’s supple and helpful without getting in your way and guessing wrong all the time, but great software comes along with you for the ride, and makes the ride a pleasure.
December 23, 2024 at 4:05 PM
There’s a fine line between software that’s supple and helpful without getting in your way and guessing wrong all the time, but great software comes along with you for the ride, and makes the ride a pleasure.
We can, and probably should, take it for granted that all decent software gets the algorithms right. Getting the heuristics right is what makes software excellent. I wrote this about heuristics in my book.
December 23, 2024 at 4:04 PM
We can, and probably should, take it for granted that all decent software gets the algorithms right. Getting the heuristics right is what makes software excellent. I wrote this about heuristics in my book.
We applied Postel’s Law throughout the software for the first iPhone, and we described the concept in the ’949 patent under this title: Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics. patents.google.com/patent/US747...
US7479949B2 - Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics
- Google Patents
A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or...
patents.google.com
December 23, 2024 at 4:03 PM
We applied Postel’s Law throughout the software for the first iPhone, and we described the concept in the ’949 patent under this title: Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics. patents.google.com/patent/US747...
The best software gives what you want, not necessarily what you did. This is a corollary of the more general Robustness Principle, which I always refer to as Postel’s Law: “Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robustn...
Robustness principle - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 23, 2024 at 4:03 PM
The best software gives what you want, not necessarily what you did. This is a corollary of the more general Robustness Principle, which I always refer to as Postel’s Law: “Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robustn...
proud to be the first follower of @jeangordonkocienda.bsky.social, the best person I know ❤️
December 17, 2024 at 10:33 PM
proud to be the first follower of @jeangordonkocienda.bsky.social, the best person I know ❤️
Reposted by Ken Kocienda
Pt 2 of @kocienda.bsky.social's podcast with Jerry Cuomo is here! Hear all about Ken's journey after Apple, thoughts on AI, & what he's up to now at Infactory www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-s_...
The Man Behind Autocorrect - Part Two
YouTube video by Jerry Cuomo
www.youtube.com
December 17, 2024 at 5:37 PM
Pt 2 of @kocienda.bsky.social's podcast with Jerry Cuomo is here! Hear all about Ken's journey after Apple, thoughts on AI, & what he's up to now at Infactory www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-s_...
Two rules of software:
1. Add a level of indirection if the code doesn't do what you want.
2. If that didn't work, goto 1.
1. Add a level of indirection if the code doesn't do what you want.
2. If that didn't work, goto 1.
December 16, 2024 at 4:36 PM
Two rules of software:
1. Add a level of indirection if the code doesn't do what you want.
2. If that didn't work, goto 1.
1. Add a level of indirection if the code doesn't do what you want.
2. If that didn't work, goto 1.
I was on the Wild Ducks podcast with Jerry Cuomo talking about Apple and autocorrect. A fun conversation. Future episode on Infactory (my company) and AI will drop soon.
open.spotify.com/episode/3IH8...
open.spotify.com/episode/3IH8...
The Man Behind Autocorrect - Part One
open.spotify.com
December 11, 2024 at 3:48 PM
I was on the Wild Ducks podcast with Jerry Cuomo talking about Apple and autocorrect. A fun conversation. Future episode on Infactory (my company) and AI will drop soon.
open.spotify.com/episode/3IH8...
open.spotify.com/episode/3IH8...
Waymo is still super cool every time. Feels like magic.
December 9, 2024 at 7:49 PM
Waymo is still super cool every time. Feels like magic.