DJ Neill

Any Linux enthusiasts here?
I’m reviving an old MacBook Pro with a new hard drive and transforming it into a Linux playground. Which distros or configurations would you suggest for experimenting and learning?

I wasn't planning on a redesign, but after a bit of inspiration from @dthompsondev.bsky.social, the wheels started turning. I knew I had to create something more impactful and story-driven.
I’m locking the editor on this portfolio for at least 6–12 months.
djneill.com

It is my favorite time of the year! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Been playing with Blazor and found some cool differences from React.

Blazor puts UI first and logic at the bottom, but you can move the logic into a clean “code-behind” partial class to keep things tidy.

Routing is also simple: just add an @page declaration in the component.

It's chili season! That's right, there are beans, jalapeños, green chillies, and it's amazing.
Once the temp gets below 50 I'm ready for some chili. How do you like your chili?

Dockerized my pickleball scoreboard app and moved it from Azure ($15/mo) to Render (free).
Containerized a React + .NET 9 monorepo, fixed CORS, OAuth redirects, Vite env vars, and DB configs.
Cleaner deploys, better dev/prod exp., zero cost.
Love when refactors simplify things.

Back on my Mac after some WinForms/WPF work. Had to use Razor Pages and remembered I’m not a Bootstrap fan. So I JS’d my .NET, added Node, tossed in Tailwind… and boom — Razor Pages in the 25th century.
Here’s a quick test I ran to make sure it worked.

ITALIANO'S Italiano's Temple, TX - some of the best pizza, pizza by the slice, pasta, subs, calzone, stromboli & Italian Food. Restaurant open everyday for Lunch and Dinner.

The hardest part of freelancing isn’t coding, it’s sales. Most people think sales means pushy, but I just want to help local businesses get seen and grow.
Built a demo site for Italiano’s to show the value firsthand.
Demo: italianos.netlify.app
Current: italianospps.com

DJ Neill - Full-Stack Software Engineer | Web Developer for Hire Freelance full-stack software engineer specializing in React, TypeScript, Node.js, and .NET. Available for hire to build custom websites and web applications.

I finally gave my website an overdue redesign. New layout, cleaner UI, and a much better reflection of my current work.
It feels good to bring some life back into something that’s been sitting stale for a while!
I’d love your feedback. What do you think of the new design?

djneill.com

Inspiring chat with @brittanyellich.com on time management, learning strategies, and how new devs can stand out. Her insights on AI and @github.com were top-tier. Appreciate you taking the time, Brittany!
I love connecting with new people and hearing their stories about how they got into tech.

When you put things to a vote, anything can happen, and in my family, that usually means taking the road less traveled.

You found the dark side of the moon. 🎃
It’s a trick, not a treat. Better luck next year!

Just launched a new site for Tacos Los Troncos.
100% across all Lighthouse scores, Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices & SEO.

I love seeing the domino effect of getting small businesses online.
One client’s DoorDash orders blew up once his site started ranking on Google.

I was digging through the garage looking for lights and only found one strand of red. I hung them up anyway, but when my neighbor got home, I had to tell him that next year I’m going to need at least two or three. His single strand barely covered my doorway.

Playwright might be my new favorite tool. Just added end-to-end tests to my Pickleball app, watching it log in and play a full match on its own was wild. Let’s see how long before I start breaking tests.

Playwright might be my new favorite tool. Just added end-to-end tests to my Pickleball app, watching it log in and play a full match on its own was wild. Let’s see how long before I start breaking tests.

A little jam to end the day, it's a work in progress.

Overengineered it to death. Probably won’t use it.
Now I understand the universal hatred for writing tests.
3–4 tests per method. Tests > code

Saying “but what if…” added 50 hours to a 1-hour project.
Friend: Aren’t you a tech guy? Go build an app!
Me: There are 100 of them already. Not worth it.
Me 5 minutes later:
Let’s use ASP .NET, EF, Supabase, React, unit tests, JWT, Google OAuth, and deploy to Azure.

If you’re not following @DevLeader.Ca , you’re missing out. Shoutout to @shashi.bsky.social for connecting us 2 yrs ago. Nick always gives back, AMA streams, podcasts, etc, and somehow answers every question I’ve asked. Finally thanked him & heard his insights on learning new skills.

Had an amazing time at CYC 25 (Commit Your Code)! Tons of insight on JavaScript, .NET, Cloud, AI, Java & Leadership—plus fun socials like pickleball, Truck Yard, and Fowling bowling (look it up 😅). Grateful for this community & already excited for the next one!

Playing guitar taught me that progress happens one messy session at a time.

You don’t always notice improvement until one day your fingers just move smoother, faster, and easier.

Same thing with coding. Stick with it. Play through the noise.

I'm the pitcher. Pitching in baseball doesn't exactly translate smoothly to softball. There's a bit of a learning curve.
I still have pretty good ball placement when hitting though.

Playing softball reminds me how much team dynamics matter, on the field and in code.

You don’t always need to be the slugger. Sometimes you just need to get on base, make the throw, or call it early.

Everyone has strengths.
The game’s better when we play to them.

Jiu-Jitsu taught me how to stay calm when things fall apart.

You can be losing, stuck, gassed out, but if you stay cool, you can find a way to capitalize.

Turns out that’s a useful skill when your app crashes and the logs aren’t helping.

Keep breathing. Keep debugging.

Had some time for PennyWise and hit a small snag. I forgot the "Name" field in my wireframe.
I didn’t notice until I added test data.
1 DB migration, 6 component refactors, 1 hook tweak, and a type update later… It's back.
The ripple effect is real.
Probably won’t forget again.

Whoever sent me this, my eyeballs are bleeding, and my computer just burst into flames.

Between working on budgeting & projection tools for PennyWise (my Next.js + Supabase app), I've been expanding into C#/.NET.

There’s a real elegance to how things are structured in C#, especially around method organization and data handling, but I still wish the curly braces were on the same line.

I did it! Touched grass!

My wife still refuses to try Jiu Jitsu.
Her exact words: “Rolling around with sweaty people, feet, getting squished, trying to kill each other? No thanks. I get enough elbows just sleeping next to you.”

She does love pickleball, so now I always have someone to play with.