kgodey

Edit: should be fixed, let me know if there are more issues.

Disclaimer: I also mentioned Mathesar in a sibling comment but this describes our vision so exactly that I thought it was worth mentioning again.

Edited to add: FWIW they were on the latest macOS and I wasn’t.

Otherwise, I just use the command line.

[1] https://dryndry.com/products/5-gram-aiwa-orange-indicating-p...

- Upgraded all my bookshelves (from 5-shelf bookshelves to slightly wider 7-shelf bookshelves)

- Bought more bookshelves for wherever there was wall space

- Bought a bunch of airtight containers and put books I'm less likely to read away in the basement (they're inventoried for easy search)

We also bought doors for all our bookshelves at one point, but that's more about book care than increasing book capacity.

Right now I actually have bookshelf space for more books, but I'll probably need to go through the containers in the basement and actually get rid of some books eventually. :(

I'm philosophically opposed to open core (Mathesar is run out of a non-profit), but I can see why other projects do it – finding funding for a big project like this is difficult without VCs (who expect returns).

e.g. video meetings are more stimulating than audio meetings because you have more sources of input, and you have to stay alert in real-time. A single email is less stimulating because you can process those in your own time and space out if needed. But a morning full of answering emails is worse than a single video meeting because each email involves loading new context into your brain.

A sibling comment addressed disambiguation already. It's just a lot of work to take input, process it, be aware of context and goals, and get to sensible output. These days, I tend to allocate time just for planning. Executing plans is easy and I can do that when I'm tired, but planning takes a lot out of me.

I'm sure the cognitive impact of exact tasks is different for everyone depending on what your brain is used to. e.g. I'm very introverted; maybe meetings are less work for others.

I'm mostly recovered now, but I'm more self aware about cognitive fatigue and how to structure my workdays to avoid it. It's decreased my general level of stress measurably.

Also, relationships without foreign keys is on our roadmap: https://github.com/centerofci/mathesar/discussions/2276

[1] https://github.com/python-virtualenvwrapper/virtualenvwrappe...

Our current installation process was spun out of our local development setup, which isn't ideal.

Cleaning up installation is one of the top things on our to do list. This also includes documentation for setting up Mathesar without Docker. We'd like to do Linux packages as soon as we can too.

I was trying to avoid talking about the specifics of the project (I didn't want to come across as self-promotional).

We only did our first release this week, so no one is invested in the project (yet). We have hypotheses about who it benefits but haven't had enough time to test them. Our current goal is to build a user base and that will give us the information we need to work on long term sustainability.

I'm philosophically opposed to open core because tying revenue to proprietary features seems like the wrong incentive structure, I can't imagine how you'd avoid conflicts of interest. Plus, I'm building open source software because I believe in user freedom, so proprietary features leave an icky taste in my mouth.

My theory so far is that the open core model makes sense for VC-backed companies that are targeting enterprise customers. Most open core products seem targeted at enterprises, not small businesses or individuals. I assume this is because only enterprise deals can make the amount of money that VCs expect from investment. Of course, this leads to enterprise features being prioritized, which sucks for smaller organizations or people using the software.

I'd like my project to focus on meeting the needs of everyday people. I think we need more consumer focused open source software that is so well designed that it will displace proprietary SaaS software, where the incentive is to provide a service that customers get locked into. Software should be a tool, not a service.

The only project that I can think of doing a great job here is WordPress. WordPress is very easy to use, Automattic builds it, but they are not the only ones to make money from it, and I think the incentives are well-aligned.

I'm hoping I can find a similar funding model where I can build a sustainable project for everyday users without going after the enterprise market and all the sacrifices that entails. We are a non profit now and that keeps our incentives aligned with users.