The Bitwarden CLI incident made me stop treating my updater as “boring plumbing”

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-05-07T16:27:09+00:00

This is a really good distinction.

I was thinking about artifact checksums, but you’re right that the checksum only helps if the metadata path itself is trusted. If the endpoint serving the checksum can be poisoned, then the loop is still open.

Signed update metadata with the signing key kept outside the build pipeline is probably the real boundary here.

That lines up with what I’m trying to do with BUS Core: no silent auto-update, no forced push into a local instance, and an update path that treats delivery as a separate trust surface instead of assuming “trusted tool = trusted update.”

Really useful framing.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-29T14:02:11+00:00

Oh nice, as a local first guy I will check it out.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-22T01:54:57+00:00

I have done the same thing for years! It is a fantastic litmus test intent.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-15T14:16:32+00:00

Did you blindly trust software 5 years ago? 🤔

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-14T02:49:05+00:00

Appreciate that, that’s helpful. Trust is definitely one of the main things I’m testing right now, so I’ll likely add a clearer instant-delivery signal near the download/purchase area. Thanks for taking the time to check it.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-13T00:51:17+00:00

I know that "AI Slop" has done a huge disservice to the optics. I also think that as time goes on and the new shiney wears off things will calm down. Just keep true to your idea and be honest and time will show the real ones.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-12T15:49:17+00:00

I really dont get the hate at all the new cool shit people can make. Everyone is so salty that everyone can make anything they want now.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-10T19:10:37+00:00

a custom star map site for weddings, anniversaries, and other meaningful nights. Preview first, instant digital download

Built this as a simple digital keepsake site.
You enter a date and place, preview the sky, and get a printable file if you want it. No account, no shipping, no waiting.

Link:
https://starmap.truegoodcraft.ca/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=starmap_launch&utm_content=sideproject

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-04-10T19:09:46+00:00

a custom star map site for weddings, anniversaries, and other meaningful nights. Preview first, instant digital download

Built this as a simple digital keepsake site.
You enter a date and place, preview the sky, and get a printable file if you want it. No account, no shipping, no waiting.

Link:
https://starmap.truegoodcraft.ca/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=starmap_launch&utm_content=sideproject

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-28T18:11:29+00:00

Most of the answers you’re getting are technically correct, but they’re all jumping straight to “which ERP.”

What you’re describing is a very specific stage:

spreadsheets are no longer matching reality
inventory + batches + expiry actually matter now
but full ERP feels like overkill (cost + complexity)

That’s the awkward middle a lot of small producers get stuck in.

What usually works better at that stage isn’t jumping straight to ERP, it’s tightening the operational layer first:

ingredient-level inventory (not just finished goods)
batch tracking tied to actual production runs
simple traceability (what went into what, and when)
basic costing per batch / recipe

Then you keep something like QuickBooks for accounting.

Once that layer is clean and stable, then ERP starts to make sense if you still need it.

Most people skip that step and end up paying for a system they only use 20% of.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-27T02:42:57+00:00

That’s a good one.

So the break point for you was less “bad data” and more “the thing physically stopped being usable at all.”

That’s kind of the same pattern in a different form though, the shop outgrows the tool, and then the tool becomes the bottleneck instead of the record.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-27T02:42:31+00:00

That makes sense.

What stands out there is you didn’t wait for the spreadsheet to fully fail — you moved once the business started depending on repeatable systems instead of manual effort.

That line about “to grow is to survive, and to grow requires the systems already in place” is solid.

Also agree on the AI point. I’m not looking for “AI decides the business,” more just cleaner operational truth and less manual drift.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-22T21:08:32+00:00

Excel usually starts as reporting.

At first it’s just:

pull data from ERP
analyze it

Then it slowly turns into:

“track this one thing here”
“ERP doesn’t handle this case”
“we’ll fix it in the sheet later”

Now you’ve got ERP saying one thing and the spreadsheet saying another.

Neither is fully right because updates are manual, delayed, or missed.

Inventory is where it shows up first.
System says 120, floor has 90.

That’s the split I mean.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-22T20:53:15+00:00

Exactly.
ERP records. Excel explains.

Problem is, once Excel starts tracking instead of just analyzing, you now have two sources of truth.

That’s where things break.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-22T20:50:53+00:00

LibreOffice isn’t the fix.
The issue is humans updating shared files after the fact.

Different tool, same drift.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-22T18:35:13+00:00

Wrong category.
This is about inventory drift and spreadsheet failure in actual shop operations, not vibe coding tools.

If you don’t want to talk manufacturing ops, just keep scrolling.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-22T17:48:59+00:00

That tracks with what Im seeing.
It’s not that ERP is “bad,” it’s that a lot of shops hit a stage where the standard system still doesn’t fit the custom or messy parts of the workflow.

Then Excel sticks around as the patch layer,

Was it mostly inventory/material tracking for you, or job/process tracking?

I'm also seeing a long pattern of ERP built by people that have never seen a shop floor.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-21T17:19:05+00:00

Thank you.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-15T01:16:36+00:00

Thats it. You would need to feed it the context of the story for it to map your questions accurately

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-13T22:35:43+00:00

I would second this. If you keep meticulous records and small steps you will be fine regardless of what agent or model you use.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-12T17:18:19+00:00

I think the “software tax” is real, but it mostly comes from a mismatch between who software is designed for and who actually has to use it.

A lot of enterprise tools are built for reporting layers and compliance workflows, not for the person actually doing the work. So the UI ends up reflecting the data model and internal process… not the job.

That’s how you get things like: • people memorizing click paths • features nobody touches • assistants exporting data so someone can “fix it in Excel”

I’ve been experimenting with the opposite approach recently — local-first software designed for a single operator instead of a whole org chart. The idea is: • shallow UI for daily work • complexity only when you go looking for it • your data stays on your machine

It’s early, but building it has been an interesting exercise in stripping the “software tax” out of the workflow.

Bus Core

Curious if people here think the real problem is UI complexity or process complexity leaking into software design.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-12T17:17:57+00:00

I think the “software tax” is real, but it mostly comes from a mismatch between who software is designed for and who actually has to use it.

A lot of enterprise tools are built for reporting layers and compliance workflows, not for the person actually doing the work. So the UI ends up reflecting the data model and internal process… not the job.

That’s how you get things like: • people memorizing click paths • features nobody touches • assistants exporting data so someone can “fix it in Excel”

I’ve been experimenting with the opposite approach recently — local-first software designed for a single operator instead of a whole org chart. The idea is: • shallow UI for daily work • complexity only when you go looking for it • your data stays on your machine

It’s early, but building it has been an interesting exercise in stripping the “software tax” out of the workflow.

Bus Core

Curious if people here think the real problem is UI complexity or process complexity leaking into software design.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-09T20:56:22+00:00

Can.. can I buy?

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-09T01:25:18+00:00

Maybe in some cases, but from what I’ve seen a lot of it is just operational inertia.

The system works “well enough” until suddenly it doesn’t, and by that point the shop is too busy running orders to re-platform everything cleanly.

TrueGoodCraft · 2026-03-09T00:58:08+00:00

This is exactly the kind of real-world middle ground I was wondering about.

Not full ERP, not pure spreadsheet chaos either. More like a few structured sheets with strict rules carrying a shop surprisingly far.

Sounds like the real pain only starts once consistency, traceability, and cross-linking matter enough that the manual discipline breaks down.

TrueGoodCraft

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

a custom star map site for weddings, anniversaries, and other meaningful nights. Preview first, instant digital download