Most software is built with large teams. Cumbersome plans. Bulky processes. All the stuff that sours a developer's soul. I've spent most of my career desparately avoiding this.
In fact, for the past 15 years, I've worked on the same software product I created called DoneDone, largely designing and developing it solo or with one other person.
There was a time where you did everything you could to hide such leanness, remember? You'd use "We" instead of "I". Plaster stock photos of important-looking people off Getty Images on your company website. Create a Jobs page for positions you were never going to hire for. Because small felt wrong. Small felt vulnerable.
Those days are behind us. And many of us are coming around to the idea that small is not only better, but getting down to the smallest of small—solo software—is the optimal way—the path to work fulfillment we no longer have to hide behind. A way to truly do what you love. An escape from the cargo cults of traditional software development.
After selling DoneDone in September 2024, I'm now diving fully into this idea that certain kinds of software can be fully dreamed, created, and maintained by just one.
My first product is currently well underway. DnsDigest is an app that helps domain owners better organize their DNS records. I'm hoping to release this by the end of 2024.
Stay tuned.