Maintainer, builder, and podcast host. (he/him)

Good software deserves a Second Act.
In my day job, my team at Planet Argon helps organizations modernize and maintain existing Ruby on Rails applications… without rewrite theater.

Choose your adventure:

• Here for open source? Start with Oh My Zsh and the projects below.
• Here for the “work stuff”? Start here: planetargon.com/about/robby-russell

• 🌈 Creator of Oh My Zsh… a community-driven framework that brings delight to the command line.
• GitHub profile write-up: ReadME Project: Robby Russell

• 🎙 Host of Maintainable… conversations about legacy code, technical debt, and the human side of maintenance.
• 🎙 Host of On Rails… the official podcast of the Rails Foundation.

• 🎸 Guitarist in The Mighty Missoula… instrumental post-rock band (Bandcamp).

• The Rails app still powers the business… but upgrades have stalled for years.
• “We should rewrite” keeps winning… because nobody trusts the current system.
• Audit, compliance, or customer pressure is rising… and old versions are now a risk.
• Team turnover erased context… and the codebase feels expensive to touch.
• Performance and delivery speed are slipping… and every change costs more than it should.

• Code audits + upgrade roadmaps: de-risk the path forward with an actionable plan.
• Modernization support: incremental upgrades, refactors, and capability work.
• Coaching: help teams build the muscle to maintain the system long-term.

I’m often the first conversation. Then we bring in the right engineer or pair from Planet Argon to do the work… and we stay accountable through delivery.

Start here:

• Work: planetargon.com/about/robby-russell
• Code Audit: planetargon.com/services/code-audit

• X: https://x.com/robbyrussell
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbyonrails.com
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robbyrussell
• Planet Argon Blog: blog.planetargon.com/blog/robby-russell
• My Blog: robbyonrails.com

A few pieces that reflect how I think about long-lived software:

• 7 Stages of Software Tech Stack Adoption
• Ruby on Rails Code Audits: 8 Steps to Review Your App
• When Should You Upgrade Your Rails Application?
• Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Code
• d'Oh My Zsh: How I unexpectedly built a monster of an open-source project
• Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Great Client?