In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the end of software development. We're entering a period where software is easier to make than ever before, and many are proclaiming that soon we won't need to look at code anymore.
I'm also very excited by the idea that anyone can make their own software, but there is a problem. The design choices that come baked-in with most of these tools are not great. If you ask an LLM to vibe-code an app, it's going to inherit all the faults of the previous generation.
For five years, I've dedicated most of my side-project time to making apps and tools using the Solid Protocol. Many share its vision, but it's also common to hear criticisms. I'm often asked why I'm still working on Solid, or told about another project that is doing a better job at solving similar problems.
Today, I'll go through some of the criticisms, share my own concerns, and answer why after all these years I'm still choosing Solid.
I've been a proponent of transparency and working openly for a while, but I struggled to translate this into something actionable myself. So I came up with this new methodology: Open Productivity.
I am a software developer, and many people I speak with tell me how lucky I am of being able of doing everything myself. If I have an idea I can define, prototype and implement the whole thing myself.
There is a problem with that, though. I don't prototype. And chances are, if you're a developer, you don't do either.
I think people have a tendency of working always at their higher level, using their top skills when possible. As it has been said many times, simplifying is difficult, and purposefully downgrading yourself is quite unnatural. That's why I don't prototype, because I have a tendency of thinking something will be “easy”. But inevitably things start getting complicated and something I could have spotted with a simple prototype becomes a problem I am working on (and wasting my time on). I reckon there is a problem there, and my goal in this writing is to analyze the problem and start making an effort to improve my approach.
