shinkim0914

Eraser | https://eraser.io/ | Full-time | San Mateo, CA | ONSITE | Software Engineer

At Eraser, we're building the copilot for technical design. We're the leader in AI-powered diagramming and have built a platform that includes proprietary diagram-as-code implementation, a free-form infinite canvas, and a markdown-compatible document editor used by hundreds of thousands of users every month.

Interested? We'd love to hear from you. Please send your resume or LinkedIn and a brief explanation of why you're excited about this role to hn@eraser.io.

I'm the founder of a startup that makes a diagramming software for engineering team called Eraser.

If you want a codified set of rules that you can mechanically apply, I would look at UML and C4. However, I'd argue that the frameworks are overkill for the vast majority of engineering diagram use cases.

For the general scenario where you're just trying to communicate a technical concept clearly without spinning your wheels a lot, here are a few tactical things I'd recommend:

1. Pick the right diagram type for the job. Sequence diagrams are great for API documentation, ERDs are great for database schemas, flow charts are great for user flows, data flows and logical flows.

2. Use icons where possible. A database icon, a S3 bucket icon, a cylinder shape are all a lot more expressive and easier to grok than a rectangle with text inside that says "database".

3. Focus on the nodes, groupings, and connections. That's really all there is to a diagram if you break it down. If you just make a list of nodes, groups, and connections that you want to represent, the diagram will almost just draw itself.

4. If you're looking for a quick way to start jump start a diagram or looking for inspiration, try AI tools to see how far they can get you.

> Generate DDL directly generate SQL statements to create your database tables.

Looks like it's capable of turning a diagram to SQL too? That's neat!

For those that are interested in an GPT-powered tool, we have a project that can generate diagrams from code of any language or natural language: https://eraser.io/diagramgpt

Hi HN - Excited to share DiagramGPT. Diagrams are helpful to have but painful to draw. What if you could generate diagrams from what you already have? Like code or project descriptions?

• Code → Diagrams

• Natural language → Diagrams

Would love to get feedback and happy to answer any questions.

https://eraser.io/diagramgpt

I do foresee pricing pressure ahead for them as a lot of competitors seem to arising.

Why doesn’t that happen elsewhere?

Yes, it’s still risky. But at least you’re still understood because of the pervasive startup culture in SV. Everyone in SV can relate to startups. I think what’s tough outside of SV is that people don’t relate to startups. People might think you’re just weird.

There is no place like Silicon Valley where taking a career risk to quit a job and start a company is normalized, understood, and encouraged.

If this sets them on a self-sustaining path without having to rely on running highly conspicuous donation campaigns on Wikipedia, I think that's a wonderful thing.

Raw data here if anyone is interested https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nqBLGT6PnhAJqBa3ZAkO...

Accounting tables often do this. This is not the perfect example, but here's a flavor of that. (last page of PDF) https://s23.q4cdn.com/574569502/files/doc_financials/2021/q4...

Timing is everything :) Would appreciate feedback!

Thank you!!

Thank you, let me know how it goes :)

Hi HN,

This is Shin and I'm working on Eraser.

Visual ideation and brainstorming is tough via Zoom. During WFH, I wished there was a lightweight whiteboard that didn't have 30 buttons on it (looking at you, Miro). For things like visualizing half-formed ideas, on-the-fly architecture discussions, and sketching lo-fi wireframes.

Eraser is a canvas for visual collaboration. It's built on Excalidraw – the awesome open-source drawing tool with a hand-drawn feel. On top of it, we've added a file system, team-based access control, as well as a Quill-based text editor for meeting agendas and notes.

Here's the app (https://www.tryeraser.com) and the marketing website for use case inspirations (https://www.tryeraser.com/home).

It's still very early, but would love your feedback on Eraser!

This is why remote mature companies like Gitlab emphasize transparent communication and highly discourage private channels / DMs. Otherwise it is much easier for individuals to become silo-ed in a remote company than in a onsite company. Remote teams need to overemphasize transparent and public communication.

Agreed, weather cannot be the only reason. What drives the population decline in Chicago despite the low CoL?

I've also noticed in the job post data that remote-mature companies prefer employees with remote work experience. I'm guessing it's partially due to this problem of difficulty of getting juniors up to speed remotely.

The cost of living in Chicago is amazing for a Top 3 metro. My theory has always been that the winter weather discount is baked into the CoL.

To clarify, your company didn't stop hiring remote, it just stopped making a cost-of-living adjustment to salary offers to remote candidates? Did management also increase salary for existing employees who lived in ow CoL areas?

Yes! Drive-by Blue Bottle coffee trucks please!!

Indeed! :)

That's a fair point that the overall volume needs to be considered. And during Apr–Jul it was true that hiring volumes were subdued, and it is likely that onsite-centric companies simply weren't able to hire at all. However, job post volumes exceeded pre-pandemic volumes from August and onwards. This suggests that there was actually a change in behavior. The job post volume charts didn't make it into the article but can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jlLJkZJz3NBeyjylzTYA...

I agree that the directional trend is more important than absolute numbers. Though I will say there are a fair number of traditional employers hiring on HN (e.g. Disney, NASA, Oracle, USDS).

In the data, I've seen companies marking jobs that are remote only during the pandemic as "onsite", "COVID remote", "remote until COVID is over". I've classified those type of posts as NOT remote in this analysis. For example, I'd assume if you are a NYC based company, and want everyone to be onsite after the pandemic, you wouldn't hire someone from Alaska without sharing the onsite expectation upfront (i.e. marking your job post as "onsite").

Pluto is the only place I randomly bumped into someone in the last 12 months!

Thank you for the feedback, you make very reasonable points. Here are a couple thoughts!

1. I'll be the first to admit that excluding the financials was largely due to the lack of my web design experience – creating pretty tables on WP is harder than I wish!

2. I'll make a wild guess that 90% of the general public doesn't know how to read an income statement. For the 10% of those who do, and read SEC documents regularly, there are existing paid tools like BAMSEC that you can use to improve the usability of the SEC website. BAMSEC has power features like ability to download financial statements directly as Excel spreadsheets.

What I'd like to know is if there is an interested readership among the 90% that are intellectually curious - HN readers, for example - and find the S-1 language readable and interesting, when presented without the baggage of 1) navigating through the dense SEC EDGAR search system and 2) legal template language that represents bulk of the S-1 doc.

True, this was not built with the seasoned S-1 reader in mind who already know exactly what they are looking for in a S-1. And I agree the navigation is a big problem with this version – it ought to be easier.

I don't have research, but I have found that most people outside of the financial services industry feel that they don't have the training or qualification to read a SEC document. The SEC EDGAR website's UI and the length of the document are not exactly welcoming either. Yet, I believe most key sections of the S-1 are very readable, and the folks who put it together have put in many hours so that people who are introduced to the company's story for the first time have a easy time digesting the materials. That's why I believe they have the potential to be read more widely!

Thank you for the comment! As an ex-investment banker I can tell you that not all sections are not given equal amount thought when putting the doc together – large swaths of the doc are often legal template language. My top heuristics are 1) focus on the "Business" and "MD&A" section 2) look for the non-gaap metrics (since they are often internal KPIs the company follows to measure performance). Let me know if you have more specific things you're looking for.