The humble software shopkeeper
Allow a small website or humble software shop to charm you.
The humble software shopkeeper
I was talking to a pal about how some software developers can operate in a sort of timeless way. If contemporary tech, the stuff that made “tech people” the antagonist, is on one end of the spectrum, these developers are all the way over on the other end.
Picture a sleepy strip mall: grocery store, clothing store, paint store (why is there always a paint store?), and then, improbably, a software store. Inside, a proud but humble proprietor. You’re a little surprised and delighted to find this in your town, so you walk in.
“What do you have for sale?” you ask.
“One application, available on two or three platforms, you can buy ‘em all for less than $99”, they reply.
“You got anything else?”
“Nope, just this one program.”
Maybe you buy it, perhaps you ask a few questions. Either way, the owner heads back to the workshop and keeps at their thing.
It makes an okay living. There are a couple of other people back in the workshop, helping to fix bugs, add minor new features, and keep things moving along. But it hasn’t grown to planet scale, doesn’t require astronomical growth to make payroll and pay holiday bonuses.
Pan over from the shop in the strip mall to the town square. There’s a festival this weekend and the personality of the townsfolk is on display. More arts, crafts, and curios than you could ever possibly take in. In a good town, the square supports the local businesses, and vice versa.
Little personal websites forge ahead, despite mega-corporate social media, doing their thing. The same spirit, of doing one’s thing is, that drives personal websites also supports humble software shops. Maybe you call it a blog, a web-ring, a portfolio site, whatever. They’re still out there, don’t need astronomical growth to satisfy end-game finance or investors, and support the existence of that humble software shopkeeper.
For those of you who identify with the shopkeeper or the festival participant, I love the heck out of what you’re doing. We’re all in the same ecosystem. Keep it up, especially in these weird and unpredictable times.
The sharp-eyed among you will note this is an iteration of a recent blog post. I’m experimenting on format and cadence here, trying to find a way to balance sizzle and sustainability.
Thanks for reading, you’re (all) the best!