Podcast
Merge Conflict
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Merge Conflict is a weekly discussion with Frank and James on all things development, technology, & more. After years of being friends, Frank and James finally decided to sit down and start a podcast about their lives as mobile developers using C#, Xamarin, and .NET MAUI. Much more than just another mobile development podcast, Merge Conflict, reaches all areas of development including desktop, server, and of course mobile. They also cover fun things happening in the world of technology and gaming and whatever else happens to be on Frank's and James' minds.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
514: Running Local LLMs in VS Code
2w ago00:55:46Tap to summarizeIn this episode James and Frank dive into running AI coding models locally versus in the cloud—BYOK/Open Router, VS Code’s chat/agent harness, model runners (Olama, vLLM), and the practicality of 27B models on a 3090 using 4‑bit quantization. They share hands-on takeaways—how recent engineering (MT/MTPLX) boosts inference to usable token rates, when auto model selection makes sense, cost and hardware trade‑offs, and why local models can liberate your workflow while still needing smarter, unified tooling. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →513: Agents Over Chat: The Future of Developer Workflows
3w ago00:57:39Tap to summarizeJames and Frank explore the future of developer workflows powered by AI agents, revealing how developers are shifting from coders to testers and product strategists. They dive into new research-planning-implementation cycles, GitHub's usage-based pricing changes, and why developers must think strategically about model choices and token costs. Plus, reflections on Apple's leadership transition and the need for bold hardware innovation. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →512: Does Matter Really Matter?
4w ago00:37:02Tap to summarizeAfter a quick round of Apple dev updates, James and Frank dive into Matter — why Frank went from skeptic to devotee and why it’s poised to fix IoT chaos. They break down how Matter (an app-layer protocol running over Wi‑Fi/IPv6) and Thread (an open mesh transport) simplify secure onboarding with QR/Bluetooth, enable true interoperability across Apple/Google/Amazon, and make DIY devices easy to build and integrate. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge ConflictLinks:List of currently defined spec device types — Matter documentationproject-chip/connectedhomeip: Matter (formerly Project CHIP) creates more connections between more objects, simplifying development for manufacturers and increasing compatibility for consumers, guided by the Connectivity Standards Alliance.arduino-esp32/libraries/Matter/examples at master · espressif/arduino-esp32Amazon.com: 5pcs Type-C ESP32-C3 Development Board ESP32 C3 Mini WiFi Bluetooth 160MHz Running Frequency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.0 ESP32 C3 Super Mini for Arduino : Electronics
Transcribe →511: Terminals, Remote Sessions, No More Watches!
Apr 2000:49:43Tap to summarizeIn episode 511 James and Frank dig into audio gear (why impedance matters and the pros/cons of hardware DSP and headphone high‑power modes), explore GitHub Copilot CLI's new Remote Sessions for mobile access to your local dev environment, and reveal a clever hack: MIDI‑over‑USB turns modern iPhones into reliable wired controllers for embedded hardware and robotics. Tune in for practical tips, safety notes on power/latency, and real‑world developer workflows. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →510: AI Agents: Claws, Copilot, GUI vs CLI Debate
Apr 1300:47:15Tap to summarizeJames and Frank dig into the messy world of AI agents—Claudes, Copilots, “claws”—and why now is the wrong time to over-box these tools. They debate GUI vs. CLI futures, explain when AI should be invisible and baked into workflows, and warn about AI-produced “slop” and long-term maintenance. Plus, James’ Light Phone/e-ink experiment adds a practical take on simplicity and real-world tradeoffs. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge ConflictLinks:Light PhoneMint Mobile
Transcribe →509: How AI Fleets Fixed 31 Issues in Two Days
Apr 600:42:11Tap to summarizeIn this episode Frank and James riff on everything from accidental source‑map leaks (yes, even Apple slips up) to using Copilot and multi‑agent AI workflows to triage issues, write PRs and even plan trips. They share hands‑on tips—use “plan mode” and deep research, turn plans into issue artifacts, run multi‑model code reviews, cap concurrent agents (~3), and babysit agents—to boost productivity while avoiding chaos and burnout. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →508: Agentic Workflows - Markdown Automation for GitHub Actions
Mar 3000:40:16Tap to summarizeAt MVP Summit we dig into Agentic Workflows — write Markdown prompts that drive AI agents to run CI, open PRs, and automate cross‑repo tasks — and MAUI DevFlow, which lets agents interact with native UIs to click, screenshot and validate designs. Listen for practical takeaways on ditching brittle YAML/scripts and automating tedious maintenance and testing, plus the real caveats: security front‑matter, a compile/lock step and token costs. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →507: iCircuit UI Roast: Toolbar, Popovers, and Polish
Mar 2300:43:18Tap to summarizeIn Episode 507 James grills Frank about UI choices in his iCircuit app—crowded toolbars, popover behavior on iPhone vs iPad, and flaky TestFlight/App Store review timing. They trace a nasty bug to Apple’s deprecated OpenURL behavior in iOS 26, debate in-app browsers vs Safari and multi-window docs, and remind developers that subtle platform changes and lack of polish can silently break UX—practical lessons for shipping mobile apps. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →506: We have no skills
Mar 1600:52:59Tap to summarizeJames and Frank unpack the exploding world of AI coding agents—covering instructions, MCP tools, custom agents, hooks, plugins and why “skills” matter. They walk through the new .NET Skills repo (P/Invoke, MSBuild, diagnostics, binlogs), show how skills act like practical, on‑demand tutorials for niche tasks, and sketch how tooling will soon auto-load the right skills so agents can just do the thing for you. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
Transcribe →505: 8GB of RAM Isn't Good Enough #MacBookNeo
Mar 901:03:59Tap to summarizeOn this episode we wade through Apple’s drip‑fed “event week,” from the budget iPhone 17E to the new MacBook Neo/Air M5 and the pricey Studio Display, and argue who each device is really for. The big takeaway: 8GB of RAM is borderline unusable for modern web and dev workflows—buy up if you can—while the Air M5 looks like the sweet spot; plus a fun detour on using Copilot/Fleet to scaffold apps in minutes. Follow Us Frank: Twitter, Blog, GitHub James: Twitter, Blog, GitHub Merge Conflict: Twitter, Facebook, Website, Chat on Discord Music : Amethyst Seer - Citrine by Adventureface ⭐⭐ Review Us ⭐⭐ Machine transcription available on http://mergeconflict.fmSupport Merge Conflict
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