08 · Resources
Building a web and mobile app for a small business
Building an app for a small business today means writing one codebase that runs in the browser, on iPhone and on Android, with React Native and Expo, backed by a service such as Supabase. The first version can be live within weeks, and the store release comes next.
Start with the guide
Vibe coding: AI codes fast, the product stays humanAI has removed real technical barriers, but it has not removed what makes a product. What is true and what is false in "anyone can do anything with computers", with examples in both directions.
21 articles
Understand7 min
Cyber Resilience Act: report a flaw within 24 hours
Since 11 September 2026, makers of software or connected devices sold in Europe must report exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents within 24 hours. Who is covered, what must be reported, and what this obligation brings to a business that commissions or buys applications.
Stepping back8 min
Are AI companions dangerous for teenagers?
An American survey indicates that most teenagers have already talked to an AI companion, but its figures come from a campaigning non-profit and call for caution. The design question, though, is a legitimate one, and Europe has already answered it in part.
Understand7 min
AI in an app: where it really helps
Reading a photo, sorting a request, summarising a file, translating a listing: AI does real work inside an app, as long as it stays in its place. Here is where it helps, where it has no business, and what it costs on every call.
Stepping back7 min
Should schools ban AI or teach it?
An experiment on nearly a thousand high school students shows that a ChatGPT without guardrails helps during the exercises, then leaves lower marks than for students who never had it. A version designed as a tutor largely limits this effect: the debate is about how the tool is designed.
Choose and price6 min
How much an app costs: what makes the price vary
A price range says nothing about your project: what makes an app quote vary is a handful of specific decisions, plus a monthly running cost to be priced separately. Here they are.
Practical guide6 min
App maintenance: the budget after launch
A live app has three cost lines: running it, the updates imposed by Apple, Google and libraries, and its changes. The first two are not optional, and each can be priced line by line.
Understand6 min
App requirements document: what really matters
A fifty-page requirements document is not necessarily a good one: the one that works lets you compare quotes, fix day one and know when the app is finished. Here are the seven elements that really matter.
Understand7 min
App security: accounts, sign-in and data
The most common flaw in an app is not a guessed password, it is a forgotten access rule that lets one user read another’s data. Here is what really protects your users’ accounts and data.
Choose and price6 min
Subscription app: in-app purchase or Stripe?
Selling a subscription in an app means choosing between the stores’ in-app purchase and an online payment service such as Stripe. Apple’s and Google’s rules often decide for you, and they have just changed in Europe.
Practical guide5 min
Clickable prototype: test an app before writing code
A clickable prototype can be explored like a real app, without the cost of one. Tested with a few future users, it shows what blocks them before development starts, and fixes what the quote must price.
Understand6 min
Client portal: giving clients access to their files
“Where is my file at?”, “Could you resend the invoice?”: a client portal answers these questions without a call or an email. Here is what it changes, three ways to get one, and the rule that keeps it safe.
Choose and price6 min
Business app: custom-built or off-the-shelf software?
Off-the-shelf software costs less as long as your way of working fits its boxes. Here are the signs that tip the balance towards custom, and the middle path that is often forgotten.