Fun with browser based tools

It's kind of amazing what you can do nowadays in-browser with no backend or other infrastructure. I've often made use of things like it-tools to do quick things like generate a QR code (useful for sending links to my phone), or base64 encode/decode some string when I don't have easy access to a terminal. While these tools are useful, sometimes I wish they worked a bit differently, or had other tools that I would want to use, so over the last few weeks, I've started to make my own and deploy them over at tools.richardbrunt.co.uk.

So far, there are just a few basic ones: base64 encode / decode (with auto detection!), a qr code creator which I use as a 'keyword' in firefox to quickly send a website to my phone, and most recently, an estimates tool that helps me do 3 point estimation for software projects to give a good idea to stakeholders of uncertainty. This has always been something I do in Excel, but having a browser based tool has been fun to work on and means I can make the workflow much smoother.

It's been a fun place to try out new stuff as well: I'm trying out tailwind css (historically I've always just written my own classes etc), and using an 'agentic first' workflow to create them quickly and not having to worry about all the intricate details of the html, but still with me in the driving seat. The jury is out on tailwind, but I'm enjoying the agentic stuff, especially for these quick things.

Writing these has been a really good way of experimenting with some different agentic workflows than I'm using at work. For most of these, I've been using Matt Pocock's "Grill Me" skill to get started, and then iterating on a prototype with the agent once something is there to review. When I have an idea for a new tool, I just create a new issue on the repo so I don't forget about it, and then pick it up next time I'm working on it.