Insights

Advice, thoughts and opinions on software, AI, industry and the work behind it.

How much does a website cost in Australia?

The price tracks time and complexity. The trap is paying for a brochure and needing a system, or paying for a system and needing a brochure.

Android is now the harder app store to launch on

The idea that Android ships easier is left over from a version of Google Play that no longer exists. New accounts now run a twelve-tester closed test for a fortnight before they can publish at all.

Toowoomba tech talent and the regional advantage

For any project that touches daily operations, being close to the work is part of the advantage.

The chatbot on your website is probably annoying your customers

Most website chatbots interrupt buyers, answer the wrong question, and bury your phone number. Here's a test before you add one, and how to build support that people don't hate.

Edge AI for farms and field teams, when the cloud is too far away

For work outside the office, local AI can keep decisions moving when the signal drops or the data should stay on site.

Case Study: How we scaled WordPress to 112,000 sites

News.net runs more than 112,000 localised news sites on a single WordPress platform, from suburb pages up to continent editions. Here is the database, infrastructure, media and editorial engineering that makes one install behave like 112,000.

An AI readiness checklist for Queensland SMEs

Before buying AI software, check whether the business has the data, permissions and process clarity to make it work.

Agritech data integration for Queensland farms and food businesses

Most agritech value gets stuck between systems. The useful work is joining the signals that change a decision.

RAG for regional knowledge bases: making local documents searchable

RAG is useful when it turns a messy document set into answers staff can trace back to the source.

Claude Fable 5 looks like a big jump for visual work and coding

Fable 5 looks unusually strong when visual judgement and code sit in the same job. The catch is the cost.