How we build
Short notes on how I think about building this, written as I go. The calls I make, the ones I got wrong, and the rules they left behind. Newest first.
- The most useful thing the system does is admit what it hasn't checkedOne day it made five mistakes and I caught every one. Why it now has to show its work or say "unverified."
- "Nothing broke" is not the same as "it was built not to break"Two sessions, one shared file, a near-miss that cost nothing. Why I fixed it anyway.
- Building a thing and proving it works are two different daysWhy I make myself say "shipped, not proven" and wait for the proof to come from someone who isn't me.
- What's sacred is your content, not the folder it lives inThe blunt rule was "never touch your folder." It was wrong, and here is the sharper one that replaced it.
- The most common way setup breaks isn't a bugIt looks exactly like the product is broken. It isn't, and the system now says so itself.
- A tool should be incapable of the mistake, not just careful about itA backup command failed silently and started deleting my computer. The fix was not to be more careful.
- Progress matters. Not losing what already works matters just as much.Why nothing I'm still testing ever touches the system you rely on every day.