iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 29/09/2026

Currently working on making Kobalt a world-class reader app. I've already got an Android build working, too. Getting the design language and UI just right is quite the undertaking. Lots of iterating going on. It's also hella fast, of course.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 08/06/2026

I wrote a quick blog post on my weekend FontForge project, Libron. nicoverbruggen.be/blog/libron (When it's fully done, it's probably going to be my go-to reading font. For now, I'm still tweaking it a little.)

nicoverbruggen.be

Crafting Libron with FontForge

Some time ago, I made a custom font based on Newsreader. My work hasn't stopped there, so say hello to... Libron!

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 06/06/2026

🚀 PHP Monitor 26.05 is now available with a brand-new onboarding flow! PHP Monitor can now guide you through installing Command Line Tools, Homebrew, PHP, Composer, and optionally Laravel Valet. Super convenient!

A screenshot of PHP Monitor's new Setup Assistant, highlighting the different steps of the installer.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 27/05/2026

I'm making sure PHP Monitor's "onboarding update" is really solid before releasing it. It needs a little more time before it's truly ready for release, but it's almost ready, so stay tuned!

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 20/05/2026

I’ve updated this post with some security recommendations as an addendum.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 05/05/2026

With all the recent discourse about GitHub reliability and such I figure it was time to write about how I've been self-hosting my own Git forge (like Gitea, Forgejo) for some time now: nicoverbruggen.be/blog/self-ho...

nicoverbruggen.be

Self-Hosting Git

In this post, I have to share some observations about self-hosting a Git forge to supplement my usage of GitHub.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 04/05/2026

I've pushed a small update to address an issue with the latest version of Homebrew. If you can't get PHP Monitor to start, you may need to update manually since the updater only kicks in when the app starts successfully. Get it here: github.com/nicoverbrugg...

github.com

Release v26.03.2 · nicoverbruggen/phpmon

PHP Monitor 26.03 is a stability-focused update that hardens command execution, improves Valet domain/proxy handling, and addresses multiple edge cases that could previously cause inconsistent beha...

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 03/05/2026

For some time now, early access builds of PHP Monitor have been locked behind GitHub Sponsors. I think it would be nice to see that change. If I get a few more donations in the next 24 hours, I'll make it happen. Please share (and consider donating): nicoverbruggen.be/donate

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 29/04/2026

The upcoming version of PHP Monitor makes it easier than ever to set up your PHP on your brand new Mac! You're fully guided through a simple onboarding flow. Installing Homebrew is simply copy-and-paste, and the rest is fully automated. Super convenient. Coming soon.

Screenshot of PHP Monitor's onboarding flow, with four key steps outlined: install command line tools, install Homebrew, install PHP & Composer, and install Valet.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 15/04/2026

You can try it out by downloading the preview here: github.com/nicoverbrugg... You can also find the source code here. Consider this an early preview, made with plenty of careful LLM assistance.

github.com

Release v0.8 · nicoverbruggen/wit

This is an early preview of Wit. Give it a spin and let me know what you think in the Discussions tab. A few important notes: This is not a replacement for Obsidian and complex text editing cases....

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 14/04/2026

Well, I finished Isles of the Emberdark yesterday and now I’m just sitting here… waiting for the next Cosmere book 😅

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Reposted by Nico Verbruggen

Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

My hottest “I have no data to back this up” take is that phones aren’t making young people less happy. What’s making them less happy is living in a world where everyone is having their reality defined by recommendation algorithms that can only care about whether something keeps you watching.

Young adult happiness is falling. Percent of young people who are pretty or very happy has dropped from 88% to 76% over the last 15 years after having held fairly steady between 1980 and 2010

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 10/04/2026

I've been working on a cross-platform writing app for plain text. Electron, because I wanted it to work on Linux. It's not a traditional text editor. It's intended for projects that you're writing (for e.g. a novel or manuscript) with snapshots and integrates with Git. Should I open source this?

A screenshot of my new minimalist writing app that displays a part of a text file, and notes writing time, word count, last save date.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 10/04/2026

As I suspected, the squeeze is real with these agentic coding things. Claude at the basic 20 dollar tier is basically useless now as it immediately uses up the entire quota, and Codex will certainly follow now that they've introduced a 100 dollar plan.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 07/04/2026

🚀 PHP Monitor 26.03 was released over the Easter weekend, and contains mostly various bug fixes for long-term stability. There may be a small patch update in a week or so with a few additional fixes, and then I'm going to be working on the final "big" feature: easy onboarding for new users.

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Reposted by Nico Verbruggen

John Siracusa @siracusa.social · 20/03/2026

In the latest episode of @atp.fm atp.fm/683 @marcoarment.bsky.social shares his amazing story of how he, as a lone developer, created a transcripts feature for @overcastapp.bsky.social to compete with Apple Podcasts. You do not want to miss this one. (starts at 54:46) overcast.fm/+BQnv4MC0jU/...

atp.fm

Accidental Tech Podcast: 683: I Didn’t Want to Melt My Rug

Three nerds discussing tech, Apple, programming, and loosely related matters.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 15/03/2026

I've updated my post on Readerly: nicoverbruggen.be/blog/creatin... ... and I've created a new release: github.com/nicoverbrugg... I've also been pushing various improvements to my blog -- links that go to external sites are now indicated as such and open in a new tab!

nicoverbruggen.be

Creating Readerly

I modified an existing font to create a new font with tweaks specifically made for e-readers.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 11/03/2026

Recently, I've been replacing batteries in some of my older devices (or getting my devices serviced when I lack the tools) which means they last longer. Manual repair makes for a fun experience, too. Pictured: me doing a battery replacement for my original 2017 Switch.

A photo of a Nintendo Switch (2017), opened for servicing and placed on a magnetic mat to house all of the different screws and SD card reader. The project name written in the corner of the mat says "Switch v1 battery replacement".

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Reposted by Nico Verbruggen

Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

AI companies are paying screenwriters, lawyers, and other white-collar professionals to produce the training data needed to automate their jobs. I spoke with more than 30 workers about conditions inside this fast-growing and extremely secretive new gig economy.

theverge.com

The laid-off lawyers and PhDs training AI to steal their careers

Experienced white-collar workers are now part of a miserable gig economy.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 09/03/2026

I turned the OFL licensed font Newsreader into my own customized alternative to Amazon's Bookerly, and here's how I did it: nicoverbruggen.be/blog/creatin...

A comparison of Newsreader 9pt and Readerly

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 07/03/2026

🚀 PHP Monitor 26.02 is now available with various improvements and additions, including a command history feature, and various automatic startup fixes. 📝 You can find the release notes here: github.com/nicoverbrugg... 🔗 phpmon.app ❤️ phpmon.app/sponsor

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 03/03/2026

PHP Monitor 26.02 releases later this week! Here's what's new: - Automatic Fixes, which helps you fix issues at startup - Command History, which lets you audit what PHP Monitor runs in the background There's also some UX improvements and bugfixes included.

"PHP is not correctly linked" modal with an "I Fixed It" and "Fix Automatically" button. The modal also displays what will be executed.

a Command History window, displaying various commands with checkboxes next to them and their execution time.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 02/03/2026

This was so much fun to build! It really nicely showcases potential open source font options for e-readers. ebook-fonts.nicoverbruggen.be I plan on expanding the mini-site so people can just download the fonts via here, and include more information about the fonts, licensing etc. here as well.

A screenshot of the desktop version of the ebook-fonts showcase by Nico Verbruggen, displaying the v3.x branch in a convenient viewer.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 02/03/2026

I'm currently working on v3 of my ebook-fonts collection, and as part of that, I've been tinkering on tweaked OFL fonts in particular that I'm looking to get some feedback on: github.com/nicoverbrugg... If you use an e-reader, please check 'em out!

github.com

Preview of upcoming fonts · Issue #8 · nicoverbruggen/ebook-fonts

Coming in the upcoming update of the collection are NinePoint (based on Newsreader's 9pt optical size) and Cartisse (previously known as NV (X)Charter, and I'm looking for some feedback on these fo...

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 27/02/2026

Give the first 30 minutes of this Vergecast a listen. It is about photo generation, Samsung and some important concerns: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ber...

youtube.com

The Galaxy S26 is a photography nightmare | The Vergecast

YouTube video by The Verge

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 27/02/2026

Here's one of the things that's coming to PHP Monitor in a couple of days... On the left: PHP Monitor today. On the right: what I'm shipping soon, an improved onboarding / troubleshooting flow with automatic fixes.

On the left: a simple alert displaying a message that PHP is not correctly installed.

On the right: a more expanded alert with an automatic fix and the "Fix Automatically" button highlighted by default.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 17/02/2026

And here's another thing I'm working on to make resolving PHP issues easier: automatic fixes for crucial issues at startup... If PHP Monitor won't start, I hope to include automatic fixes for most issues. (Depending on what needs to run, macOS will put up a password prompt. UX not final!)

A startup message from PHP Monitor, with instructions on how to manually fix an issue but also with a new button "Fix For Me" which now fixes the problem automatically.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 17/02/2026

Not a fan of the new icon dense menus in Tahoe? Perhaps still on macOS Sequoia? In the upcoming update for PHP Monitor I've added a little setting that lets you disable icons in the menu altogether. It's a tiny addition, but yet another option to further tweak the app to your own taste!

A screenshot of PHP Monitor, with the preferences window open and the "Hide menu icons" checkbox marked. As such, the menu, which is also displayed, does not display any icons next to the menu items.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 15/02/2026

The second blog post about moving away from Windows to Bazzite is now live. nicoverbruggen.be/blog/hello-b...

nicoverbruggen.be

Hello, Bazzite!

Part two of my "moving to Linux" series is about how I switched to Bazzite.

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Reposted by Nico Verbruggen

Brandon Sanderson @brandonsanderson.com · 02/02/2026

We Are The Art | Brandon Sanderson’s Keynote Speech youtu.be/mb3uK-_QkOo via YouTube

youtu.be

We Are The Art | Brandon Sanderson’s Keynote Speech

YouTube video by Brandon Sanderson

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Reposted by Nico Verbruggen

Jeff Geerling @jeffgeerling.com · 30/01/2026

OpenClaw (which was Moltbot, which was ClawdBot, all in the course of a week) is the new `sudo curl | bash`

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 31/01/2026

I wrote down my thoughts on LLMs. It's less about how useful they are (they are!) but more about the implications and consequences of the usage of this technology, in a broad sense. It's a nuanced topic, so I will likely share more thoughts later this year. nicoverbruggen.be/blog/thought...

nicoverbruggen.be

Current Thoughts on LLMs

A comprehensive post containing my thoughts on the current state of programming in a world where LLMs and agentic coding exist.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 29/01/2026

"Today more than ever [...] I still think programming is a beautiful craft that has the potential to do a lot of good, if only people are willing to put in the time and effort to truly understand what they are doing." I've really enjoyed these blog posts. I fully agree.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 24/01/2026

🚀 The bug fix update for this month, v26.01, is out now!

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 21/01/2026

This month's release of PHP Monitor will be mostly bug fixes for the very few crash reports I received over the last month. My goal for February is to build a GUI that helps you set up your development environment, so you can have PHP Monitor install brew, composer, php, valet. Great for new users.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 13/01/2026

I am definitely more productive when I use Claude Code or an equivalent agent. However, in general I have less fun building things this way. Not sure why this is the case, but it makes me a little sad. Anyone else feel the same way?

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 08/01/2026

Since it's now needed more than ever, pledge some financial support to OSS projects you use! Want to help keep phpmon alive? Pledge here: nicoverbruggen.be/sponsor Use it at your company? Consider a more substantial sponsorship. It really, really matters!

nicoverbruggen.be

Sponsor

I usually develop open source software in my spare time, after work. If you find my software useful, I recommend sponsoring further development and maintenance, so I can offset my personal costs.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 07/01/2026

I want to keep maintaining and improving PHP Monitor, and I have big plans for the app that I would love to execute. Unfortunately, I do not have the funding since the app is entirely free and sponsorships are very limited.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 23/12/2025

I've just pushed a small update for PHP Monitor (v25.12.1) that should have fixed a few rare crashes. I will continue to monitor crash reports, but overall I'm very happy with the overall stability of the app now. As such, this is likely the last update of this year. Happy holidays!

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 21/12/2025

I got rid of Windows. (First part of a new series of posts.) nicoverbruggen.be/blog/goodbye...

nicoverbruggen.be

Goodbye, Windows

Microsoft has lost the plot and I decided to jump ship.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 06/12/2025

🚀 PHP Monitor 25.12 is now OUT and comes with better app integrations, improvements to how alerts are displayed, and various bug fixes. Many subtle crash bugs have been addressed, so upgrading is highly recommended. Plus, there's now icons in the context menu! ⬇️

The main Domains window of PHP Monitor, displaying a right-click context menu, now with icons for third-party apps.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 21/11/2025

🚀 PHP Monitor 25.11 is OUT with official support for PHP 8.5, pre-release builds of PHP 8.6, Homebrew 5.0, and comes with various bug fixes! 🔗 github.com/nicoverbrugg... (This one fixes a crash bug that you may be seeing today as Homebrew rolls out PHP 8.5. A temporary issue, but my apologies!)

An image displaying PHP Monitor, its main menu, manage PHP versions window, manage PHP extensions window and the domains list, all updated for macOS Tahoe.

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 07/11/2025

🚀 PHP Monitor 25.10 is now available, and it's a big one. Major architectural changes under the hood, certificate expiry checks, automatic (opt-in) crash reporting, many bug fixes...

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Nico Verbruggen @nicoverbruggen.be · 04/11/2025

PHP Monitor 25.10 should release later this week with some nice improvements and bugfixes. And another update will follow later this month after PHP 8.5 (stable) is available via Homebrew. Stay tuned.

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