Solo Dev

Planted 02026-01-23

Principles

• Functionality is an asset. Code is a liability.
• There is no silver bullet.
• For each desired change, make the change easy (warning: this may be hard), then make the easy change
• Reality has a surprising amount of detail. If you wish to not get stuck, seek to perceive what you have not yet perceived.
• Iteration velocity solves all known problems in software engineering (including quality)
• Complexity, very, very bad. Do not summon complexity demon.
• Choose boring technology.
• Scaling doesn’t scale.
• Make your code usable before you try to make it reusable / Duplication is far cheaper than the wrong abstraction. / Avoid Hasty Abstractions
• many times, you can achieve the desired functionality simply with clever reconfigurations of the basic Unix tool set
• What’s not pushed into the repository, does not exist.
• The standard pace is for chumps. There is no speed limit. / Fast / It is possible to move fast and fast matters / When decisions are reversible, make them fast. When decisions are irreversible, slow them down.
• Yeet. Delete. Repeat.
• Design for absence. Build systems that work without you—that work when you’re asleep, sick, or on vacation. Async communication. Self-service where possible. Documentation that answers questions before they’re asked. Bus factor.
• Don’t care what Google or Apple or whoever did
• Communicate
  • Plan for change with RFCs
  • ADRs
  • Create descriptive diagrams (mermaid)

Scales

• Standardization vs Customization
• Isolation vs Efficiency
• Speed of change vs Safety of change
• Autonomy vs Central control
• Cost optimization vs Reliability margin
• Centralized observability vs Tool sprawl
• Vendor lock-in vs Operational simplicity