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0 pointskstenerud1mo ago0 comments

That hasn't been my experience. What I've found worked is:

1. Find a potential customer who's excited about the idea of what you're going to build.

2. Build just enough to make them a mostly happy, paying customer while you secure more customers.

3. Now that you have a few customers, you have a better idea of where your architecture and business flow doesn't fit their needs.

4. Adapt to this reality, and make things robust enough that you're not spending too much time on customer support.

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lelanthran1mo ago

I follow that too, when I try a new venture, but what does that have to do with "The Code Is/Isn't Important"?

What you listed is important, but those findings are distilled into the source code of the product. If you open the source, you are providing step-by-step instructions on solving some problem that other people are prepared to pay to solve.

Basically, you come up with a recipe for success for $FOO - why would you give that recipe away unless you've already capitalised on it?

kstenerudOP1mo ago

None of what I said even speaks about source code. It could just as well be run by a bunch of people with notebooks, sending emails from time to time.

All that matters is that the product works, and we have a scaling path once we find a market fit. Yes, that's likely to involve source code, but I've no qualms with tossing out the MVP code and starting over from scratch. Or adapting the quickie we put together, if it happens to contain a kernel of value. Whether I open source it or not depends on where our moat lies.

But regardless, the new reality is that anyone can decompile your code with an AI and duplicate it. So merely putting an app out there opens the door for someone to copy it. So really, your moat better be something besides the code!

lelanthran1mo ago

> It could just as well be run by a bunch of people with notebooks, sending emails from time to time.

And does that give all your startup competitors the findings that make your solution something that others pay for?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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lelanthran1mo ago

I follow that too, when I try a new venture, but what does that have to do with "The Code Is/Isn't Important"?

Basically, you come up with a recipe for success for $FOO - why would you give that recipe away unless you've already capitalised on it?

kstenerudOP1mo ago

None of what I said even speaks about source code. It could just as well be run by a bunch of people with notebooks, sending emails from time to time.

lelanthran1mo ago

> It could just as well be run by a bunch of people with notebooks, sending emails from time to time.

And does that give all your startup competitors the findings that make your solution something that others pay for?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse