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@tonyennis

Tony Ennis

@tonyennis

4,360 Tweets
2,743 Following
2,723 Followers

Building software teams & mobile apps Prev: Built a bank in Asia YC S21

Filtered by topic: Tech Philosophy & Takes ✕ Clear filter
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Feb 10 @mikenikles Also agree with the spirit of that statement (doing stuff properly), the problem it’s normative, subjective, and almost always applied post hoc (in that it wasn’t like people pre typescript were thinking “Ugh this codebase is really not done properly”). 0 0 0 0 265 .
Feb 10 @mikenikles Yeah. And also for those who are used to it, it makes building a bit quicker from what I understand? My very strong hunch is that for crudware (low complexity, low interactivity apps), the ratios are still small and the tradeoffs not worth it. Also this https://t.co/dofPgbYm7s 0 0 0 0 289 .
Feb 10 @mikenikles What’s your guess as to the percentage of bugs you’d find in a non-typed (let’s say ruby/rails as an example), well maintained 4 year old codebase (mid level engineers), vs the same codebase, same age, same seniority, but written with js/ts? Like 20% fewer bugs? 0 0 0 0 274 .
Feb 07 @Shpigford How do we get the name of this stealth startup? 👀 0 0 0 0 60 .
Feb 01 @faborio Needed because VCs expect it, but not actually necessary to build the software 0 0 0 0 87 .
Feb 01 To be fair, the standard of the average outsourced agency isn't known to be very high, and the go-to agency pricing model (hourly/project based) often doesn't work well for startups. Wonder will that change as people are forced to be more honest and lean in the next few years. 2 0 0 0 277 .
Feb 01 Still regularly having conversations where founders are totally convinced that they *need* a technical co-founder for their marketplace/e-commerce/e-learning/health-tech etc. startup, because the dogma is so ingrained and basically completely unquestioned. https://t.co/6Ht3AFQeTX 1 0 0 0 280 .
Feb 01 It's surprising to me that the investor narrative that "Not having in-house tech is a red flag for a startup" still prevails, even though >50% of startups are just a thin layer over real-world processes, and the frontend/backend layers are completely homogenous/undifferentiated 4 0 0 0 281 .
Feb 01 @jakobgreenfeld Only one I haven't seen suggested in replies is @getfernand . No idea if it's good (haven't used) but I use their other product which is really great. 1 0 0 0 166 .
Jan 21 @volkandkaya @framer I may be misreading, but it seems your attitude toward Framer is to dismiss it, which I think is short-sighted, as it's (IMO) going to start to take market-share from other website builders (including Versoly I'd guess), and it's not just because of polish. 0 0 0 0 278 .
Jan 21 @volkandkaya @framer That's a good point and I think if it doesn't work, that'll be the reason why, but my hunch is that that can be solved with smart abstractions vs full access to the html. They may be different use cases though 1 0 0 0 230 .
Jan 21 @volkandkaya @framer I think you're missing the point. It's built in such a way that designers don't need to know react. The react people can do their thing and build out complex stuff, the non-devs can access and control things using the UI. 1 0 0 0 242 .
Jan 21 @volkandkaya @framer On the dev side, the fact that it's built on react, which means devs can re-use and/or build new stuff without changing behaviour. On the builder side, the fact that the UI/UX is intuitive/feels enjoyable to use. Plus the out-of-the-box templates & components are A+ quality 1 0 0 0 299 .
Jan 21 @volkandkaya @framer If you count me, then yes 😊 I'm still playing around with the ability to work with my own react components which is very cool. But a better example is developers building extensions for it that can be copy/pasted in, e.g https://t.co/zJMGtIY29y 1 0 0 0 267 .
Jan 21 A few years ago I suggested the term "co-code" as a product/tool that allows both developers and non-developers to build/collaborate in the same environment. Of the products I've used since then, @framer is the exemplar. Still early but they're nailing it https://t.co/NmNl8DxGue 4 1 2 1.1k 280 .
Jan 20 @Huperniketes @notengoid @johncutlefish The Ship & Done is in there to highlight how some people (IMO incorrectly) attempt to build software. Wrt manufacturing, you're right that my familiarity is limited, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct to implying that once a product is shipped, it's shipped 0 0 0 0 298 .
Jan 13 @keithwhor @stripe Or companies should make is easier to access data directly via SQL, which is much easier for this kind of stuff than API. There are a few that do this for stripe I think - check out @sequin_io 1 0 0 0 211 .
Jan 13 The obvious downside here is file size & performance. Our current size is 749kb which isn't ideal, but there are still many places it's been useful (simple internal apps for example) There is tailwind play but that's not recommended for prod @tailwindcss/@adamwathan thoughts? 0 0 0 0 282 .
Jan 13 A few months ago I went looking for a "dumb-tailwind" - where you just load in a public css file and it gives you the 95% most-used classes, no need for processors/js. It didn't exist, so I built it. Is that something people would use? Might register https://t.co/qC6q0DlBcP https://t.co/0eC0t8gIW2 0 0 0 0 298 .
Jan 12 @3AmitDhama I believe the "complex process" you're referring to here is what I call "legacy systems" in my original tweet. Aside from AML and fraud detection, there is no reason for it to exist. And no, a standalone payment that requires three inputs is not the same as bookkeeping 0 0 0 0 281 .
Jan 11 Referring specifically to the B2B payments and consumer payments bars on the chart. I know there’s *some* value there, but it feels extractive and rent seek-y. Like how it cost $10 for a short international call before VOIP. Not something I’d bet on or feel proud to build 0 0 0 0 272 .
Jan 11 Making “revenue” from a payment from one party to another, where you provide zero value besides paper over legacy systems, feels like a business model that shouldn’t really exist in a future where the technology exists to send value for fractions of a cent without middlemen, no? https://t.co/GRBuoUVlEH 3 0 0 0 303 .
Jan 04 @TrevMcKendrick I haven't used @retool a lot (we used @ForestAdmin at my last place) but it was the exact same story. I honestly don't think there's a solution - the closest I came was finding an alternative that was also quick but was fully code-driven. V frustrating, but not new or unique fwiw 0 0 0 0 296 .
Jan 01 By that I mean practically speaking. Is the argument that all point-and-click interfaces will switch to being natural language driven? Why would people use a keyboard where a mouse will suffice? If it’s dictation, how does that behaviour change happen? 1 0 0 0 252 .
Jan 01 It’s really difficult to not be skeptical that “AI will replace programming” when pieces like this are what people are sharing. There may be some good arguments, but this is so weak. What does “models will replace programs” even mean? https://t.co/qSP8Xk0DQC 2 0 0 0 260 .
Dec 28 @elcharliep @htmx_org Client apps (shipping and construction) and our own consumer bookmarking tool, so a combo of a few. I have some patterns we re use for things like modals and alerts that I’ll open source at some point 1 0 0 0 222 .
Dec 28 @htmx_org @elcharliep 👋 as a data point here. I run a rails team that intentionally uses htmx instead of hotwire/turbo frames and we're super happy with the decision. Original thinking was that htmx is simpler abstraction-wise, and better documented, which seems to have been proven out. 7 1 0 0 287 .
Dec 24 @htmx_org In a live app with close button added https://t.co/cfhiih3e6v 0 0 0 0 71 .
Dec 24 Xmas Eve hacking: Building an animated toast library with hyperscript, stock tailwind and the teeniest bit of CSS cc @htmx_org https://t.co/Y3I91SJ2yO https://t.co/DPaS7aIszL 9 3 0 0 178 .
Dec 03 https://t.co/YTOFJhSUIM 3 0 0 0 23 .
Nov 29 Interesting The software we build is too beginner friendly, expert unfriendly, & has a low ceiling (@michael_nielsen’s point) At the same time, the tools we use to build this software are too expert-focussed, beginner unfriendly. (My belief) Seems we have it exactly backwards https://t.co/skqGezWFJj 0 0 0 0 307 .
Nov 26 @ctjlewis You’re correct on the problem, lil bit off on the solution (IMO). Which is surprising because you seem like someone who prides themselves on cutting through BS. Why is stateful react the desired output format? Why are you working for orgs that take wks to create basic interfaces? 3 0 0 0 290 .
Nov 24 @synopsi @tommysendra Within the crescent, options for getting around are 1. On foot, 2. Metro, 3. Hotel bikes (most hotels have them, 4. Daily bike rental. Outside the crescent you have train, tram, donkey republic bikes and my fave - the car sharing apps (share now is everywhere and super cheap) 0 0 0 0 298 .
Nov 24 @synopsi @tommysendra I don’t think it’s tourist unfriendly because on-demand bike/scooter apps are one facet of the tourist experience and it’s otherwise exceptionally tourist friendly, having been here several times as a tourist lived here for a few months. https://t.co/hKrtEAlJdu 0 0 0 0 283 .
Nov 22 @AliAbdaal And if I were doing that, I'd start with @scrimba's HTML & CSS crash course as an entry point. 0 0 0 0 109 .
Nov 22 @AliAbdaal What would you like to code? My experience is that prompt (Learning to code) leads to learning the principles of coding, vs learning practical skills. In my experience "Learning to code web sites, then web apps" is the most valuable broad set of skills. 3 0 0 0 266 .
Nov 17 Because building software is so new, people rely on existing mental models to understand it, and most think of it as a *manufacturing* process, with design as a step, as opposed to a *design* process. Both are useful heuristically, but it's useful to know which style your team is https://t.co/azJBuFVvTB https://t.co/OOViLGBxSF 26 4 0 0 328 .
Nov 13 @realDannyHakim @RoamResearch @obsdmd Yup! Can't remember off hand but I think the main missing feature was customizability (custom CSS). I've spent prob 20+ hrs on my Roam CSS. Only realized how important this was when I tried Tana, which on paper has all the features I wanted but no custom CSS. 1 0 0 0 297 .
Nov 12 I've never tried to develop for a platform/product with a worse developer experience than @RoamResearch. I suppose that's a testament to how good a product it is. If there were alternatives with a better DX I'd 100% switch, but that doesn't look to be happening soon 😞 4 0 0 0 268 .
Nov 09 After all the talk of the migration off @heroku, just spent a few hours moving our lighter app's data on to @bitdotioinc and switching to the new Eco plan. Should actually turn out even cheaper than before. 3 0 0 0 206 .
Nov 06 Think I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think a founder who takes 9 figures off the table at the peak of a hype cycle, all but knowing they’ll never be able to create the requisite value, should be commended for “playing the game”. 3 0 0 0 235 .
Nov 06 @peteromallet Yes. Typedream and popsy. https://t.co/x5WFZ4M5eL is built with typedream but it can be quite glitchy and frustrating. Haven’t tried popsy properly but may be smoother to use 1 0 0 0 188 .
Oct 27 Adding @getgrover to the shit list of awful customer support experiences. Receive product. Get charged for product. Product is missing a part. No phone support. Chat support on their site is a bot with no English option. No place to speak to a human. So frustrating. 0 0 0 0 266 .
Oct 25 @hanspagel Had the same idea, then turned it into a product. Let me know if you'd like to use https://t.co/Xo74fQq7Wu 1 0 0 0 118 .
Oct 21 Zapier agrees https://t.co/1OzfS6RUWm 1 0 0 0 38 .
Oct 15 RT @AlanWattsDaily: All the best things on any journey I’ve ever taken were unscheduled. And most of the scheduled things were a disappoint… 0 0 0 0 140 .
Oct 12 Write code. Not too much. Mostly HTML 24 3 0 0 37 .
Oct 11 @volkandkaya @tomjohndesign @volkandkaya any interest in doing it for plain 'ol html? Context: https://t.co/NYIkIlGAit 0 0 0 0 120 .
Oct 11 It's happening 🤗 https://t.co/jD5zEGUUTT 0 0 0 0 41 .
Oct 11 On 2 separate occasions this week, have heard the "Ruby is too slow/doesn't scale" line fed to non-technical people trying to get MVPs built - by people who *are* technical and are meant to be advising them, who clearly don't know and would rather lie-to-seem-smart than find out 7 0 0 0 279 .
Oct 10 Most recent project using this approach was the new @atlas_knowledge profiles - which IMO feel super snappy (almost SPA-like) but are written in boring old HTML, spiced up with a tiny bit of (static) tailwind, @htmx_org and hyperscript. https://t.co/FwOCXkf9BB 6 1 0 0 263 .
Oct 10 Have been running some experiments to combat the newbie:expert/junior dev hiring issue recently. Without doubt has reduced codebase/workflow complexity by an order of magnitude. Planning to on-board new junior devs in the next few weeks, so we'll see then if it works as intended https://t.co/DRtfFMlwYu https://t.co/fTNFXiTk6H 32 5 0 0 328 .
Sep 29 @andrasbacsai Oh that’s great news! Happy to kick the tires if you need people to test 😁 1 0 0 0 88 .
Sep 21 @visakanv @fortelabs I also think *givers* of advice should make some attempt to mention context-dependence, or at least not to proclaim that it’s universally applicable, which is what tends to happen on twitter. 8 0 0 0 212 .
Sep 21 I've been noticing more taglines/value props like this recently and find them quite cringy. I think it's the idea that a C Level title automatically infers authority feels not-very-startup-y. https://t.co/PsZQtkeXLx 0 0 0 0 215 .
Sep 20 @thekitze We use @autocode quite a bit for this but no typescript unfortunately 😬 1 0 0 0 82 .
Sep 20 @andrasbacsai If this is well executed ux and pricing wise I could see it doing *super* well 😁. Really impressed with what you're building 🙌 Aside: Why no ruby/rails support? 🙂 1 0 0 0 178 .
Sep 19 @swyx @zoink @worrydream @callmevlad @webflow @CompuIves @codesandbox What’s the source for that? Don’t doubt it just curious 0 0 0 0 125 .
Sep 15 "We - a company that provides free-by-default browser based software, are going to pursue our mission of 'making design accessible to all' - by giving all of our market power to a company that does clunky, paid-by-default, native software" 🧐 3 0 0 0 243 .
Sep 08 Pro Tip: Don't do this (send marketing email with no unsubscribe link and claim it's "critical product updates, not marketing"). Insta-spam. cc @unitoio https://t.co/e3IiiY5876 1 0 0 0 176 .
Sep 05 @zetalyrae Roam could support your “reference archive” use case without changing a lot. They already have attributes, but the UI for creating and updating tabular data a lá SQLite/any relational db isn’t there (yet 🤞) 1 0 0 0 217 .
Sep 01 Imagine running a company where your customers hated you this much. And all the product has to do is accept payments, show a list of programs, and play videos reliably. How do you fuck this up this badly @NOWTVHelp https://t.co/Uf1Jufhi00 0 0 0 0 242 .
Aug 16 By no-code tool I mean UI builders like webflow, bubble, plasmic, flutterflow etc. 1 0 0 0 82 .
Aug 16 The first no-code tool to build the whole UI in VS Code (with two way sync between UI & code) wins. 3 0 0 0 103 .
Aug 02 1. Human ingenuity is amazing 2. Twitter is amazing "TongueBoard enables absolute position tracking of the tongue by placing capacitive touch sensors on the roof of the mouth... Train a classifier that can recognize words to 91.01% accuracy" 🤯 https://t.co/aBK4nJq0CQ https://t.co/rUD9J0PQen https://t.co/E9h8hBYTcL 1 0 0 0 318 .
Jul 28 Not sure if this is trolling or not, but if it's serious, hard to see why anyone would take money from a technology investor with this level of dogmatism toward one of the most transformative technologies ever. (Speaking about virtual reality vs "metaverse" in the abstract) https://t.co/8ko9KFbddl 1 0 0 0 300 .
Jul 21 @lostisreed Was mainly referring to conversation - e.g having a phone discussion with a friend tends to get all my ideas out. I’ve experimented with dictation within apps but it still feels clunky and obviously can’t be done in environments where you can’t speak out loud 0 0 0 0 271 .
Jul 21 One of the highest leverage, most broadly applicable uses of computers is as a way to move your thoughts and ideas out of your head, onto a digital canvas where you can see them, zoom in and out, move them around and make sense of them. 2 0 0 0 236 .
Jul 12 Hey @dharmesh just heard you on @myfirstmilpod - loved it. I *also* built a real time multiplayer word game that took off (see QT). Let me know if you want to add it to the wordplay suite 😁 https://t.co/5yJcnQooSo 3 0 0 0 213 .
Jul 11 Related https://t.co/F2ijouXhr4 0 0 0 0 31 .
Jul 10 Don't think I've ever desperately wanted a product that doesn't exist yet, more than this airtable/roam prototype I came across a year ago. https://t.co/qxz7eCDm1d 1 0 0 0 165 .
Jul 08 @peteromallet @wolfejosh Again - in theory yes. But the problem isn’t lack of desire, it’s diffusion of responsibility/principal-agent issue, & thousands of years of culture, norms and systems. Needs to happen at systemic (regulatory) and cultural level, which I just don’t reasonably see happening. 0 0 0 0 303 .
Jul 04 Crazy amount of negligence here if true - Stored sensitive PII in plain text - No firewall on db server to prevent access on public ports - Stored credentials in a text file, presumably which is checked in to version control (vs env vars) - Then copy-pasted to a blog post 🫣 https://t.co/QMdgfHbB1G 0 0 0 0 299 .
Jul 04 If your app logic is super simple and only requires fetching and displaying data, maybe you don’t need react? And the 5+ additional concepts (or for beginner devs - hurdles) it comes with. Npm, typescript (probably), react, react query, usestate…) *ducks* https://t.co/P5tYoJo9qZ 2 0 0 0 280 .
Jul 02 Never seen anything like the queues right now at Schiphol. Got here four hours early. In line for 90 minutes, still not inside the airport https://t.co/1UxJmO7cJq 5 1 0 0 162 .
Jun 30 What is happening with @uber? Literally every car I call now - on average I get 3 to 4 cancellations, in Amsterdam. Am I doing something wrong? 0 0 0 0 143 .
Jun 25 @peteromallet If history is any guide, they’ll continue to work, likely in higher volumes than before. I’m skeptical that automation will save us from mindless unnecessary labour (which seems to be what you’re getting at?) - that’s a cultural/psychological problem 0 0 0 0 264 .
Jun 23 @sariazout Hey @sariazout, following your stuff pretty closely and enjoying it. I *think* what we're building is very close, if not exactly, what you're describing? https://t.co/MEz6aJIwJn 0 0 0 0 189 .
Jun 21 @Mqsley Are you missing something? If you think it’s an SQL db - yes. Is the current state of crypto disappointing when you dive in - also yes 1 0 0 0 144 .
Jun 14 @colmtuite Realising there’s an irony in the fact that the kinds of people who would say time is more valuable than money are also the kinds who are impatient and probably work too much, myself included. 🤷‍♂️ 0 0 0 0 208 .
Jun 14 @colmtuite Good question. I personally would argue it’s universally true above a certain income/cost-of-living threshold but that’s more philosophical than practical. In my circles I think most would self-report it to be true also, but definitely a lot of selection bias there. 0 0 0 0 278 .
Jun 13 To be clear - there are many kinds of software that are complex to build and maintain - which should be treated as such. The issue is that there is also *lots* of software (a majority) that's not, and very little effort to differentiate between them. 0 0 0 0 250 .
Jun 13 By "subconsciously reinforcing", I mean "making it more complex to build software, and telling people building software is very complex" (because we've made it complex, not because it's fundamentally so). This has also happened in other industries (e.g. law). 0 0 0 0 259 .
Jun 13 Dreaming of a time when the primary way our industry assesses software-building-ability isn't a one-dimensional "technical skills" measure. It's like we just decided early that "building software is so hard/only for smart people!" & have been subconsciously reinforcing ever since https://t.co/tzAJscGSYy 0 0 0 0 308 .
Jun 13 Dove in to @azure this weekend. First impression is that it's like a simpler, easier-to-use @aws, and the first-class @code integration is really, really well done. 69 9 0 0 164 .
Jun 07 The agency I run had a slot open up this week. We do plug-n-play, high output software teams (and software) for real-world software-supported businesses, usually on a retainer basis with a project scoped up front. If you know anyone, send them my way - tony@clearlabs.ltd https://t.co/2TQ2bLU00W 15 3 0 0 295 .
May 27 We've had the internet for 40 years. Any company that can say with a straight face "We won't give you your product, it's not in our system yet", after gladly taking your money (normally using the internet) is not only unethical, but deeply complacent and deserves to be disrupted 1 0 0 0 279 .
Apr 27 @mmahalwy For analytics or accessing the raw info? @metabase does both but not explicitly geared toward “creating sql queries with a gui” 5 0 0 0 137 .
Apr 26 The worst part is that it perpetuates the phenomenon where developers (particular more jr ones) understandably end up seeing these skills as "badges" to be collected & overcomplicating projects so that they can use the same libraries that BigCo uses, when it's totally unnecessary 2 0 0 0 284 .
Apr 26 It's a stupid game that leads to resumes that tell you very little about the candidate, and hiring pages that tell you very little about the company or role Imagining applying to be a chef and listing tools & ingredients - Knife - Large Spatula - Butter - Truffle Oil ...😵‍💫 6 0 0 0 281 .
Apr 26 I strongly dislike the unspoken signalling game that's developed within web software engineering (hiring and getting hired) which treats frameworks and tools like "ingredients" on resumes and hiring pages. https://t.co/qVbMdJM9xR 5 0 2 0 229 .
Apr 18 @datarade Can you elaborate on the ATMs requiring identity point? Quick google didn't yield anything 0 0 0 0 100 .
Apr 04 For anyone who also tried and repeatedly failed to use a daily-charge watch or fitness tracker, might I suggest the Withings Activite or Scanwatch. 30 day charge and accurate-enough sleep tracking, with a great app. Have had pretty consistent sleep data since I started using it https://t.co/cv84cSrSLS https://t.co/vWhA9UZy3h 1 0 0 0 326 .
Mar 31 🤮 https://t.co/RsQaF3Csux https://t.co/axK7kbmqt5 1 0 0 0 51 .
Mar 13 @rorhug I had this same idea and ironically never built it. Even registered a domain (https://t.co/lAtDeVGg8w) if anyone wants it 4 0 0 0 129 .
Feb 21 @patio11 FWIW I ditched Heroku (for Cloud66) for same reason for 3 or 4 years, but have been back on it for a year or so now and wouldn't go back (aside from cost considerations). Have found having one place (one CLI, one set of plugins,docs etc.) a big plus considering I have 10+ apps 0 0 0 0 286 .
Feb 14 @Mqsley Will give it a shot, although it looks like it uses the Visa Debit rails - maybe they're doing something different behind the scenes. https://t.co/4cmorC9Ohb 0 0 0 0 165 .
Feb 01 Update: this is happening https://t.co/qvSbYNARyo 0 0 0 0 49 .
Jan 25 @NdamukongSuh Love the thread but this ain't true - @solana's biggest barrier to overcome is making it easier to build on for developers. Rust, while loved, is much less common than js & solana dev learning curve is still very high. 1 0 0 0 236 .
Jan 13 Can't wait to start playing around with this - demo video looks so good. Makes the current generation of productivity tools (that weren't designed for async, balanced remote work) feel kind of outdated. https://t.co/UiaH7Vwq5Y 10 3 0 0 226 .
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