October 12th, 2024

The web I want vs. the one we have

The author reflects on a disconnect in Silicon Valley between industry leaders' understanding and software capabilities, expressing disillusionment while cherishing global connections and pursuing blogging and business ideas.

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The author reflects on their experiences in Silicon Valley, highlighting a disconnect between the technical understanding of industry leaders and the actual capabilities of software. After initially feeling welcomed in the tech community, the author became disillusioned upon realizing that influential figures, including analysts and executives, lacked fundamental knowledge about software development. This gap in understanding often influenced which products were developed, leading to missed opportunities. The author notes that even as the web evolved, many in the industry remained unaware of its potential. However, the web also provided a platform for connecting with like-minded individuals globally, which the author cherishes. They express enthusiasm for their current blogging endeavors using WordPress and Mastodon, indicating a desire to innovate and build a business around their ideas.

- The author experienced a disconnect between industry leaders' understanding and actual software capabilities.

- Influential figures often lacked basic knowledge of technology, impacting product development decisions.

- The evolution of the web offered opportunities for global connections among individuals with similar interests.

- The author is currently engaged in blogging and exploring business ideas using WordPress and Mastodon.

- There is a nostalgic desire for a more knowledgeable and innovative tech community.

I Was a Teenage Webmaster

The article reminisces about the author's past as a young webmaster, contrasting the early internet's freedom with today's controlled online landscape. It discusses privacy concerns and advocates for a return to community-driven web experiences.

I lost my love for the web (2022)

The founder expresses disillusionment with the web community's shift towards rigidity and intolerance, citing personal experiences of backlash. This has led to a loss of love for the web.

Being Raised by the Internet

The author overcame a challenging upbringing marked by financial struggles, finding solace in technology and online resources, which fostered self-education and gratitude towards those who shared knowledge and support.

I encourage you to write a blog

The author reflects on their four-year blogging journey, sharing knowledge through over 90 posts. They emphasize clarity, personal integrity, and encourage new bloggers to establish motivations and consistent writing habits.

Magic Isn't Real

The article reflects on a software developer's journey from confusion to clarity in programming, emphasizing the importance of experience, continuous learning, and tackling challenges to gain deeper understanding.

17 comments

By @tolerance - 3 months

These Web elegies are starting to become a real drag to read. And I don't mean to come across as flippant in saying this. I feel a sort of concern for the spirit of the authors of these kind of pieces, which are becoming more and more commonplace.

By @munchler - 3 months

> I later learned that the execs at most of the tech companies were similarly clueless on what made software possible, and basic stuff like trading off time for space and vice versa.

Why would an exec ever need to know about time/space tradeoffs? That's an engineering detail that is almost never relevant at the executive level. If you're pitching a business idea at this level, you're going to have a rough time.

By @082349872349872 - 3 months

> ...a machine for finding people with similar interests and experience [is] the web I want back.

What's wrong with dumb keyword text search for people using near-hapax interest- and experience-specific vocabulary?

By @andrewstuart - 3 months

Early in my career I was greatly surprised to realise it’s often not technical people at the top.

By @resonious - 3 months

Isn't the web still like this? It's easy to find communities that are deep into pretty much anything.

By @_heimdall - 3 months

I worked in a very small corner of the modern Silicon Valley area recently. I was surprised to see so many companies, VCs, and founders giving such a similar mystique to a certain youtuber/streamer that i won't name here.

Its very confusing to see people who have been in the industry for potentially decades more or less blindly following the whims of a person with very little real world experience in the industry to back up such strong, opinionated claims. Interesting to see based on the OP that its not necessarily a new phenomenon.

By @isomorphic- - 3 months

> PPS: Here’s a link to a location on Mastodon where you can read this piece.

Said link immediately redirects you back to Wordpress.

By @Scrapemist - 3 months

Too many I’s and they’s

By @paulcole - 3 months

This is like how my dad says SNL was awesome when he was 19 and sucked when I was 19. But I think it was awesome when I was 19 and sucks now that my kid is 19.

By @tessierashpool9 - 3 months

That he met Steve Jobs is the most important detail, justifying these aimlessly meandering ramblings.

By @defgeneric - 3 months

I may be missing the point of this blog but I don't think I am. I too miss the era of blogging but this isn't it. The only thing this piece does is name drop--without having the courage to actually name names--and point out how those "famous" (we can't judge, as they're unnamed) people were so wrong back then and the writer was so right. The line that actually answers the title is a cliche and isn't elaborated on: the web brings like-minded people together from all over the world.

By @dools - 3 months

> They were smart and educated, but they were English majors or studied agriculture or business.

“Are you at all concerned about an uprising?”

By @joshdavham - 3 months

Is Silicon Valley still like how the author describes it? I ask this as a Canadian considering moving down there. I want to go to a place where I feel understood.

By @walterbell - 3 months

> This is my second day of kitchen-table blogging using wordLand, WordPress and Mastodon, and I like it even more today than I did yesterday.

http://scripting.com/2024/10/11/132736.html?title=theWebLive...

https://daveverse.wordpress.com/2024/10/11/my-new-writing-en...

  I have a writing tool I call wordLand, it connects directly to WordPress, and from there, one of my sites is hooked up to Mastodon via ActivityPub.. The reason I’m having so much fun with this mofo is that I have most of the features of textcasting now, and it’s all flowing out through Masto, and I’m not typing into a freaking tiny little text box!

https://textcasting.org/

  Applying the philosophy of podcasting to text.
  Interop between social media apps based on the features writers need.

A prototype of self-hosted editor that "publishes" format-appropriate versions to different social media sites, while the author retains copyright, data and compute control of the original source. By https://davewiner.com/, pioneer of weblogging, RSS syndication and more.

By @viccis - 3 months

To be honest, if the author of this communicated pitches as ineffectively as this piece communicated the topic in its title, I am not surprised that whatever nameless gatekeeper he's talking about passed on his pitch.

That's not even to get into the fact that executives don't necessarily need to understand software implementation details to size up an idea.

Very odd blog post.

By @webprofusion - 3 months

Sorry, why is this on hackernews?