Build in Public
Building Open Free Max in the open.
Experiments, lessons, trade-offs, and the work behind the product — shared while it is still being built.
The Workspace Had to Become a Place to Return To
The best workspace is not only good at opening a new project. It also helps you recognize where you were when you come back.
The Feature We Chose to Park
A promising feature can still be the wrong feature for today. We looked at the difference between an interesting idea and a trustworthy product decision.
The Job Stopped, and We Had to Stop Pretending Nothing Happened
When work stopped halfway through, the real failure was not only that progress had paused. It was that the product left too much room for guessing.
Why “Wall” Was the Wrong Name
“Wall” had a history inside OFM, but it asked users to decode a metaphor before they could understand the place in front of them. We changed the name to Dashboard.
The First Release That Spoke to More Than One Country
Adding another language looked like a finishing touch. It became a deeper lesson about welcome, trust, and the assumptions hidden in a product's default voice.
Screenshots Started as Evidence, Then Became Part of the Conversation
A screenshot began as proof that something had happened. It became more valuable when we treated it as context: a way to show the state of the work, not merely report it.
WSL Was More Than a Compatibility Checkbox
Supporting WSL looked like a compatibility decision from the outside. Inside the product, it became a lesson in respecting the places where work already happens.
The Day the Terminal Moved Closer to the Work
On the first day of the project, the terminal was not a technical detail. It was a question about where AI-assisted work should actually live.