Hi, I’m Nigel Holder. I help teams ship maintainable software with clarity and confidence.
Pocket Dev is where I write about software engineering, delivery practices, and the systems thinking behind products that hold up over time.
Featured writing
Stop Winging It: How I Use OpenSpec to Keep AI Changes Structured and Costs Sane
OpenSpec adds a lightweight spec layer between your idea and your AI agent’s first line of code. Here’s how I customized it to estimate tasks, suggest the right model …
From Template to Custom in Under 20 Minutes: Claude Code, Plan Mode, and the Impeccable Skill
How I rebuilt this site from a heavily-customized Hugo template into a lean Tailwind v4 build using Claude Code, the impeccable design skill, and structured plan mode.
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Recent posts
Mastering the Basics: Arrays from the Ground Up
Understand how arrays store elements in a continuous block of memory, explore their optimal use cases, and recognize common pitfalls. Learn how Big O notation helps in choosing …
An Experiment in Doing
I spent years thinking about starting a blog but always found reasons to put it off—until I changed my mindset. In this post, I break down the limiting beliefs that held me back …
Optimizing E-Commerce Performance: A Deep Dive into Big O Complexity
Understanding Big O notation is essential for building efficient e-commerce applications. This guide explores real-world tasks—like searching for products, sorting items, and …
Big O Notation Explained: A Simple Guide to Algorithm Complexity
Big O notation is like the metric system for algorithms—it helps us measure how efficiently they scale. Whether you’re refreshing your knowledge or learning for the first …
From Next.js to Hugo: Why I Ditched the CMS for Markdown Bliss
My journey from Next.js with Sanity CMS to Hugo static site generator, and why markdown-first development won me over for content creation.
Why Aren’t Developers Writing Tests? (And How AI Can Change That)
Writing tests isn’t just about catching bugs—it’s about building your reputation as a developer who delivers quality the first time. By leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub …
Fighting Perfectionism: Welcome to Version 0.0.1 of My Site
Embracing imperfection and taking the first step with Version 0.0.1 of my website