Blog

12 posts

Quizlet is gatekeeping more and more, so i made an extension

Quizlet locked their free features and Knowt's import extension keeps missing cards. So i built quick-cards, a browser extension that exports Quizlet sets to txt, csv, pdf, Anki decks, and Knowt.

Apr 24, 2026 5 min read
typescriptbrowser-extensionquizlet

pgit: I Imported the Linux Kernel into PostgreSQL

I imported the entire Linux kernel git history into pgit's PostgreSQL-backed storage. 1,428,882 commits, 24.4 million file versions, 20 years of development. Here's what the kernel looks like when you can just ask.

Mar 26, 2026 10 min read
postgresqlgitlinux-kernel

pgit: What If Your Git History Was a SQL Database?

I built a Git-like CLI backed by PostgreSQL with delta compression. Benchmarked on 20 real repos totaling 274k commits, it outcompresses git gc --aggressive on 12 out of 20 repositories while making your entire commit history SQL-queryable.

Mar 16, 2026 12 min read
postgresqlgitcompression

xpatch: Building a Delta Compressor That Hits 2-Byte Medians

Needed tiny deltas for an encrypted document format. Built xpatch with 7 specialized algorithms and a tag system that references old versions. Result: median delta of 2 bytes on real code repositories, tested on 1.2 million real-world changes.

Dec 11, 2025 15 min read
rustperformancecompression

STM32 Audio Playback with FreeRTOS: Building the Bergpreis Soundbox

An embedded audio playback system built during my apprenticeship — replacing a disruptive siren with dynamic sound effects powered by an STM32 microcontroller, SD card storage, and FreeRTOS.

Oct 21, 2025 7 min read
embeddedstm32c

Charmer: Generate TUIs from Annotated Go Functions with Bubble Tea

Charmer is a Go library that takes annotated functions and automatically builds a navigable TUI around them — removing the need to manually implement the UI for command-line tools.

Oct 21, 2025 5 min read
gotuicharm

TFUtils-GO: Making Development Less Annoying

Rewriting TFUtils in Go for better distribution and performance — and building the Charmer library along the way to make TUI-based CLI tools easier for everyone.

Oct 21, 2025 4 min read
goclitui

TF Utils: Making Project Setup Less Annoying

A command-line tool with a friendly TUI that automates tedious project setup tasks for TFBern electronics apprentices — and the journey from simple script to modular tool.

Oct 21, 2025 5 min read
pythontuitextual

Axogen: Building a TypeScript-Native Config System Because .env Files Drive Me Crazy

A TypeScript-native configuration system that unifies typed environment variables, code generation, and task management — because scattered .env files drive me crazy.

Oct 21, 2025 6 min read
typescriptzodconfig-management

BFScript: A C-Like Compiler for Brainfuck

A deep dive into building a compiler that translates C-like syntax into Brainfuck — exploring parser design, memory management on a tape machine, and the creative solutions needed when your target has only 8 instructions.

Oct 21, 2025 11 min read
pythoncompilerslanguage-design

Syrup: Building an Open-Source, Ethical Alternative to Honey

Building an open-source, privacy-respecting coupon browser extension — from designing the Go backend with PostgreSQL and Redis to becoming a maintainer on the project.

Oct 21, 2025 5 min read
gopostgresqlredis

Holy Shit, This Escalated Quickly - Axogen v0.5.0 Is Here And I Can't Even

Originally I wanted to write this article at the end of the week, but it just happened too much in...

Jul 30, 2025 7 min read
typescripttoolingwebdev

All Blog Posts by Oliver Seifert

This blog features 12 articles on embedded systems, full-stack development, IoT, and hardware-software integration.

  • Quizlet is gatekeeping more and more, so i made an extension

    Published: 2026-04-24

    Quizlet locked their free features and Knowt's import extension keeps missing cards. So i built quick-cards, a browser extension that exports Quizlet sets to txt, csv, pdf, Anki decks, and Knowt.

    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Tags: typescript, browser-extension, quizlet, anki, flashcards, open-source

    Read full article
  • pgit: I Imported the Linux Kernel into PostgreSQL

    Published: 2026-03-26

    I imported the entire Linux kernel git history into pgit's PostgreSQL-backed storage. 1,428,882 commits, 24.4 million file versions, 20 years of development. Here's what the kernel looks like when you can just ask.

    Reading time: 10 minutes

    Tags: postgresql, git, linux-kernel, compression, delta-encoding, go, open-source, data-analysis

    Read full article
  • pgit: What If Your Git History Was a SQL Database?

    Published: 2026-03-16

    I built a Git-like CLI backed by PostgreSQL with delta compression. Benchmarked on 20 real repos totaling 274k commits, it outcompresses git gc --aggressive on 12 out of 20 repositories while making your entire commit history SQL-queryable.

    Reading time: 12 minutes

    Tags: postgresql, git, compression, delta-encoding, go, open-source, ai-agents

    Read full article
  • xpatch: Building a Delta Compressor That Hits 2-Byte Medians

    Published: 2025-12-11, Updated: 2025-12-28

    Needed tiny deltas for an encrypted document format. Built xpatch with 7 specialized algorithms and a tag system that references old versions. Result: median delta of 2 bytes on real code repositories, tested on 1.2 million real-world changes.

    Reading time: 15 minutes

    Tags: rust, performance, compression, open-source, simd, delta-encoding

    Read full article
  • STM32 Audio Playback with FreeRTOS: Building the Bergpreis Soundbox

    Published: 2025-10-21

    An embedded audio playback system built during my apprenticeship — replacing a disruptive siren with dynamic sound effects powered by an STM32 microcontroller, SD card storage, and FreeRTOS.

    Reading time: 7 minutes

    Tags: embedded, stm32, c, freertos, hardware, audio

    Read full article
  • Charmer: Generate TUIs from Annotated Go Functions with Bubble Tea

    Published: 2025-10-21

    Charmer is a Go library that takes annotated functions and automatically builds a navigable TUI around them — removing the need to manually implement the UI for command-line tools.

    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Tags: go, tui, charm, bubble-tea, code-generation

    Read full article
  • TFUtils-GO: Making Development Less Annoying

    Published: 2025-10-21

    Rewriting TFUtils in Go for better distribution and performance — and building the Charmer library along the way to make TUI-based CLI tools easier for everyone.

    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Tags: go, cli, tui, charmer, automation

    Read full article
  • TF Utils: Making Project Setup Less Annoying

    Published: 2025-10-21

    A command-line tool with a friendly TUI that automates tedious project setup tasks for TFBern electronics apprentices — and the journey from simple script to modular tool.

    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Tags: python, tui, textual, automation, developer-tools

    Read full article
  • Axogen: Building a TypeScript-Native Config System Because .env Files Drive Me Crazy

    Published: 2025-10-21

    A TypeScript-native configuration system that unifies typed environment variables, code generation, and task management — because scattered .env files drive me crazy.

    Reading time: 6 minutes

    Tags: typescript, zod, config-management, developer-tools, node

    Read full article
  • BFScript: A C-Like Compiler for Brainfuck

    Published: 2025-10-21

    A deep dive into building a compiler that translates C-like syntax into Brainfuck — exploring parser design, memory management on a tape machine, and the creative solutions needed when your target has only 8 instructions.

    Reading time: 11 minutes

    Tags: python, compilers, language-design, brainfuck, lark

    Read full article
  • Syrup: Building an Open-Source, Ethical Alternative to Honey

    Published: 2025-10-21

    Building an open-source, privacy-respecting coupon browser extension — from designing the Go backend with PostgreSQL and Redis to becoming a maintainer on the project.

    Reading time: 5 minutes

    Tags: go, postgresql, redis, open-source, browser-extension, api

    Read full article
  • Holy Shit, This Escalated Quickly - Axogen v0.5.0 Is Here And I Can't Even

    Published: 2025-07-30, Updated: 2025-07-31

    Originally I wanted to write this article at the end of the week, but it just happened too much in...

    Reading time: 7 minutes

    Tags: typescript, tooling, webdev, programming

    Read full article