Kind software

Working Definition:

  1. Kind software supports my own well-being (mine as that of the user or author).
  2. It doesn't get in my way, it doesn't try to extract value from me.
  3. It doesn't actively make the world a worse place.
  4. It is sustainable, not greedy.
    1. as the author, I charge as much as I need to make it work, within the framework of my own life.
    2. If it's not sustainable, we scale it down enough to make it such and give the smallest possible thing.
      1. If the smallest possible (sustainable) thing doesn't exist, move on.
  5. Kind software is good enough, it doesn't change for the sake of change, or greed.

A VC-backed soon-to-be-unicorn vs. a lifestyle business is a false dichotomy. People who say that tend to forget that carpenters, cleaners or people operating funeral houses exist.

References

Projects and apps I built for my own well-being
Things to support my own well-being – a wishlist
Be kind, be curious

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a giant foot-shaped snail with a house on its back. the house is still in construction, with a big crane towering above it The image is a stylized black-and-white illustration. In the lower left corner, there is a small, cozy-looking house with smoke rising from its chimney. The smoke, however, does not dissipate into the air but instead forms a dark, looming cloud. Within the cloud, the silhouette of a large, menacing face is visible, with its eyes and nose peeking through the darkness. The creature, perhaps a cat, appears to be watching over the house ominously, creating a sense of foreboding or unease.