# Shortdark Software Development

> Shortdark is a freelance software development practice run by Neil Ludlow, based in Sheffield, UK. Specialising in maintaining and extending existing software systems, new web and mobile projects, and technical advisory for non-technical founders and business owners. Self-employed since 2006, working directly with clients - no project managers or junior developers in between.

Neil Ludlow is a pragmatic, honest developer who favours incremental improvements and clear trade-offs over rushed fixes or speculative rewrites. He works across the full stack: PHP, Laravel, JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, React, React Native, AWS, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, WordPress, and Linux administration.

## Services

- New Projects: Building new web and mobile applications from concept to working software
- Existing Projects: Maintaining, extending, fixing, or rescuing software that already exists
- Technical Advice: Consultancy for clients who need clear guidance on technology decisions

## Pages

- [Home](https://shortdark.co.uk/): Shortdark overview - pragmatic software development for existing systems, new projects, and technical advice
- [About](https://shortdark.co.uk/about): Background, approach, career history, and how Neil works
- [Contact](https://shortdark.co.uk/contact): Contact form for project enquiries

## Articles

- [Client Survival Guide](https://shortdark.co.uk/category/client-survival-guide): Practical guidance for non-technical business owners working with developers and agencies
- [Development](https://shortdark.co.uk/category/development): Technical articles on web and mobile development
- [Personal Projects](https://shortdark.co.uk/category/personal-projects): Write-ups of personal software projects
- [Software](https://shortdark.co.uk/category/software): How-to articles and technical references

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://shortdark.co.uk/privacy): Privacy policy for the site
- [Sitemap](https://shortdark.co.uk/sitemap.xml): Full site index