Aurimas Liutikas
@liutikas.net
Software engineer working on AndroidX at Google. Gradle Fellow. He/him
www.liutikas.net/blog-posts/
https://www.liutikas.net/talks/
www.liutikas.net/blog-posts/
https://www.liutikas.net/talks/
@ericmigi.com and Pebble getting a shout out for going Fully Open Source!
Stay up to date with the first "This Week in Open Source" of 2026! 🚀 We’re covering everything from the latest in AI licensing to opening the source of a fan-favorite smartwatch. ⌚
Read the full roundup here: goo.gle/twios-12 #OpenSource #TWIOS
Read the full roundup here: goo.gle/twios-12 #OpenSource #TWIOS
This Week in Open Source #12
Catch the latest open source news: Google is on Bluesky, FOSDEM 2026 previews, open AI insights, and tech leaders' 2026 resolutions.
goo.gle
January 9, 2026 at 11:22 PM
@ericmigi.com and Pebble getting a shout out for going Fully Open Source!
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
Tim Cook is one of the biggest complicit actors in all of this. He's quiet and maintains the lowest profile he can, but he's implicitly (explicitly?) let this shit slide for years. Like, remember this?
www.cnbc.com/2022/11/30/e...
www.cnbc.com/2022/11/30/e...
January 9, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Tim Cook is one of the biggest complicit actors in all of this. He's quiet and maintains the lowest profile he can, but he's implicitly (explicitly?) let this shit slide for years. Like, remember this?
www.cnbc.com/2022/11/30/e...
www.cnbc.com/2022/11/30/e...
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
New year's resolution, engage with open source developers on our new Bluesky account. ✨
January 6, 2026 at 9:54 PM
New year's resolution, engage with open source developers on our new Bluesky account. ✨
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
The number one thing I've been hearing from people in tech lately is, basically, "How the hell am I supposed to work in this industry anymore?" Though most folks are kind of afraid to say it out loud. So I wrote about how to think about it: www.anildash.com/2026/01/05/a...
How the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026? - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
www.anildash.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:37 PM
The number one thing I've been hearing from people in tech lately is, basically, "How the hell am I supposed to work in this industry anymore?" Though most folks are kind of afraid to say it out loud. So I wrote about how to think about it: www.anildash.com/2026/01/05/a...
A good critique of MacOS new menu icons tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-i...
It highlights Scott Jenson's point from youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?... on how desktop UX keeps getting worse, not better.
#ux #macos
It highlights Scott Jenson's point from youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?... on how desktop UX keeps getting worse, not better.
#ux #macos
It’s hard to justify Tahoe icons
Looking at the first principles of icon design—and how Apple failed to apply all of them in macOS Tahoe
tonsky.me
January 5, 2026 at 3:31 PM
A good critique of MacOS new menu icons tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-i...
It highlights Scott Jenson's point from youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?... on how desktop UX keeps getting worse, not better.
#ux #macos
It highlights Scott Jenson's point from youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?... on how desktop UX keeps getting worse, not better.
#ux #macos
A neat deep dive in using Bluetooth headphones to pivot into your phone to steal data.
youtu.be/TK5Tz4Bt94Y?...
#security
youtu.be/TK5Tz4Bt94Y?...
#security
39C3 - Bluetooth Headphone Jacking: A Key to Your Phone
YouTube video by media.ccc.de
youtu.be
January 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM
A neat deep dive in using Bluetooth headphones to pivot into your phone to steal data.
youtu.be/TK5Tz4Bt94Y?...
#security
youtu.be/TK5Tz4Bt94Y?...
#security
"Most AI Startups Don’t Rent GPUs, And There Isn’t A Market For AI Compute"
An extremely long, very depressing but sobering post on where we are and where we are headed financially in terms of genAI.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshitti...
An extremely long, very depressing but sobering post on where we are and where we are headed financially in terms of genAI.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshitti...
The Enshittifinancial Crisis
Soundtrack: Lynyrd Skynyrd — Free Bird
This piece is over 19,000 words, and took me a great deal of writing and research. If you liked it, please subscribe to my premium newsletter. It’s $70 a year, ...
www.wheresyoured.at
December 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
"Most AI Startups Don’t Rent GPUs, And There Isn’t A Market For AI Compute"
An extremely long, very depressing but sobering post on where we are and where we are headed financially in terms of genAI.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshitti...
An extremely long, very depressing but sobering post on where we are and where we are headed financially in terms of genAI.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshitti...
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
December 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
If you live in the US you likely have one of these insecure passwordless stacker dream cameras in your city. WTF Flock
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves
Flock left at least 60 of its people-tracking Condor PTZ cameras live streaming and exposed to the open internet.
www.404media.co
December 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM
If you live in the US you likely have one of these insecure passwordless stacker dream cameras in your city. WTF Flock
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
Right in time for the holidays a post about going offline ... in your Gradle builds!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/19/G...
#gradle #hermetic
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/19/G...
#gradle #hermetic
Going Offline - Steps to a hermetic Gradle build
By default, Gradle is effectively useless on an offline machine. Even fetching Gradle distribution itself requires network access, not to mention build depen...
www.liutikas.net
December 19, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Right in time for the holidays a post about going offline ... in your Gradle builds!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/19/G...
#gradle #hermetic
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/19/G...
#gradle #hermetic
Slack folks gave an interesting talk about their Gradle to Bazel for their Android builds journey and why the effort ultimately got cancelled.
youtu.be/cSYeCx--teA?...
#gradle #bazel #android
youtu.be/cSYeCx--teA?...
#gradle #bazel #android
Bazel on Android: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Valera & Erik | droidcon London 2025
YouTube video by droidcon & fluttercon
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Slack folks gave an interesting talk about their Gradle to Bazel for their Android builds journey and why the effort ultimately got cancelled.
youtu.be/cSYeCx--teA?...
#gradle #bazel #android
youtu.be/cSYeCx--teA?...
#gradle #bazel #android
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
Losing the Signal (and its movie adaptation, BlackBerry)
Operation Elop (about Nokia)
General Magic (documentary film of this very early smartphone attempt)
Revolution in the Valley (about the original Mac)
Soul of a New Machine (classic book about an early 80s project)
Operation Elop (about Nokia)
General Magic (documentary film of this very early smartphone attempt)
Revolution in the Valley (about the original Mac)
Soul of a New Machine (classic book about an early 80s project)
December 16, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Losing the Signal (and its movie adaptation, BlackBerry)
Operation Elop (about Nokia)
General Magic (documentary film of this very early smartphone attempt)
Revolution in the Valley (about the original Mac)
Soul of a New Machine (classic book about an early 80s project)
Operation Elop (about Nokia)
General Magic (documentary film of this very early smartphone attempt)
Revolution in the Valley (about the original Mac)
Soul of a New Machine (classic book about an early 80s project)
One of the most fascinating reads about the history of a software product I've ever read. Grab a copy if you haven't read it yet. You also get Chet Jokes as a bonus!
And if you have read it, pick up "Show-stopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft"
And if you have read it, pick up "Show-stopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft"
My publisher notified me of another sale on my Androids audiobook:
50% off, so it's just $10.
The promotion runs through January 26th.
(If you already have it / listened to it / read it: thanks! I hope you enjoyed it!)
www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
50% off, so it's just $10.
The promotion runs through January 26th.
(If you already have it / listened to it / read it: thanks! I hope you enjoyed it!)
www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
50% OFF Androids: The Team that Built the Android Operating System
The fascinating inside story of how the Android operating system came to be.
In 2004, Android was two people who wanted to build camera software but couldn't get investors interested. Today, A...
www.audiobooks.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:08 PM
One of the most fascinating reads about the history of a software product I've ever read. Grab a copy if you haven't read it yet. You also get Chet Jokes as a bonus!
And if you have read it, pick up "Show-stopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft"
And if you have read it, pick up "Show-stopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft"
A fantastic talk on why desktop has been stuck where it is for a decade by Scott Jenson
youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?...
youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?...
Are we stuck with the same Desktop UX forever? | Ubuntu Summit 25.10
YouTube video by Canonical Ubuntu
youtu.be
December 14, 2025 at 7:31 AM
A fantastic talk on why desktop has been stuck where it is for a decade by Scott Jenson
youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?...
youtu.be/1fZTOjd_bOQ?...
Who wakes the knocker uppers?!
A post on how to validate that the tool that is meant to download your Gradle distribution is actually built by Gradle and not by a too friendly malicious contributor!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/12/K...
#gradle #security
A post on how to validate that the tool that is meant to download your Gradle distribution is actually built by Gradle and not by a too friendly malicious contributor!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/12/K...
#gradle #security
Knocker-Uppers - PGP Validation of Gradle Wrapper and Distribution
Many moons ago I wrote a post on Gradle Security Considerations that discussed various ways to protect yourself when using Gradle. We now have a new layer to...
www.liutikas.net
December 12, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Who wakes the knocker uppers?!
A post on how to validate that the tool that is meant to download your Gradle distribution is actually built by Gradle and not by a too friendly malicious contributor!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/12/K...
#gradle #security
A post on how to validate that the tool that is meant to download your Gradle distribution is actually built by Gradle and not by a too friendly malicious contributor!
www.liutikas.net/2025/12/12/K...
#gradle #security
You shared that androidx libraries are constantly in alphas and we listened. In the past two years while adding a ton of new libraries we actually increased the percentage of libraries that are complete or actively developed.
The combo of these two groups went from 64% to 76%.
#androidx #androiddev
The combo of these two groups went from 64% to 76%.
#androidx #androiddev
December 8, 2025 at 10:50 PM
You shared that androidx libraries are constantly in alphas and we listened. In the past two years while adding a ton of new libraries we actually increased the percentage of libraries that are complete or actively developed.
The combo of these two groups went from 64% to 76%.
#androidx #androiddev
The combo of these two groups went from 64% to 76%.
#androidx #androiddev
Switching from one test method to another when running Android tests from IDE today invalidates configuration cache, that sucks!
When using Gradle 9.1+ and the next AGP you will start getting CC hits!
issuetracker.google.com/issues/44522...
Thanks to Gradle and AGP folks for making this work!
When using Gradle 9.1+ and the next AGP you will start getting CC hits!
issuetracker.google.com/issues/44522...
Thanks to Gradle and AGP folks for making this work!
December 4, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Switching from one test method to another when running Android tests from IDE today invalidates configuration cache, that sucks!
When using Gradle 9.1+ and the next AGP you will start getting CC hits!
issuetracker.google.com/issues/44522...
Thanks to Gradle and AGP folks for making this work!
When using Gradle 9.1+ and the next AGP you will start getting CC hits!
issuetracker.google.com/issues/44522...
Thanks to Gradle and AGP folks for making this work!
In case you want to become a benevolent Gradle overlord, I've got you some tips
Recording:
youtu.be/o99f54pYGgc?...
Slides:
speakerdeck.com/aurimas/the-...
#gradle
Recording:
youtu.be/o99f54pYGgc?...
Slides:
speakerdeck.com/aurimas/the-...
#gradle
The Benevolent Gradle Overlord: Keeping Order - Aurimas Liutikas | droidcon London 2025
YouTube video by droidcon & fluttercon
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
In case you want to become a benevolent Gradle overlord, I've got you some tips
Recording:
youtu.be/o99f54pYGgc?...
Slides:
speakerdeck.com/aurimas/the-...
#gradle
Recording:
youtu.be/o99f54pYGgc?...
Slides:
speakerdeck.com/aurimas/the-...
#gradle
Reposted by Aurimas Liutikas
Pebble going fully open source is a big win for hardware preservation. ⌚️🔓 But for mobile devs, the real story is in the repo.
The new app is a pure KMP + Compose Multiplatform rewrite.
230k lines (Legacy Java/ObjC) ➡️ 37k lines (Kotlin)
Shipped in 6 months with just 2 devs 🔥
The new app is a pure KMP + Compose Multiplatform rewrite.
230k lines (Legacy Java/ObjC) ➡️ 37k lines (Kotlin)
Shipped in 6 months with just 2 devs 🔥
Good news! We open sourced the Pebble mobile app today -> github.com/coredevices/mobileapp Now all the software that powers your new Pebble is 100% open source. Read the full scoop on my blog ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-...
GitHub - coredevices/mobileapp
Contribute to coredevices/mobileapp development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Pebble going fully open source is a big win for hardware preservation. ⌚️🔓 But for mobile devs, the real story is in the repo.
The new app is a pure KMP + Compose Multiplatform rewrite.
230k lines (Legacy Java/ObjC) ➡️ 37k lines (Kotlin)
Shipped in 6 months with just 2 devs 🔥
The new app is a pure KMP + Compose Multiplatform rewrite.
230k lines (Legacy Java/ObjC) ➡️ 37k lines (Kotlin)
Shipped in 6 months with just 2 devs 🔥
Probably my favorite talk at Droidcon London 2026 was @stevepenna.bsky.social on rebuilding Pebble app.
The part that I really liked was the contrasting of the Android development and library ecosystem 11 years ago and today.
It was also nice to see AndroidX appreciation.
youtu.be/UOQMDkCsCSw?...
The part that I really liked was the contrasting of the Android development and library ecosystem 11 years ago and today.
It was also nice to see AndroidX appreciation.
youtu.be/UOQMDkCsCSw?...
Rebuilding Pebble: What a Difference a Decade Makes - Steve Penna | droidcon London 2025
YouTube video by droidcon & fluttercon
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Probably my favorite talk at Droidcon London 2026 was @stevepenna.bsky.social on rebuilding Pebble app.
The part that I really liked was the contrasting of the Android development and library ecosystem 11 years ago and today.
It was also nice to see AndroidX appreciation.
youtu.be/UOQMDkCsCSw?...
The part that I really liked was the contrasting of the Android development and library ecosystem 11 years ago and today.
It was also nice to see AndroidX appreciation.
youtu.be/UOQMDkCsCSw?...
Perfetto performance traces can be very intimidating. A talk by perf wizard @rahulrav.com makes it a tiny bit less scary.
youtu.be/WJHNBN_19F8?...
#performance #android
youtu.be/WJHNBN_19F8?...
#performance #android
A Busy Android App Developers' Guide to Perfetto - Rahul Ravikumar | droidcon London 2025
YouTube video by droidcon & fluttercon
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Perfetto performance traces can be very intimidating. A talk by perf wizard @rahulrav.com makes it a tiny bit less scary.
youtu.be/WJHNBN_19F8?...
#performance #android
youtu.be/WJHNBN_19F8?...
#performance #android
If you are hitting a bunch of Gradle configuration cache invalidations, you might find my post helpful
www.liutikas.net/2025/11/21/E...
#gradle
www.liutikas.net/2025/11/21/E...
#gradle
Everchanging CI - Isolating Configuration Cache Inputs
In the post Input to Your Inputs we discussed reducing inputs to the configuration cache (CC) to increase your CC hit rate. One scenario that we had to tackl...
www.liutikas.net
November 22, 2025 at 1:19 AM
If you are hitting a bunch of Gradle configuration cache invalidations, you might find my post helpful
www.liutikas.net/2025/11/21/E...
#gradle
www.liutikas.net/2025/11/21/E...
#gradle
Messing with Displate by @danlew42.bsky.social
Good lessons on things to avoid when building a service.
blog.danlew.net/2025/11/18/h...
Good lessons on things to avoid when building a service.
blog.danlew.net/2025/11/18/h...
Hacking Displate (For Fun!)
During the pandemic my weird vice/obsession became Displates (metal wall art hung up by magnets):
For me, part of the hobby was poking holes in their website. I’ve long stopped trying to give their d...
blog.danlew.net
November 21, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Messing with Displate by @danlew42.bsky.social
Good lessons on things to avoid when building a service.
blog.danlew.net/2025/11/18/h...
Good lessons on things to avoid when building a service.
blog.danlew.net/2025/11/18/h...
How often can you make something 30% faster with this little work? Please give this a try!
Don't ignore this tip! We've switched to using the optimized proguard file & shrinking resources in our latest release and have seen a massive drop in all performance related metrics, with slow app launch metrics dropping >30%. All from a 5 minute code change!
Run this and let me know the output:
`grep "dontoptimize" app/build/outputs/mapping/release/configuration.txt`
In case it's not empty, you definitely should watch this youtu.be/QqO2jZ-NZko?...
`grep "dontoptimize" app/build/outputs/mapping/release/configuration.txt`
In case it's not empty, you definitely should watch this youtu.be/QqO2jZ-NZko?...
November 20, 2025 at 3:59 PM
How often can you make something 30% faster with this little work? Please give this a try!
It's true. By the time we are in beta we are generally API stable unless there was a huge mistake requiring us to release a new beta with an API change.
jakewharton.com/you-should-u...
jakewharton.com/you-should-u...
com.android.support
November 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM
It's true. By the time we are in beta we are generally API stable unless there was a huge mistake requiring us to release a new beta with an API change.
jakewharton.com/you-should-u...
jakewharton.com/you-should-u...