Jonathan Markwell
@jot.is
Product at Urlbox
Advisor & Supporter of B2B SaaS in Sussex, UK.
Coworking at The Skiff
Newsletter: Brighton Dynamic
Building my next SaaS on Rails.
Advisor & Supporter of B2B SaaS in Sussex, UK.
Coworking at The Skiff
Newsletter: Brighton Dynamic
Building my next SaaS on Rails.
Good riddance!
“GitHub no longer uses toasts because of their accessibility and usability issues.”
Music to my ears!
primer.style/accessibilit...
Music to my ears!
primer.style/accessibilit...
Toasts
GitHub no longer uses toasts because of their accessibility and usability issues.
primer.style
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Good riddance!
I think I might have found the perfect Christmas present for my 9 year old (and me):
vole.wtf/doctype/
vole.wtf/doctype/
DOCTYPE magazine 🚀⌨️
’80s BASIC type-in mags are back, but this time for HTML!
vole.wtf
November 11, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I think I might have found the perfect Christmas present for my 9 year old (and me):
vole.wtf/doctype/
vole.wtf/doctype/
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
I decided to spend this remembrance day educating myself about the sacrifices we're supposed to be remembering.
I now live on the atlantic coast of France, so decided to learn something about of the second world war here.
As a result, I've been down the most amazing rabbit hole of discovery...
I now live on the atlantic coast of France, so decided to learn something about of the second world war here.
As a result, I've been down the most amazing rabbit hole of discovery...
November 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I decided to spend this remembrance day educating myself about the sacrifices we're supposed to be remembering.
I now live on the atlantic coast of France, so decided to learn something about of the second world war here.
As a result, I've been down the most amazing rabbit hole of discovery...
I now live on the atlantic coast of France, so decided to learn something about of the second world war here.
As a result, I've been down the most amazing rabbit hole of discovery...
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Added more photos from our "wall of vibes" ffconf.org/photos/
Lots of lovely memories and probably gives you a sense of what the event is too.
Today is the last day before late-bird pricing kicks in, and then we're IRL next Friday.
Lots of lovely memories and probably gives you a sense of what the event is too.
Today is the last day before late-bird pricing kicks in, and then we're IRL next Friday.
FFConf photos over the years
View photos from previous FFConf web development & JavaScript conferences in Brighton, UK.
ffconf.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Added more photos from our "wall of vibes" ffconf.org/photos/
Lots of lovely memories and probably gives you a sense of what the event is too.
Today is the last day before late-bird pricing kicks in, and then we're IRL next Friday.
Lots of lovely memories and probably gives you a sense of what the event is too.
Today is the last day before late-bird pricing kicks in, and then we're IRL next Friday.
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Last week I wrote up a post about why I think you, a software developer, need to adopt AI:
jamie.ideasasylum.com/2025/10/24/w...
I believe:
- AI is inevitable
- it's our job to be curious and understand new technologies
…
jamie.ideasasylum.com/2025/10/24/w...
I believe:
- AI is inevitable
- it's our job to be curious and understand new technologies
…
Why you need to adopt AI (as a software engineer)
I know you’re probably sick of hearing about AI but here’s why I think (some of it) is important to use
jamie.ideasasylum.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Last week I wrote up a post about why I think you, a software developer, need to adopt AI:
jamie.ideasasylum.com/2025/10/24/w...
I believe:
- AI is inevitable
- it's our job to be curious and understand new technologies
…
jamie.ideasasylum.com/2025/10/24/w...
I believe:
- AI is inevitable
- it's our job to be curious and understand new technologies
…
I've been given a packing list.
On Thursday morning at 9am I fly from Gatwick.
I'll return to Gatwick at 6pm on Monday evening.
For the ~100 hours between the flights I'll be offline and unreachable - I don't know what I'll be doing.
I'm trusting that time to a good friend and a mountain guide.
On Thursday morning at 9am I fly from Gatwick.
I'll return to Gatwick at 6pm on Monday evening.
For the ~100 hours between the flights I'll be offline and unreachable - I don't know what I'll be doing.
I'm trusting that time to a good friend and a mountain guide.
October 14, 2025 at 11:13 AM
I've been given a packing list.
On Thursday morning at 9am I fly from Gatwick.
I'll return to Gatwick at 6pm on Monday evening.
For the ~100 hours between the flights I'll be offline and unreachable - I don't know what I'll be doing.
I'm trusting that time to a good friend and a mountain guide.
On Thursday morning at 9am I fly from Gatwick.
I'll return to Gatwick at 6pm on Monday evening.
For the ~100 hours between the flights I'll be offline and unreachable - I don't know what I'll be doing.
I'm trusting that time to a good friend and a mountain guide.
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
A few months ago, I recorded a podcast with Jack from @tuple.app 🥹 It's an episode in their Distributed podcast (tuple.app/distributed/). I talk about async work, long-form writing, Slack withdrawal symptoms, and my personal approach to work. If you're interested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9h...
Distributed. A podcast about making remote work—work, with lessons from top engineering teams.
A podcast about making remote work—work, with lessons from top engineering teams.
tuple.app
October 3, 2025 at 11:34 AM
A few months ago, I recorded a podcast with Jack from @tuple.app 🥹 It's an episode in their Distributed podcast (tuple.app/distributed/). I talk about async work, long-form writing, Slack withdrawal symptoms, and my personal approach to work. If you're interested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9h...
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
If you’re anywhere near the Triangle in North Carolina**, you should be coming to the Business of Software conference with a few hundred people who also are running software companies of all stages and types.
𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸: I even have a coupon code for you: bosusa25spkr9sec
(1/3)
𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸: I even have a coupon code for you: bosusa25spkr9sec
(1/3)
October 1, 2025 at 5:44 PM
If you’re anywhere near the Triangle in North Carolina**, you should be coming to the Business of Software conference with a few hundred people who also are running software companies of all stages and types.
𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸: I even have a coupon code for you: bosusa25spkr9sec
(1/3)
𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸: I even have a coupon code for you: bosusa25spkr9sec
(1/3)
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
“There's always going to be a competitive advantage in actually listening to customers.”
September 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
“There's always going to be a competitive advantage in actually listening to customers.”
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Tekin writes what everyone (that I care about) is thinking.
September 22, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Tekin writes what everyone (that I care about) is thinking.
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Come see me and tons of other amazing people at Business of Software in October!
I guarantee you will come away with a ton of ideas and inspiration.
Then you and I can talk about it!
📅 October 6–8, Raleigh NC
🎟️ Tickets: https://businessofsoftware.org/events/bos-usa-2025/
I guarantee you will come away with a ton of ideas and inspiration.
Then you and I can talk about it!
📅 October 6–8, Raleigh NC
🎟️ Tickets: https://businessofsoftware.org/events/bos-usa-2025/
September 22, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Come see me and tons of other amazing people at Business of Software in October!
I guarantee you will come away with a ton of ideas and inspiration.
Then you and I can talk about it!
📅 October 6–8, Raleigh NC
🎟️ Tickets: https://businessofsoftware.org/events/bos-usa-2025/
I guarantee you will come away with a ton of ideas and inspiration.
Then you and I can talk about it!
📅 October 6–8, Raleigh NC
🎟️ Tickets: https://businessofsoftware.org/events/bos-usa-2025/
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
I've always tried to separate the art from the artist, but it has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
Ages ago, when I was still a student, I taught myself Ruby on Rails for my senior thesis and fell in love. Fifteen years later, and I’ve used Rails at every job I’ve ever held in the tech industry. Fifteen years, and I still love Rails! But there’s something rotten at its core, and we share a name.
Rails Needs New Governance
Ages ago, when I was still a student, I taught myself Ruby on Rails for my senior thesis and fell in love. Fifteen years later, and I’ve used Rails at every job I’ve ever held in the tech industry. Fifteen years, and I still love Rails! But there’s something rotten at its core, and we share a name.
davidcel.is
September 20, 2025 at 5:01 AM
I've always tried to separate the art from the artist, but it has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
Such a special event and a perfect outro.
Friendly.rb is taking a break.
We've had quite a few questions about that and wanted to share them publicly.
blog.adrianthedev.com/friendly-is...
We've had quite a few questions about that and wanted to share them publicly.
blog.adrianthedev.com/friendly-is...
September 19, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Such a special event and a perfect outro.
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
I made exactly this point a few months ago. Founders were surprised and disbelieved; VCs tried to argue that it’s not true.
But it is true. Maybe when Jason Lemkin says it you’ll believe it!
But it is true. Maybe when Jason Lemkin says it you’ll believe it!
What’s Better, Selling for $50m Today or $1B Later? It Can Be Murky
Why That “$50M to $1B” Acquisition Offer Isn’t Always What It Seems: A Founder Reality Check I’ve seen this story play out multiple times as an investor, and the lessons are…
www.saastr.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I made exactly this point a few months ago. Founders were surprised and disbelieved; VCs tried to argue that it’s not true.
But it is true. Maybe when Jason Lemkin says it you’ll believe it!
But it is true. Maybe when Jason Lemkin says it you’ll believe it!
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
I had an amazing time at @friendlyrb.com and couldn't wait to write about it! Am I a travel blogger now?
schembri.me/new-experien...
schembri.me/new-experien...
New Experiences at Friendly.rb
A conference can be so much more than just its talks. These were my experiences at Friendly.rb, as a once-skeptic.
schembri.me
September 15, 2025 at 10:42 AM
I had an amazing time at @friendlyrb.com and couldn't wait to write about it! Am I a travel blogger now?
schembri.me/new-experien...
schembri.me/new-experien...
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
My #RailsWorld talk is now live on YouTube! I'm really looking forward to keep pushing Herb and ReActionView forward over the coming months!
Please get in touch if you want to help building out this vision! Thank you for all the support! 🙏
Please get in touch if you want to help building out this vision! Thank you for all the support! 🙏
September 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
My #RailsWorld talk is now live on YouTube! I'm really looking forward to keep pushing Herb and ReActionView forward over the coming months!
Please get in touch if you want to help building out this vision! Thank you for all the support! 🙏
Please get in touch if you want to help building out this vision! Thank you for all the support! 🙏
I had a similar experience.
Organising events is another high-stress way to ensure you don't need to put any effort into meeting people on the day 😂
Organising events is another high-stress way to ensure you don't need to put any effort into meeting people on the day 😂
Giving a talk at a conference has been such a different experience than attending one.
It was one of the most nerve-wracking things I've ever done, felt like a big imposter, sleepless nights, etc.
But after the talk, you don't need to put any effort into meeting people, they just come to you 😂
It was one of the most nerve-wracking things I've ever done, felt like a big imposter, sleepless nights, etc.
But after the talk, you don't need to put any effort into meeting people, they just come to you 😂
September 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
I had a similar experience.
Organising events is another high-stress way to ensure you don't need to put any effort into meeting people on the day 😂
Organising events is another high-stress way to ensure you don't need to put any effort into meeting people on the day 😂
Brilliant recap of @friendlyrb.com, especially if you (like the writer) have been a skeptic of the value of travelling to conferences:
schembri.me/new-experien...
schembri.me/new-experien...
New Experiences at Friendly.rb
A conference can be so much more than just its talks. These were my experiences at Friendly.rb, as a once-skeptic.
schembri.me
September 15, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Brilliant recap of @friendlyrb.com, especially if you (like the writer) have been a skeptic of the value of travelling to conferences:
schembri.me/new-experien...
schembri.me/new-experien...
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Fun fact about @friendlyrb.com - no matter how low social skills you have, you end up hugging with dozens of people and saying "see you next year" 🤗
Magnificent work @adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com @jakob.codefrwd.com @stefancosma.xyz @alexmarinescu.com 👏
Magnificent work @adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com @jakob.codefrwd.com @stefancosma.xyz @alexmarinescu.com 👏
September 14, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Fun fact about @friendlyrb.com - no matter how low social skills you have, you end up hugging with dozens of people and saying "see you next year" 🤗
Magnificent work @adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com @jakob.codefrwd.com @stefancosma.xyz @alexmarinescu.com 👏
Magnificent work @adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com @jakob.codefrwd.com @stefancosma.xyz @alexmarinescu.com 👏
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
Shout out to @friendlyrb.com on setting the benchmark on organizing a local, cozy, friendly Ruby conference. What a great team!
September 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Shout out to @friendlyrb.com on setting the benchmark on organizing a local, cozy, friendly Ruby conference. What a great team!
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
This was a banger of a talk, coming from one of the nicest people I've met at @friendlyrb.com.
do you like learning about how to accidentally delete your production database? I just gave a talk at
@friendlyrb.com about how SQLite creates new ways to cause outages, and you can read the blog post version here andre.arko.net/2025/09/11/r...
@friendlyrb.com about how SQLite creates new ways to cause outages, and you can read the blog post version here andre.arko.net/2025/09/11/r...
Rails on SQLite: exciting new ways to cause outages
This post was originally given as a talk for Friendly.rb. The slides are also available.
Between Litestack and the Rails 8 trifecta of Solid Cable, Solid Cache, and Solid Queue, it’s easier than ever ...
andre.arko.net
September 12, 2025 at 4:52 AM
This was a banger of a talk, coming from one of the nicest people I've met at @friendlyrb.com.
Reposted by Jonathan Markwell
@adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com and the whole @avohq.io team have been incredible hosts. From cool talks, to city tours, to a coffee brewing workshop. @friendlyrb.com has it all ❤️
September 10, 2025 at 7:49 PM
@adrianthedev.com @lucianghinda.com and the whole @avohq.io team have been incredible hosts. From cool talks, to city tours, to a coffee brewing workshop. @friendlyrb.com has it all ❤️