#7 – James Long: Actual Budget, Electron & Absurd-SQL

This podcast episode follows James Long's journey in building Actual Budget, a personal finance manager, and explores the concept of local-first. James wanted a local app that allowed him to use raw SQL queries and interact with data locally, and he started the project in 2017 using Electron and SQLite. The episode discusses the challenges of porting the app to the web, implementing syncing and collaboration, and the transition from native apps to the web. It also delves into the use of Hybrid Logical Clocks (HLC) for syncing data and the implementation of a syncing engine using a Merkle tree. The speakers also discuss the challenges of using SQLite on the web and the breakthroughs in handling data blocks using IndexedDB. The episode concludes with discussions on synchronous and asynchronous code execution in web development, the power of open source, and the importance of design systems and server components in modern development practices.