Journal

Notes on software,
products and the future.

Experience, perspective and decisions from real development work, beyond quick takes on the latest hype.

Christian Rüsken on the beach, looking out at the sea and horizon

Software development · 07 September 2026

I’ve been programming for over 20 years. What has changed, and what has stayed surprisingly much the same

Frameworks, tools and platforms come and go. Some fundamental principles of good software development change surprisingly little.

Christian Rüsken organising and sketching ideas

Software development · 21 August 2026

Why good software should often do less

More features do not automatically make software better. Why good products often come from leaving things out, setting priorities and making clear decisions.

rsk.files with two independent file panes on Windows

Product development · 19 August 2026

Why I built my own file manager

Commander-style file managers are the best. How that belief became rsk.files, a digital Swiss Army knife — powerful, fast and still surprisingly calm.

Design system · 14 August 2026

How separate interfaces became a product family

Why I redesigned my websites and Windows apps — and how colours, spacing and behaviour grew into a shared design system.

Product thinking · 07 August 2026

Good software makes life easier — it doesn’t constantly explain itself

Why fewer features and clearer decisions often matter more to users than the largest possible feature set.

Christian Rüsken on the Scandinavian coast

Architecture · 31 July 2026

Local first is a product decision, not nostalgia

What local software can do today — and why independence, speed and trust belong together.