Hello, I'm Rui.

Frequently Asked Questions

"Why PHP and Laravel in 2024? Isn't that 'old'?"

Because it ships. While others are rewriting their frontend stack for the third time this year, I'm deploying features. It's stable, fast enough, and reliable. I prefer finished projects over hype.

"Why do you prefer 'Boring Code'?"

Because "clever" code breaks at 3 AM, and I like my sleep. I write code that's easy to read, debug, and hand over. If it needs a paragraph to explain, it's too complicated.

"Native iOS vs. Web: How do you decide?"

Utility. If I need it to work in 3 seconds while you're walking (Widgets, Watch, Notifications), it's Native. If it's a dashboard for deep work, it's Web.

"What is the hardest part of Systems Integration?"

The politics. Integrating two systems usually exposes that the humans using them had different assumptions. My job is often 20% coding and 80% diplomat between departments.

"Do you design your own UIs?"

Sometimes. I prompt the AI gods until they bless me with something decent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
(Real answer: Tailwind + component libraries do most of the heavy lifting. I can design "clean", but I’m not pretending to be a full-time designer.)

"Can you fix my printer?"

I can, but I'll complain the whole time. Troubleshooting hardware gave me my debugging skills, but I apply them to servers now.

"Is AI just a gimmick in your projects?"

No. I don't build "Chatbots." I use AI as a silent function call—cleaning messy data or generating boring text so humans don't have to. It's a tool, not a personality.

"Linux, Mac, or Windows?"

MacOS for code, Linux for servers, Windows because corporate requires it. I use whatever runs the software best.

"How do you handle 'It works on my machine'?"

I don’t rely on "it works on my machine" setups. I build a staging environment that mirrors production and automate the boring checks. If it’s not versioned, it doesn’t exist.