An app can be a home-cooked meal (2020) (robinsloan.com)

Article summary

The author built a simple messaging app for their family after their previous app, Tapstack, shut down. The new app, BoopSnoop, has only four daily active users and is distributed through TestFlight. The author views this project as a form of 'home cooking' - creating something personal and tailored to their family's needs. This approach to programming is seen as liberating and rewarding, allowing for a focus on personal connection rather than scalability or professionalism.

Main themes

• personal app development
• home cooking analogy
• scalability vs personal connection
• commercial vs personal projects
• programming as a form of creativity and self-expression
• tailored solutions for small groups

What commenters say

• Some commenters appreciate the idea of building personal, 'home-cooked' apps for small groups of people, finding it fulfilling and more meaningful than working on large-scale commercial projects.
• Others struggle to relate to the article, having only worked on professional coding projects and not having experience with personal or 'home-cooked' coding.
• The use of existing apps and services can often meet the needs of small groups, making personal app development unnecessary.
• Personal app development can be a way to avoid the drawbacks of commercial apps, such as ads and data collection.
• Building personal apps can help developers connect with their loved ones and create something tailored to their needs.
• Some developers may find that working on personal projects can bring a sense of freedom and creativity that is lacking in commercial work.
• The idea of 'home cooking' in programming can be applied to various areas, such as building personal social networks or tools for small groups.