June 2026 Summaries

The development of an iOS app, initially conceived during a team meeting, involved setting up a "software workshop" with a Mac Mini and various tools, including XCode and the iOS simulator, to facilitate app building and testing. The process included using a virtual machine (VM) setup for coding access, leveraging SSH forwarding for connectivity, and implementing a system for over-the-air app installation using a TLS-connected OTA server. Synchronization challenges were addressed with a combination of sqlite database management techniques and a custom "ShelleyKit" library ported to Swift, enhancing performance and testing capabilities. Debugging and performance monitoring were aided by MetricsKit and custom overlays, and the app's development also included creating a registration app for TestFlight intake. Despite some challenges, the app's iterative development led to a satisfactory performance, with continuous deployment practices ensuring regular updates and improvements.

Exe.dev has launched an iOS app in the App Store to enhance the user experience beyond what mobile browsers offer, particularly by leveraging native iOS features like notifications and the share sheet. The app supports agentic conversations by providing timely notifications and easy sharing of screenshots to initiate conversations, thereby reducing the time needed for action. It includes a voice mode that utilizes computing resources effectively and an integrated terminal client to streamline the SSH process, despite not yet supporting mosh. The app also centralizes the management of multiple virtual machines, allowing users to efficiently track and interact with their projects. Feedback from TestFlight users has been instrumental in refining the app, which aims to provide a seamless and robust experience, inviting further suggestions via Discord or email.

Deploying a server-rendered "hello world" app on a cloud platform is simplified by exe.dev, which allows users to share their web applications as easily as forwarding an email. Users can choose between a command-line approach or a web-based workflow to make their app publicly accessible or restrict access to specific individuals via email addresses. For teams, exe.dev provides a more robust sharing hierarchy that includes SSH access to virtual machines, allowing owners and team administrators to manage permissions. This structure enables both public sharing and more controlled, team-based collaboration, offering flexibility in how applications are deployed and accessed.

Continuous Integration (CI) has traditionally involved running tests in the cloud after code commits are merged to ensure code quality, but this approach faces challenges with the increasing use of automated agents in development. While human engineers benefit from CI by leveraging their understanding of a codebase, agents lack this implicit knowledge, leading to frequent regressions and inefficiencies. To address these issues, it is suggested to replace CI with a merge queue system, which allows all tests to be run before code is integrated into the main branch. This ensures that agents can identify and resolve issues in real-time, preventing broken builds and enhancing efficiency. In the era of agents, fast testing becomes crucial, making the merge queue a superior solution despite the need for more robust computing resources to support this approach.