Hi Colin,
The {{MEETUP_FRIENDLY_NAME}} is coming up today!
Time: {{MEETUP_START_TIME}} Address: {{MEETUP_ADDRESS}}
{{MEETUP_INSTRUCTIONS}}{{QR}}{{MEETUP_MATCHES_ATTENDING}} If you're no longer able to attend, please update your RSVP so that {{ANOTHER_ATTENDEE}} can go instead.
Best, The YC team
But then, sometimes the templating doesn't work for either part, or they only send an HTML template that hasn't been substituted.
But you know, the addressograph was only invented 130 years ago. Sending out mass mail is still pretty new.
US Patent 8175, granted in 1851, is also on point, a machine for printing names of subscribers of newspapers and something something (i don't read patent applications by rule, just in case they want to get me for treble damages...) https://patents.google.com/patent/US8175
YC has a funky hodgepodge of React on Rails for their website, and it could use a major update considering they’re the leading tech incubator.
I emailed Dang about it, and he suggested that I build a product that solves this issue instead.
I ended up building a prototype on top of Docusaurus, and received a ton of developer feedback.
We’ve been working on it for about 6 months consistently now, and we’ve made huge progress on a simple CMS and content framework that would solve all of YC’s issues such as this accidental newsletter blast.
My goal with this project is to upgrade the YC website, as well as Paul Graham’s.
What do you’all think?