Insights, Updates & Ideas That Drive Growth
Stay ahead with expert insights, industry trends, and practical resources from Excelsior Technologies. Explore articles on PHP development, web technologies, digital transformation, and best practices that help businesses build scalable, secure, and high-performing digital solutions.
How to use RSS feeds to boost your website's SEO
Learn how RSS feeds improve the way search engines discover and index your content, how syndication earns backlinks from the sites that republish you, and how to set a feed up, optimise it and measure what it actually brings in.
Google's 'G' logo redesign: a technical retrospective
Years after Google updated its logo, we analyse the project as a case study in brand engineering. This retrospective looks at the technical execution, from vector graphics to the challenges of a global deployment.
How Microsoft Research is teaching AI to debug code
Microsoft Research is training AI models to assist with debugging, moving beyond syntax checks to offer contextual fix suggestions. We examine the practical impact on development workflows and where human expertise is still essential.
Key features of Google Gemini for custom applications
Google Gemini offers new capabilities for reasoning, multimodality and summarisation. We examine its features from an engineering perspective, considering their use in custom software and AI systems.
Nintendo hardware developers on designing the Switch 2
Insights from Nintendo's hardware team reveal the design philosophy behind the Switch 2. Key decisions about backward compatibility, custom silicon and developer tooling show how hardware choices create a unique platform for software.
Discord's Social SDK: A Retrospective for Game Developers
Discord's Social SDK promised to embed community features directly into games. Years on, we look at what the SDK delivers in practice and where our game development team can help you integrate it.
Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro: an AI coding model now free to use
Google has made its Gemini 2.5 Pro model available at no cost for developers. We examine its technical capabilities for coding, including its large context window and multimodal inputs, for professional software teams.
AI can build a website in 90 seconds. What's the catch?
AI website generators can produce a simple site from a text prompt in minutes. But for custom business logic, scalability and security, you reach their limits quickly.
Analysing OpenAI's claymation image generation model
A technical look at how OpenAI's latest model generates claymation-style images. We explore the underlying mechanisms, control parameters and the trade-offs involved in developing specialised generative AI.
Meta Mocha: The engineering of AI talking characters
AI talking characters require complex systems for voice synthesis, facial animation and interaction. We explore the architecture of a system like Meta Mocha and the engineering trade-offs involved in building one.
Apple’s AI isn’t the letdown. The AI hype is.
Apple’s cautious AI strategy reflects a hard truth: the industry has overpromised. We explore why most AI isn't production-ready and how we build systems that are, focusing on reliability and privacy over spectacle.
Musk's sale of X to xAI: a technical breakdown
Elon Musk's hypothetical sale of X to his AI firm, xAI, is more than a business move; it is a massive systems integration challenge. We explore the technical trade-offs in merging a global social platform with advanced AI, from content moderation to data processing.
OpenAI's AI image generator: a retrospective
Generative AI for images has moved from a novelty to a production tool. We revisit our original analysis to discuss the real engineering challenges of integration, customisation and scaling.
Skype's replacement: a technical post-mortem
Microsoft is replacing Skype with Teams. This shift offers a clear lesson in platform architecture, moving from peer-to-peer to a centralised cloud model, and has major implications for building your own communication tools.
What’s new in Laravel 12: features and updates
A technical look at the new features in Laravel 12. We analyse the refreshed starter kits, performance changes like asynchronous caching and the shift to UUID v7, and what they mean for your next project or upgrade.
A guide to the Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
The Internet of Behaviors connects disparate data to model human action. We explain the data pipelines, ML models and integration challenges involved in building these complex systems.
The metaverse explained: a software development guide
The metaverse is not a single product but a complex integration of existing technologies. This guide explains the software components required, from rendering engines to blockchain backends, and the development trade-offs you will face.
The 2025 web database list: A retrospective
This article was first written as a forecast for 2025. We review the original list to see what holds up, what has changed, and the critical trade-offs you face when choosing a database for your web application today.
Mobile App Types: Native, Hybrid and Web Apps
Deciding between a native, hybrid or web app involves trade-offs in performance, cost and features. Understand the key differences to choose the right approach for your project's specific requirements.
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek AI: a technical comparison
When choosing an LLM, ChatGPT and DeepSeek offer different architectural trade-offs. We analyse their technical differences in performance, cost and customisation to inform your decision.
A guide to upgrading to Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular Oriole
This is a technical guide to performing an in-place upgrade to Ubuntu 24.10 from 24.04. We detail the command-line process, common failure points and post-upgrade verification steps for developers and system administrators.
Revisiting Android 15: AI and accessibility features
When Android 15 was announced, the focus was on new AI and accessibility tools. This article looks back at what those platform updates meant in practice for developers building and maintaining custom Android applications.
Apple Intelligence vs Microsoft Copilot: A strategic analysis
Apple and Microsoft offer two distinct blueprints for AI architecture. We analyse the trade-offs between on-device privacy and cloud-based generation to help you define your own enterprise AI strategy.
IBM’s environmental intelligence platform and its data APIs
IBM's Environmental Intelligence platform provides processed environmental data through a suite of APIs. We help you integrate this data to build custom applications for sustainability, compliance and operational planning.
Qualcomm’s AI-first vision for smart devices
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chips move AI processing from the cloud to the device. We explore the technical implications for developers building for PC, mobile and automotive.
Key development trends: a technical analysis
A look at current software development trends for technical leaders. We analyse the practical implications and architectural trade-offs of edge computing, MAUI, GraphQL and more.
A look back at 2024's technology trends
This article was first published with predictions for 2024. We revisit those points, correct what was wrong and analyse the trends that continue to shape software development today.
A technical guide to the iPhone 16 Pro
A technical analysis of the iPhone 16 Pro's hardware and software. We examine the A18 processor, display, and camera system from a development perspective, including potential trade-offs.
A developer's retrospective on Android 14's features
We first wrote about Android 14 at its launch. This is a technical look back at its key features, their trade-offs and their lasting impact on Android app development.
Exploring Angular’s App Initializer: Use Cases, Mechanics and Limitations
A guide to Angular's APP_INITIALIZER token for running tasks before an app starts. We cover its mechanics, common use cases like config loading, and the performance costs of delaying the bootstrap process.
Optimizing Angular for speed: essential techniques
Angular performance isn't automatic. We explain key techniques for building faster applications, from change detection strategies to server-side rendering, and the trade-offs each one involves.
Java in cloud computing: SaaS, PaaS and modern architectures
Java's traditional strengths in the JVM are for long-running applications, creating a trade-off in cloud-native patterns. We examine how frameworks and new runtimes like GraalVM address the challenges of microservices and serverless computing.
Designing dark mode: best practices for user interfaces
Implementing dark mode is more than inverting colours; it's a technical design challenge. Get it right, and you build a more accessible and comfortable interface; get it wrong, and you compromise readability and usability.
7 IDEs for software application development projects
A technical comparison of seven common IDEs for software development. We analyse the strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs of each tool for specific technology stacks like .NET, PHP, React and native mobile.
Location-based services in mobile apps
Integrating location services means choosing between accuracy, battery use and user privacy. We explain the technical trade-offs of GPS, beacons and Wi-Fi for your mobile app.
Micro frontends and scalable web app architecture
Micro frontends break monolithic UIs into independent, deployable pieces, much like microservices do for backends. This guide covers the benefits for large-scale applications and the critical trade-offs you must weigh before adopting the architecture.
Logo design evolution: Classic roots to modern innovations
A logo once lived only on paper. Today it must adapt from a 16px favicon to a 4K display. This article covers the technical drivers behind logo evolution and how we design for performance and adaptability across print, web and mobile.
Social media graphics: technical principles for engagement
Stop treating social media graphics as art projects. Start building them like software components with design systems, technical specifications and accessibility compliance for scalable results.
A Technical Review of 5 Common Graphic Design Tools
Choosing design software involves technical trade-offs. This review examines five common tools, focusing on their core functions, ideal use cases in software development and the specific limitations you should consider.
Understanding software maintenance: types, phases and models
Software maintenance is not just fixing bugs; it is the planned process of ensuring your application remains effective. We explain the types, models and trade-offs involved in maintaining custom software, mobile apps and AI systems.
Design systems: creating uniformity across your digital platforms
A design system provides reusable components and standards to build applications consistently. We explain what they are, what they cost and how to build one that your team will actually use.
How to reduce software development costs without losing quality
Balancing your budget against quality is a series of trade-offs, not a hunt for silver bullets. We outline six practical techniques for managing development costs and explain the costs and benefits of each.
Mastering Software Documentation: A Complete Guide for Developers
Good documentation is not a chore but a critical tool for building better software. This guide provides practical strategies for writing and maintaining documentation that your development team will actually use.
Swift vs Objective-C: Choosing an iOS language
A decade ago, the choice between Swift and Objective-C was a key decision. Today, the landscape has shifted. We revisit the comparison for teams managing modern and legacy iOS codebases.
Effective Strategies for Error Handling in Node.js
Move beyond generic advice. This guide provides code-centric strategies for handling errors in Node.js, covering centralised middleware, custom error classes and graceful shutdowns for reliable applications.
A Guide to Developing Modular Plugins in Angular
Build more maintainable Angular applications by isolating features into modular plugins. This guide details the architectural patterns and trade-offs for creating reusable code.
Key factors to evaluate when choosing a website designer
Choosing a web design partner involves more than reviewing a portfolio. We explain how to assess technical depth, process maturity and communication protocols to find a team that can deliver.
Revisiting RSS feeds and their role in SEO
RSS feeds are no longer a direct SEO driver, but they remain a useful tool for content syndication and audience engagement. Here’s what has changed and what still works for a technical audience.
How to use RSS feeds for your website's SEO
RSS feeds were once a key SEO tactic but their direct impact has faded. We look at what has changed and where feeds still offer value for content automation and syndication.
Performance and Security for Modern Applications
Beyond the basics of performance and security, we examine the trade-offs involved in key architectural decisions. This guide offers specific techniques for building applications that are both responsive and resilient.
PHP for Enterprise Applications: A Technical Assessment
PHP is often dismissed, but its modern ecosystem offers practical advantages for enterprise applications. We assess its real-world performance, maintenance costs and security model for technical leaders.
Google's 'G' logo redesign: a technical retrospective
Years after Google updated its logo, we analyse the project as a case study in brand engineering. This retrospective looks at the technical execution, from vector graphics to the challenges of a global deployment.
How Microsoft Research is teaching AI to debug code
Microsoft Research is training AI models to assist with debugging, moving beyond syntax checks to offer contextual fix suggestions. We examine the practical impact on development workflows and where human expertise is still essential.
Key features of Google Gemini for custom applications
Google Gemini offers new capabilities for reasoning, multimodality and summarisation. We examine its features from an engineering perspective, considering their use in custom software and AI systems.
Nintendo hardware developers on designing the Switch 2
Insights from Nintendo's hardware team reveal the design philosophy behind the Switch 2. Key decisions about backward compatibility, custom silicon and developer tooling show how hardware choices create a unique platform for software.
Discord's Social SDK: A Retrospective for Game Developers
Discord's Social SDK promised to embed community features directly into games. Years on, we look at what the SDK delivers in practice and where our game development team can help you integrate it.
Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro: an AI coding model now free to use
Google has made its Gemini 2.5 Pro model available at no cost for developers. We examine its technical capabilities for coding, including its large context window and multimodal inputs, for professional software teams.
AI can build a website in 90 seconds. What's the catch?
AI website generators can produce a simple site from a text prompt in minutes. But for custom business logic, scalability and security, you reach their limits quickly.
Analysing OpenAI's claymation image generation model
A technical look at how OpenAI's latest model generates claymation-style images. We explore the underlying mechanisms, control parameters and the trade-offs involved in developing specialised generative AI.
Meta Mocha: The engineering of AI talking characters
AI talking characters require complex systems for voice synthesis, facial animation and interaction. We explore the architecture of a system like Meta Mocha and the engineering trade-offs involved in building one.
Apple’s AI isn’t the letdown. The AI hype is.
Apple’s cautious AI strategy reflects a hard truth: the industry has overpromised. We explore why most AI isn't production-ready and how we build systems that are, focusing on reliability and privacy over spectacle.
Musk's sale of X to xAI: a technical breakdown
Elon Musk's hypothetical sale of X to his AI firm, xAI, is more than a business move; it is a massive systems integration challenge. We explore the technical trade-offs in merging a global social platform with advanced AI, from content moderation to data processing.
OpenAI's AI image generator: a retrospective
Generative AI for images has moved from a novelty to a production tool. We revisit our original analysis to discuss the real engineering challenges of integration, customisation and scaling.
Skype's replacement: a technical post-mortem
Microsoft is replacing Skype with Teams. This shift offers a clear lesson in platform architecture, moving from peer-to-peer to a centralised cloud model, and has major implications for building your own communication tools.
What’s new in Laravel 12: features and updates
A technical look at the new features in Laravel 12. We analyse the refreshed starter kits, performance changes like asynchronous caching and the shift to UUID v7, and what they mean for your next project or upgrade.
A guide to the Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
The Internet of Behaviors connects disparate data to model human action. We explain the data pipelines, ML models and integration challenges involved in building these complex systems.
The metaverse explained: a software development guide
The metaverse is not a single product but a complex integration of existing technologies. This guide explains the software components required, from rendering engines to blockchain backends, and the development trade-offs you will face.
The 2025 web database list: A retrospective
This article was first written as a forecast for 2025. We review the original list to see what holds up, what has changed, and the critical trade-offs you face when choosing a database for your web application today.
Mobile App Types: Native, Hybrid and Web Apps
Deciding between a native, hybrid or web app involves trade-offs in performance, cost and features. Understand the key differences to choose the right approach for your project's specific requirements.
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek AI: a technical comparison
When choosing an LLM, ChatGPT and DeepSeek offer different architectural trade-offs. We analyse their technical differences in performance, cost and customisation to inform your decision.
A guide to upgrading to Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular Oriole
This is a technical guide to performing an in-place upgrade to Ubuntu 24.10 from 24.04. We detail the command-line process, common failure points and post-upgrade verification steps for developers and system administrators.
Revisiting Android 15: AI and accessibility features
When Android 15 was announced, the focus was on new AI and accessibility tools. This article looks back at what those platform updates meant in practice for developers building and maintaining custom Android applications.
Apple Intelligence vs Microsoft Copilot: A strategic analysis
Apple and Microsoft offer two distinct blueprints for AI architecture. We analyse the trade-offs between on-device privacy and cloud-based generation to help you define your own enterprise AI strategy.
IBM’s environmental intelligence platform and its data APIs
IBM's Environmental Intelligence platform provides processed environmental data through a suite of APIs. We help you integrate this data to build custom applications for sustainability, compliance and operational planning.
Qualcomm’s AI-first vision for smart devices
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chips move AI processing from the cloud to the device. We explore the technical implications for developers building for PC, mobile and automotive.
Key development trends: a technical analysis
A look at current software development trends for technical leaders. We analyse the practical implications and architectural trade-offs of edge computing, MAUI, GraphQL and more.
A look back at 2024's technology trends
This article was first published with predictions for 2024. We revisit those points, correct what was wrong and analyse the trends that continue to shape software development today.
A technical guide to the iPhone 16 Pro
A technical analysis of the iPhone 16 Pro's hardware and software. We examine the A18 processor, display, and camera system from a development perspective, including potential trade-offs.
A developer's retrospective on Android 14's features
We first wrote about Android 14 at its launch. This is a technical look back at its key features, their trade-offs and their lasting impact on Android app development.
Exploring Angular’s App Initializer: Use Cases, Mechanics and Limitations
A guide to Angular's APP_INITIALIZER token for running tasks before an app starts. We cover its mechanics, common use cases like config loading, and the performance costs of delaying the bootstrap process.
Optimizing Angular for speed: essential techniques
Angular performance isn't automatic. We explain key techniques for building faster applications, from change detection strategies to server-side rendering, and the trade-offs each one involves.
Java in cloud computing: SaaS, PaaS and modern architectures
Java's traditional strengths in the JVM are for long-running applications, creating a trade-off in cloud-native patterns. We examine how frameworks and new runtimes like GraalVM address the challenges of microservices and serverless computing.
Designing dark mode: best practices for user interfaces
Implementing dark mode is more than inverting colours; it's a technical design challenge. Get it right, and you build a more accessible and comfortable interface; get it wrong, and you compromise readability and usability.
7 IDEs for software application development projects
A technical comparison of seven common IDEs for software development. We analyse the strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs of each tool for specific technology stacks like .NET, PHP, React and native mobile.
Location-based services in mobile apps
Integrating location services means choosing between accuracy, battery use and user privacy. We explain the technical trade-offs of GPS, beacons and Wi-Fi for your mobile app.
Micro frontends and scalable web app architecture
Micro frontends break monolithic UIs into independent, deployable pieces, much like microservices do for backends. This guide covers the benefits for large-scale applications and the critical trade-offs you must weigh before adopting the architecture.
Logo design evolution: Classic roots to modern innovations
A logo once lived only on paper. Today it must adapt from a 16px favicon to a 4K display. This article covers the technical drivers behind logo evolution and how we design for performance and adaptability across print, web and mobile.
Social media graphics: technical principles for engagement
Stop treating social media graphics as art projects. Start building them like software components with design systems, technical specifications and accessibility compliance for scalable results.
A Technical Review of 5 Common Graphic Design Tools
Choosing design software involves technical trade-offs. This review examines five common tools, focusing on their core functions, ideal use cases in software development and the specific limitations you should consider.
Understanding software maintenance: types, phases and models
Software maintenance is not just fixing bugs; it is the planned process of ensuring your application remains effective. We explain the types, models and trade-offs involved in maintaining custom software, mobile apps and AI systems.
Design systems: creating uniformity across your digital platforms
A design system provides reusable components and standards to build applications consistently. We explain what they are, what they cost and how to build one that your team will actually use.
How to reduce software development costs without losing quality
Balancing your budget against quality is a series of trade-offs, not a hunt for silver bullets. We outline six practical techniques for managing development costs and explain the costs and benefits of each.
Mastering Software Documentation: A Complete Guide for Developers
Good documentation is not a chore but a critical tool for building better software. This guide provides practical strategies for writing and maintaining documentation that your development team will actually use.
Swift vs Objective-C: Choosing an iOS language
A decade ago, the choice between Swift and Objective-C was a key decision. Today, the landscape has shifted. We revisit the comparison for teams managing modern and legacy iOS codebases.
Effective Strategies for Error Handling in Node.js
Move beyond generic advice. This guide provides code-centric strategies for handling errors in Node.js, covering centralised middleware, custom error classes and graceful shutdowns for reliable applications.
A Guide to Developing Modular Plugins in Angular
Build more maintainable Angular applications by isolating features into modular plugins. This guide details the architectural patterns and trade-offs for creating reusable code.
Key factors to evaluate when choosing a website designer
Choosing a web design partner involves more than reviewing a portfolio. We explain how to assess technical depth, process maturity and communication protocols to find a team that can deliver.
Revisiting RSS feeds and their role in SEO
RSS feeds are no longer a direct SEO driver, but they remain a useful tool for content syndication and audience engagement. Here’s what has changed and what still works for a technical audience.
How to use RSS feeds for your website's SEO
RSS feeds were once a key SEO tactic but their direct impact has faded. We look at what has changed and where feeds still offer value for content automation and syndication.
Performance and Security for Modern Applications
Beyond the basics of performance and security, we examine the trade-offs involved in key architectural decisions. This guide offers specific techniques for building applications that are both responsive and resilient.
PHP for Enterprise Applications: A Technical Assessment
PHP is often dismissed, but its modern ecosystem offers practical advantages for enterprise applications. We assess its real-world performance, maintenance costs and security model for technical leaders.
