This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. #GOTOcon #GOTOunscripted https://gotopia.tech

• Brooklyn Zelenka - Author of Numerous Libraries Including Witchcraft & Founded the Vancouver Functional Programming Meetup @bezelenka
• Julian Wood - Serverless Developer Advocate at AWS @julian_wood

Distributed systems researcher Brooklyn Zelenka unpacks the paradigm shift of local-first computing, where applications primarily run on users’ devices and synchronize seamlessly without central servers.

In a conversation with Julian Wood, she explains how this approach reduces latency, enables offline functionality, improves privacy through encryption, and democratizes app development—all while using sophisticated data structures. Perfect for collaborative tools and “cozy web” applications serving smaller communities, local-first software represents a fundamental rethinking of how we’ve built software for the past 30 years.

Read the full transcription of this interview here: https://gotopia.tech/articles/374