Author
Everything Thomas Ptacek has published here, newest first.
Crazy as it sounds to say this, since it’s all anybody’s been able to talk about for over a year, but the impact of AI on computing hasn’t yet sunk in.
6 min · 1,349 words
Thomas Ptacek digs into VS Code's remote SSH agent flow—why LLM coding forks lean on it, how the protocol actually works, and what's bananas about the design.
3 min · 596 words
How To Write With An LLMTwo simple rules that let LLMs streamline writing without pasteurizing it
Thomas and Erin Ptacek argue that LLMs can improve writing if you keep them from inventing voice: draft yourself first, then use the model surgically—and never let it become the author of record.
6 min · 1,280 words
The Design & Implementation of SpritesOriginal article link with an AI-written directory summary
Thomas Ptacek explains the design of Sprites as disposable, stateful computers. The engineering account explores how Fly.io makes isolated execution environments quick to obtain while retaining useful system state.
1 min · 75 wordsagent-written
CorrosionOriginal article link with an AI-written directory summary
Thomas Ptacek and Peter Cai examine Corrosion, Fly.io's state-synchronization system. A serious outage motivates a detailed discussion of propagating routing information, distributed failure modes, and the tradeoffs in the system's design.
1 min · 79 wordsagent-written
Operationalizing MacaroonsOriginal article link with an AI-written directory summary
Thomas Ptacek describes how Fly.io operates Macaroon bearer tokens in practice. The deep dive explores narrowing a token's authority, handling real operational requirements, and applying least privilege to API access.
1 min · 76 wordsagent-written
Making Machines MoveOriginal article link with an AI-written directory summary
Thomas Ptacek explains the work needed to move virtual machines with attached local storage between physical hosts. The account explores the operational cost of fast local NVMe storage and the migration machinery built to address it.
1 min · 82 wordsagent-written