Podcast
Core Intuition
A podcast about indie software development for the Mac, iOS and other Apple technologies.
Episodes
Episode 525: Another Litmus Test
Aug 12 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s decision to cancel his Blinksale account, after 16 years of service. They weigh the relative value of the thousands of dollars paid as a fraction of the overall business conducted. They talk about Stripe’s increasing dominance in the world of financial services, and how they even offer a comparable invoicing product as a built-in feature. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_525.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 40 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor ...more
Episode 524: It Did Start To Bug Me
Aug 03 2022
Manton tells Daniel more about his experience with Blinksale, how they raised his monthly fee to account for features that he didn’t receive. They talk about our collective tendency as customers to lose track of the amount we are paying for subscription services that raise their prices regularly over time. Daniel explains that he shipped MarsEdit 4.6 but that it doesn’t include all the updates he hoped for, and they elaborate on the challenge of continuing to ship updates while perpe...more
Episode 523: A Secret Futurist
Jul 27 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about plans for MarsEdit 5, requiring a later version of macOS, and even employing SwiftUI in the new version. When is it the right time to drop support for older OSes because of the lure of newer features? Then they talk about when a major upgrade is “paid upgrade-worthy” and which platforms Daniel should invest in for MarsEdit’s future. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_523.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 39 minutes) Many thanks to our spon...more
Episode 522: I’m Sure You’re Happy
Jul 23 2022
Manton and Daniel talk about the latest stage of FogBugz’s corporate ownership, the reaction among its few remaining users, and how happy Daniel is to have gotten out when he did. They ponder how important it is for any company to continually update their apps, as long as they continue to fulfill their primary purpose, and Manton makes a discovery about a long-time service he’d assumed was not receiving regular updates. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_522.mp3 Download Audio (M...more
Episode 521: Some Dumb Mistake
Jul 15 2022
Daniel and Manton react to Elon Musk’s attempt to back out of acquiring Twitter. They talk about whether Twitter should even try to force him to follow through, or whether that is ultimately worse for the company. Is Twitter still a diamond in the rough, and could a leader with vision and enthusiasm make the company more valuable than Musk’s offer? https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_521.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 39 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: Re...more
Episode 520: Do Weird Things
Jul 08 2022
Manton and Daniel talk about Panic’s Playdate game system, the audaciousness of building a novel hardware device, and whether or not “What Would Panic Do” should still apply to most of us. They celebrate the thrill and joy of pursuing “weird” ambitions when you want to. Finally, they talk about their own tendencies to work on multiple projects of personal interest, and how much they should strive to avoid spreading themselves too thin. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_520.mp3...more
Episode 519: It’s A Gift
Jun 26 2022
Daniel talks to Manton about his continuing work to transition MarsEdit away from legacy WebView, the difficulty of doing so, and the thrill of becoming a “tangential expert” in web development. They react to a small rift in the WordPress community involving Matt Mullenweg and Go Daddy, and compare thoughts on what obligations, if any, consumers of open source software have to the creators. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_519.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 38 minutes)...more
Episode 518: Rubbing Salt In The Wound
Jun 17 2022
Manton asks Daniel about hints he’s dropped regarding an upcoming MarsEdit 5 release. Daniel talks about how another 5 years has crept up on him and that he now feels another update is overdue. They talk about embracing relatively old Apple frameworks that are nonetheless new to us, and focusing on shipping updates with features that add value, even if they don’t fulfill every “magical” nuance you hoped they might. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_518.mp3 Download Audi...more
Episode 517: When You Have A Hammer
Jun 09 2022
Daniel and Manton react to announcements at WWDC, and share pessimistic and optimistic takes about what the future of the in-person conference might be. Daniel celebrates the new WeatherKit API and its “generous” pricing, while Manton remains somewhat dismayed by Apple’s continued focus on earning money off of developers. Finally, they talk about Swift Charts as a possible blueprint for future SwiftUI frameworks, and Passkeys as the future of authentication on the web. https:...more
Episode 516: On A More Positive Note
Jun 03 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about expectations for next week’s WWDC, the way the Apple Design Awards have changed over the years, WWDC’s Digital Lounges, and hopes for Xcode debugging improvements. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_516.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 32 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: TextExpander: Communicate Smarter. Listeners get 20% off their first year. Links: WWDC ADA finalists – Apple’s web page previewing finalists f...more
Episode 515: In The Actor’s Studio
May 29 2022
Daniel talks to Manton about his experience debugging an AppKit issue in Micro.blog, and his satisfaction with AppKit’s debugging ease. They compare the relative debuggability of SwiftUI, AppKit and JavaScript web frameworks. Daniel talks about diving into a long-postponed effort to migrate away from legacy WebView framework to the newer WKWebView design. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_515.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 35 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: Reve...more
Episode 514: Feeling Less Enthusiastic
May 20 2022
Manton and Daniel share the results of their applications to attend Apple’s live WWDC 22 event, and talk more about whether they will or won’t end up making the trip to California. They react to a recent 37signals podcast about selling the byproducts of one’s work, and wonder about the more abstract benefits of promoting one’s general philosophies about software as a kind of “byproduct.” https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_514.mp3 Download Au...more
Episode 513: Probably Not For Us
May 14 2022
Daniel and Manton follow up on their applications to participate in the WWDC 2022 special event at Apple Park. They talk about the slightly expanded details about the event, justifications for and against attending, and ultimately share whether they think they will go or not. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_513.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 36 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: RevenueCat: In-app subscriptions made easy. Also check out the Sub Club Podcast! Li...more
Episode 512: The Slow Trickle Of News
May 08 2022
Manton and Daniel talk about the WWDC screening event and whether Apple should even be moving forward in light of Covid-19. They compare notes about whether they’re planning to apply to attend or not, and what the relative chances of them actually going is. Finally they talk about the challenge Apple faces in managing an unpredictable attendance count, and whether the event will be indoors, outdoors, or a mixture. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_512.mp3 Download Audio...more
Episode 511: A Quick Fix For Attention
May 01 2022
In the midst of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s long history with Twitter, starting with enthusiasm, continuing to active development for the platform, and ending with disgust. They psychoanalyze Elon Musk and his propensity for seeking adulation on Twitter, and compare him to Jack Dorsey. In the second half of the show they follow up on Help Scout and talk about the service’s statistics reporting on customer service performance. Finally, Man...more
Episode 510: You Are Holding Button Wrong
Apr 20 2022
Daniel and Manton follow up on button sizing in SwiftUI. They compare SwiftUI and React Native in terms of maturity and how much you can expand the frameworks on your own to fill missing gaps. Then, they discuss why all previous cross-platform development approaches have “failed” with respect to matching expectations of the native platform, and what native apps can provide in addition to web counterparts. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_510.mp3 Download Audio (MP...more
Episode 509: This One Stupid Thing
Apr 17 2022
Daniel talks to Manton about Setapp’s efforts to support the war in Ukraine by offering developers the option of donating a percentage of proceeds. They talk about how Setapp is doing in general, and explain a bit about the compensation scheme for developers. Manton talks about the release of a React Native version of Epilogue for Android, and how satisfied he is with the approach. Daniel wonders whether web frameworks are leapfrogging native ones, and what Apple could or should do about i...more
Episode 508: I Hate This, Basically
Apr 08 2022
Manton and Daniel react to Apple’s announcement of WWDC 2022, ponder the merits of the modest in-person viewing opportunity, and wonder about what Apple thinks is in it for them. They struggle to must excitement, wondering whether Apple can still surprise us, but hold out hope for being … well … surprised! https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_508.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 35 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: TextExpander: Communicate Smarter. List...more
Episode 507: Same Rules, Different Dictionary
Apr 01 2022
Daniel and Manton follow up the claim from previous episode that crosswords are “mostly an English-language thing.” Daniel shares more about his experience implementing a custom calendar picker for macOS, and how the AppKit version he emulated differs from Apple’s separate SwiftUI implementation. Manton talks about his positive experience using using React Native, and how SwiftUI would be a tough sell given his desire to target Android. Finally, they speculate briefly about whe...more
Episode 506: So Many Edge Cases
Mar 28 2022
Manton reacts to Daniel going on an unexpected diversion and implementing a calendar view for Black Ink. Manton talks about the new Micro.blog bookmarks features. They acknowledge the marketing benefits of making minor changes to existing features to draw new attention to them. Finally, they talk about taking pride in the things that matter in work, and not getting bogged down by fear of judgement from others. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_506.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 33 ...more
Episode 505: I Was Kind Of Zoned Out
Mar 19 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s trip to Portland, Oregon for the Micro Camp meetup, and celebrate Manton’s completion of the final draft for his Indie Microblogging book. They talk about Daniel’s latest update to FastScripts, including regular expression utilities, and how Manton has employed them for his book authoring workflow. Finally they touch on how to decide between including features for free vs. making them part of a premium upgrade purchase. https://traffic.li...more
Episode 504: It’s Called Authenticity
Mar 11 2022
Manton and Daniel compare notes after Apple’s March, 2022 special event. Manton isn’t super-excited, but Daniel celebrates that “The Mac Company” is back. Manton talks about his trip to Portland for Micro Camp, and announces that he is publishing the complete DRAFT of his Indie Microblogging book. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_504.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 22 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: TextExpander: Communicate Smarter. Listeners get 20% o...more
Episode 503: I’m Not Complaining Exactly
Mar 03 2022
Daniel tells Manton about finally leaving FogBugz and going deep on Help Scout and GitHub Issues. Meanwhile Manton has also finished his migration to Help Scout! They talk about their mutual satisfaction with Help Scout and about how to best manage GitHub Issues. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_503.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 39 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: RevenueCat: In-app subscriptions made easy. Also check out the Sub Club Podcast! Links: Help Scout ...more
Episode 502: A Fancy Email Client
Feb 20 2022
Manton talks to Daniel about his decision to switch from Zendesk to Help Scout, and gets Daniel excited about the prospect of finally switching away from FogBugz for his own work. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_502.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 35 minutes) No sponsor this week! Please consider sponsoring us, or asking your employer to do so. Links: FogBugz: Daniel’s current help desk and issue tracking system. Zendesk: Manton’s current help desk system. Freshdes...more
Episode 501: We Are Going Down With Apple
Feb 13 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about the specifics of Apple’s attempted compliance with the Netherlands’s new dating app requirements. They express their continuing disappointment with Apple’s apparent disdain for developers, and their surprise at the poor management of the situation on the PR front. Daniel talks about finally moving from Mercurial to Git and the advantages of standardizing on technologies that have “clearly won.” https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint...more
Episode 500: All The Things We Could Have Done
Feb 06 2022
Manton and Daniel celebrate their 500th episode by looking back at several arbitrarily chosen episodes spanning the history of the show. They remark about the things that have changed, the things that have stayed the same, and their surprise that certain events happened when they did. They wrap up the episode with a discussion about their satisfaction with going full-time as indie developers, and unlikelihood that they will go back to “real jobs” any time soon. https://traffic.libsy...more
Episode 499: The Drill Was A Good Idea
Jan 27 2022
Daniel declares to Manton that he is finally starting to feel comfortable as an iOS developer, and looking forward to shipping Black Ink for iOS. Manton, meanwhile, is getting more interested in ReactNative as a means to possibly porting Epilogue to Android. They talk about the virtue of venturing into unfamiliar technologies, waiting to get over the learning curve, and adapting what you like about other technologies back to your favorite platforms. Finally, they talk about the value of embracin...more
Episode 498: I Agree It’s Preposterous
Jan 23 2022
Manton and Daniel talk about Apple’s response to South Korea’s legal requirement that they support 3rd party payment processing in the App Store, and whether Apple’s insistence that it continue to be paid a cut is realistic. They also talk about what has changed since the early days of the App Store with respect to Apple’s sense of entitlement to a share of all revenue earned on its platforms. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_498.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 34...more
Episode 497: My New Mission In Life
Jan 14 2022
Daniel and Manton talk about the persistent allure of finding a better bank, weighed against the daunting tedium of successfully shutting down an existing account. Then they talk about Apple’s AirTags, the growing controversy about how “bad guys” are using them, and whether Apple should discontinue the product or mitigate the risks of continuing to sell them. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_497.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 45 minutes) Many thanks to our spons...more
Episode 496: Settle For More
Jan 08 2022
Manton and Daniel open the new year with more talk about increasing productivity and focusing on the tasks that are most important to us. They talk about the merits of “settling for good enough” as a valuable thing both in life and, more pertinently, in shipping software or completing any creative works. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_496.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 32 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: TextExpander: Communicate Smarter. Listeners ge...more
Episode 495: I Can See The Inspiration There
Dec 31 2021
Daniel and Manton take a light look forward to 2022, veer off into a discussion about their respective math skills, and end up talking philosophically about the limits of time and how we need to choose to spend our time on the things that matter most to us. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_495.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 32 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsor this week: Linode: Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. New accounts get a $100 credit. Lin...more
Episode 494: No Serious Commitments
Dec 25 2021
Manton follows up with Daniel about his alleged accidental Catalyst port, and how it inspired Manton to look into the possibility of a Catalyst port of his Epilogue app. They take a look at the landscape of Mac and iOS apps for Micro.blog, including some iOS apps that run natively on Apple Silicon Macs. Daniel talks more about KeyboardKit, the inevitable edge cases he’s run into, and how he ended up contributing to the project. Finally, they talk about their never-ending ambition to get be...more
Episode 493: Someone Did All This Work
Dec 19 2021
Daniel tells Manton about his return to work on Black Ink for iOS, and his experience with accidentally building a version for Catalyst. They talk about the joy of coming upon new framework features when you assume things are as hard as they were “in the old days”. Finally, they talk about deciding when to use a 3rd-party library vs. when it is more likely to be problematic. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_493.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 46 minutes) Many thanks to...more
Episode 492: The Jenga Tower Collapsed
Dec 10 2021
Manton tells Daniel about Micro.blog’s new email newsletter feature. Daniel examines his self-consciousness about needing to ship two bug-fix updates to FastScripts in quick succession. They talk about the benefits of surreptitiously fixing things in web software without too much attention, and the downside that without release notes it can be hard to focus users on improvements. Finally, they talk about their efforts to wind down work obligations as they head into the holidays, and look f...more
Episode 491: Elephants Have Wrinkles
Dec 02 2021
Daniel and Manton catch up after Thanksgiving, and appreciate that it might be the most universally embraced American holiday. They compare notes about the amount they choose to work on holidays and how it reflects their work being something they love to do. Manton questions how much to share about a new feature he’s developing, and they talk about scenarios where sharing too much takes away from the broader impact of the feature. Finally, they talk about the resignation of Twitter’s CEO, ...more
Episode 490: Everybody Is Rage-typing
Nov 25 2021
Manton checks in with Daniel after returning home from LA. Daniel asks again about the status of the Indie Microblogging book, and if Manton has a plan for how he’ll get the job done. They celebrate Epilogue for Micro.blog finally getting approved, and also celebrate the thrill of being able to deploy web apps and direct-download apps immediately without anybody’s approval. Finally, they talk about the great variety of web technologies and how Manton decides how to choose among the many op...more
Episode 489: I Broke The Curse
Nov 18 2021
Daniel catches up with Manton midway through Manton’s train trip adventure to Los Angeles. Manton gives a progress update on the micro-blogging book, and his new optimism after making progress on it. Manton shares impressions of LA’s famous traffic and culture in general, as he takes in a whirlwind tour of the area before heading to catch the train home. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_489.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 38 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsors this we...more
Episode 488: That’s Not Gonna Fly
Nov 12 2021
Manton and Daniel talk about the successful launch of FastScripts 3.0! Manton talks about frustrating problems with App Store review for his latest Micro.blog app, Epilogue. They talk about the latest news in Apple & Google’s respective legal challenges regarding in app purchases. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_488.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 44 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsors this week: Linode: Instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. ...more
Episode 487: I Spent A Week On It
Nov 04 2021
Daniel talks to Manton about his recent development work on Micro.blog, including the debut of Epilogue, his new app for books. They talk about balancing the urge to add new features with the demand from existing customers to fix pet peeves. Manton talks more about his recent ventures in to the web development and Android worlds. Daniel reports back after attending one of Apple’s virtual Tech Talk events, and catches us up on the status of the repeatedly postponed FastScripts 3 release. ...more
Episode 486: It’s Mostly My Fault
Oct 30 2021
Manton talks to Daniel about the change of plans in his MacBook Pro ordering, and how he ended up getting one earlier than expected. Manton shared his experience with updating to macOS Monterey, and they compare notes about what is new in the update. Finally, they talk about cross-platform development in the context of Micro.blog and beyond. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_486.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 53 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsors this week: RevenueCat: In-app s...more
Episode 485: Everybody’s Dying On That Hill
Oct 23 2021
Daniel and Manton talk about Apple’s just-announced Tech Talks, and whether this is a clue to the future of WWDC. They celebrate the announcement of new Apple Silicon based MacBook Pros, and compare notes on their buying plans. Finally, they take stock of the state of macOS as Monterey is about to be released, and revisit their ongoing grief over Apple’s strategy with respect to SwiftUI, Catalyst and AppKit. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_485.mp3 Download Audio (M...more
Episode 484: Midnight Blue Dungarees
Oct 15 2021
Manton and Daniel talk about the expected MacBook Pro announcements coming on Monday, and whether they’re likely to buy one if announced. Manton shares some details about the new Micro.blog Subscriptions feature he teased, and Daniel asks him to consider whether the word Subscription has unwanted connotations. Finally, they talk about Manton’s switch of mobile providers and the various ways to avoid overage charges with data tethering. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/Core...more
Episode 483: Clean Up The Mess
Oct 09 2021
Daniel and Manton revisit the etymology of the word “engineer”, discovering that it runs much deeper than trains. They talk about Paddle’s new iOS in-app purchase offering and whether Apple will allow it or not. Finally, they talk about Daniel’s lost momentum with his index-card motivation, and his plans to get back on track. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_483.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 27 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsors this week: TextExpander...more
Episode 482: Accidental Train Podcast
Oct 01 2021
Manton catches us up on whether he ended up splurging to trade up to the iPad Mini. They talk more about Manton’s upcoming train trip, and about the little-known fact that Manton once released a train-oriented podcast episode! They talk about the allure of trains and other technical systems to computer programmers, and how nerds have always had to find their interests in the realm of what was possible at the time. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_482.mp3 Download Audio...more
Episode 481: No Wi-fi On This Train
Sep 26 2021
Daniel ends up buying an iPhone 13, while Manton holds off. Meanwhile, Manton considers buying a “real” camera instead, and also shares his plans to hop on a cross-country train to see a basketball game, take in the scenery, and to finish his book. They talk about the relative risks and rewards of investing so much intention into dedicated effort, and how Manton will feel if he does or does not achieve his goal. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_481.mp3 Download A...more
Episode 480: Comparably Greater Joy
Sep 16 2021
Manton and Daniel react to Apple’s September 13 event, talking about the increasing satisfaction they have with their existing phones now that the products have matured in features and performance. Manton talks about the new Sunlit update with changes that were partly inspired by Glass, and Daniel commits to a new index card goal. Finally, Manton talks about migrating his Discourse server to a hosted solution, which leads to a discussion about the relative merits of paying for specialized ...more
Episode 479: This Is Living
Sep 10 2021
Daniel and Manton look forward to Apple’s September 14 event, where the next major update to the iPhone is expected to be announced. They talk about their respective likelihood of upgrading and the extent to which iPhones hold their value for an increasingly long time. Daniel talks about his next priority for the “index card directive,” and Manton shares his strategy of using Basecamp’s Monday reminder emails to set high level goals for the week. https://traffic.libsyn....more
Episode 478: I Think It’s Gonna Be A Mess
Sep 04 2021
Daniel ships MarsEdit 4.5, and talks with Manton about the moderate success of aiming for a specific goal with “the index card directive.” Discussion of the various legal settlements and policy clarifications Apple has been sharing with respect to the App Store. Speculation about Apple’s strategy for controlling the user experience when allowing links to external subscription info. Manton talks briefly about his plan to incorporate Apple’s accommodation of an external link into...more
Episode 477: AppKit Is The Only Way
Aug 28 2021
Daniel and Manton talk about 1Password’s decision to use Electron for its next major update, and what that says about Apple’s confusing and conflicting platform frameworks. They talk about the continuing role of AppKit as a the only way to achieve many expected macOS behaviors, and wonder if the next-generation standard for desktop apps might actually be a “web technology.” Finally, Manton presses Daniel about his alleged ambition to “focus on shipping MarsEdit 4.5.” https://...more
Episode 476: It Was A Lot Of Work
Aug 23 2021
Manton and Daniel review how Micro Camp went, and how Manton might refine the format in the future. Manton asks Daniel why he decided to ship an update to Touché when he’s allegedly focused on MarsEdit 4.5. Finally, they talk about Manton’s update to Micro.blog to support the new Glass photo-sharing service. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/coreint/CoreInt_476.mp3 Download Audio (MP3, 38 minutes) Many thanks to our sponsors this week: MacStadium: Private clouds on Mac hard...more