DEV Community: Michael B

I accidentally became a solo dev studio

Michael B — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 20:39:39 +0000

About a month ago, I didn't really think of myself as a solo dev studio.

I was just a person with too many ideas, too much caffeine, and a very dangerous habit of saying, “Wait... I can build this?”

Then 1 app became 2. 2 became 3. And then somehow I had a small collection of macOS apps sitting in front of me, all built around the same general feeling:

Software can be useful to others and still be personal.

That became the quiet thread through everything I made. Not huge apps. Not startup pitch deck apps. Not “change the future” apps.

Just small, focused tools that solve little problems in a way that feels aesthetic and simple.

One app helps you keep temporary files and notes nearby.
One helps restore a workspace.
One is a little reminder bubble system.
One is a timer.
One tracks mood and journaling through a growing plant.
One turns app stats into a tiny dopamine machine because, yes, I got tired of refreshing dashboards like a goblin.

And the funny thing is that each app came from a very normal frustration.

“I wish my desktop had a shelf.”
“I wish I could save this whole workspace.”
“I wish reminders felt less boring.”
“I wish checking app downloads felt more fun.”
“I wish productivity software that wasn't a guilt trip.”

That has been the biggest lesson for me so far. A good small app doesn't always need a massive idea. Sometimes it just needs a tiny annoyance that you care about enough to polish. Building all of these has also changed how I see software. I used to think an app had to be big to matter. Big feature lists, big audiences, big launches, or big perfect roadmaps.

A small app can be cozy, weird, have one job and do it with personality, or even make someones computer feel slightly more like personalized.

The hard part, of course, is that building alone is intense.
I'm the designer, developer, tester, support team, the person making the screenshots, and the person rewriting the product page at 3 a.m. because one sentence feels wrong.

I'm also the person wondering if anyone will care when you finally post it.

Launching small software is strangely emotional, too. You can spend days or even weeks obsessing over tiny details... finally release it and then sit there refreshing stats like the judge is about to hand you a verdict.

A view feels exciting.
A download feels amazing.
A donation feels unreal.

But I think that is also what makes building in public is so interesting.

It sort of turns software building into a story.

The messy code.
The late nights.
The little wins.
The annoying bugs.

The moments where something finally works and you just stare at the screen like, “Oh sh*t, I actually did it.”

I still do not know where all of this goes. Maybe one app finds its people. Maybe all of them slowly grow. Maybe the whole thing just becomes a collection of small tools that make a handful of people happy. Honestly, that would still mean something to me because building these apps reminded me why I like software in the first place.

Not because every project has to become a company.

But because sometimes you get to take a tiny frustration, shape it into something real, give it a name, give it an icon, and put it out into the world and that is still kind of magical.

So yes, I guess I accidentally became a solo dev studio.

A very tired one.

A very caffeinated one.

But a real one.

And I think I am going to keep building.

Reads Rhythm, Not Content.

Michael B — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 18:44:01 +0000

I built a macOS Focus App That Reads Your Rhythm, Not Your Content.

I have been building a small macOS app called Sync Mode, and the whole idea came from one very simple feeling:

I did not want another productivity app yelling at me.

No strict timers.
No streak guilt.
No fake motivational dashboard telling me I am either “crushing it” or “failing.”

I wanted something quieter than that. Something that could sit in the background, pay attention to the shape of how I work, and gently adjust the atmosphere around me. So I started building Sync Mode, a macOS focus app that responds to your current work rhythm.

The app looks at local rhythm signals like:

typing pace
pauses
mouse movement
click rhythm
app switching
idle time

Then it estimates what kind of state you might be in:

Calm: For slower work, reading, planning, journaling, or easing into a task.
Focused: For that steady “I am locked in but not frantic” kind of work.
Energized: For the fast typing, high momentum, brain-is-sprinting moments.
Scattered: For those moments where you are bouncing around, switching things, clicking everywhere, and your focus is basically holding on by a thread.

The important part is that Sync Mode does not read what you type.

No typed words.
No documents.
No clipboard.
No URLs.
No cloud tracking.

It reads rhythm, not content.

That privacy piece mattered a lot to me. I wanted the app to feel intelligent without being creepy. There is a massive difference between “this app can sense that I am working quickly” and “this app is watching everything I write.”

I wanted the first one. Very much not the second one.

The current version can shift between different modes and adjust things like soundscape, visual atmosphere, dimming, blur, and a small mode orb that reflects your current state.

The part I have been most excited about is the focus dimming feature.

When you are working, Sync Mode can gently dim and blur the space behind your active window so the thing you are doing feels more centered. It makes the Mac feel less chaotic without fully locking you into some dramatic fullscreen mode.

It is subtle, but when it works, it feels really nice. Almost like your workspace is breathing with you a little. I know that sounds dramatic, but I stand by it.

This app is still small, still evolving, and still very much a solo dev project. I am building it because I want my computer to feel more supportive while I work. Not louder. Not more demanding. Just more in sync with me.

That is the whole goal.

A focus app that does not force you into a system.
A focus app that listens to your rhythm.
A focus app that quietly changes the room around your work.
That is Sync Mode.

I am still polishing it, testing it across Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and tightening the way the modes respond. But it is getting closer to the version I had in my head, and that part feels really good.

If you build apps, write, design, code, or spend way too much time trying to get yourself into the right headspace, I think you will understand why I wanted this to exist.

Sometimes the problem is not that we need another timer. Sometimes we just need our workspace to stop fighting us. Sync Mode is a macOS focus app that adapts to how you work, while keeping your actual work private.

That is the magic I am chasing, at least.

Link: https://quietware.itch.io/sync-mode

Hi, I’m Michael 👋 I build small macOS apps under QuietWare… tiny tools for focus, organization, and oddly specific problems. I’m here to share launches, bugs, late night breakthroughs, and the very real chaos of building solo. ✨

Michael B — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:59:23 +0000