The blog
What we've been building, breaking and thinking about. Written by the people doing the work.
Lovable, Bolt, v0, Cursor: The Ones We’d Actually Trust
Straight verdicts on Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Cursor from people who use these tools every day. No affiliate links and no pretending they're all the same.
Bespoke software development companies in the UK: a practical shortlist for growing SMEs
A practical guide to UK bespoke software companies: the three types of firm, ten worth a look, honest numbers on cost and a checklist for choosing.
The Rebuild You Never Budgeted For
The upfront price of vibe-coded software is rarely the real one. Here's where the rest of the money goes, from downtime to an unplanned rebuild.
From 23 Seconds to 200 Milliseconds
An AI-built app took twenty-three seconds to load its main screen. Here's what it took to fix, and why most apps like it can be repaired.
A Customer Could See Someone Else’s Invoices
A SaaS client could see another company's invoices. Here's what had gone wrong in the code, and why it took forty customers for anyone to notice.
Your AI App Works in the Demo. That’s the Problem.
A clean demo tells you almost nothing about whether your software is sound. Here's what a demo can't test, and why failures wait for real traffic.
The Last 20% Is Where AI Leaves You Stranded
AI builders nail the easy eighty per cent. Here's what lives in the last twenty, why AI is bad at exactly that part, and why it costs the most.
Vibe Coding Is Fine, Until Real People Use It
Vibe coding is brilliant for some things and stops being fine at a very specific point. Here's where that line sits and what changes when users arrive.
We Treat AI Like a Very Fast Junior Developer
We use AI every day but never let it near architecture, data design or security alone. Here's what that looks like, and the rules we work by.
AI Is a Brilliant Typist and a Terrible Architect
AI writes code faster than any developer but has no idea how your system should be built. Here's why that gap decides how software holds up.
Bulk Tagging Shopify Products with PHP: One Tag, Thousands of Products
How to tag thousands of Shopify products with PHP using a bulk mutation, from building the JSONL file to wiring the whole job into a queue.
Shopify Bulk Operations in PHP: Mutations & Queries Done Properly
How to run Shopify bulk mutations and queries properly in PHP, with a MySQL job queue, staged uploads and working examples for inventory updates.
Recreating Visualsoft content blocks in Shopify: opening up flexibility for your team
Moving from Visualsoft to Shopify puts day-to-day editing back in your hands. Here's how Shopify's sections and blocks replace what you had.
Rebuilding Visualsoft's faceted search and filtering in Shopify
Worried about losing faceted search when you leave Visualsoft? Here's what Shopify offers natively and how to rebuild your filters on the new platform.
Visualsoft to Shopify URL redirects: a full SEO mapping playbook
URL redirects are the highest-stakes job in a Visualsoft to Shopify migration. Here's a full playbook for mapping them and keeping your rankings.
Should you stay on Visualsoft? An honest checklist
Most Visualsoft merchants should move to Shopify, but a few shouldn't yet. Here's an honest checklist of the real reasons to stay where you are.
What gets migrated from Visualsoft to Shopify (and what doesn't)
Most of your Visualsoft store moves across cleanly. Here's what happens to your products, customers and orders, and what doesn't come over.
Why Visualsoft to Shopify migrations are more complex than most agencies admit
Why Visualsoft to Shopify migrations are harder than most agencies admit, from the data architecture to custom features that generic tools can't move.
Mastering Inventory Updates: The Power of GraphQL Idempotency at Shopify
A network hiccup shouldn't double your stock. Here's how idempotency works in Shopify's GraphQL API and how to make inventory updates safe to retry.
Choosing Between DIY and Professional Migration
DIY migration can work for simple stores, but it often costs more than it saves. Here's how to decide which route suits your store and your team.
Tell us what you've got
It goes straight to Rob and Jase. You'll hear back from one of us, usually the same day, and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right people.