Software Engineering
Platform Engineers deliver solutions to software development problems so that Product Engineers can distribute solutions to real world problems better, faster, and cheaper.
The future is already here but it's not evenly distributed
Principles
Software should exist to help people make meaningful progress in their lives, not steal their attention by triggering dopamine rewards.
- AI Coding: Assisted Intelligence
- SaaS Products: Jobs to be Done
- Teamwork Optimisation: Lean and Focused on Value
- Performance Metrics: How to Recognize Value
- Product Engineering: Consumer facing
- Platform Engineering: Engineer facing
- Engineering Decisions: Place Bets on a Tech Stack with a Future
- Architecture: Scalable Performant Patterns
- Algorithms: Pattern matching and decision making
Make it Work!!! Make it Better, Make it Fast!!!
Prediction
DePIN is the future of software. An Internet of Intent-Driven Tokenized Things (IDTT) will provide an open platform of best practice protocols and resources to focus on exploring at edges of the unknown.
Work Roles
What is the optimal team size, character and capabilities to be maximally effective? How long before Specialized AI Agents enable a generalist business engineers to run and evolve innovative new business models from top to bottom?
Business Administration: Executive roles related to software engineering.
- Chief Executive Officer: Product Vision and Delivery
- Chief Technical Officer: Tech stack and external tech partnerships
- Chief Information Officer: Data and Information Management
- Chief Information Security Officer: Data Security and Compliance
Engineering: Everyone can sell the story of how their focus creates/distributes value.
- Protocol Engineer: Global Blockchain and Web3 standards.
- Smart Contract Engineer: Business logic combined with incentive engineering
- Platform Engineer: Build tools and services consumer facing engineers need.
- AI Engineer: Build AI agents to reduce friction and decision fatigue.
- Product Engineer: Consumer facing
- DePIN Engineer: Connect digital and physical networks to close feedback loops.
- Game Engineer: Combine everything to create engaging experiences that shape culture to influence coordination and trade.
Progress
Use first principles to build trust while delivering value.
- Purpose: Define what progress looks like.
- Perspective: Interpret reality through alternative eyes.
- Problems: Have the courage to face the truth.
- Predictions: Anticipate trends and opportunities.
- Potential: Reimagine the future.
- Platform: Assemble assets and tools to gain leverage.
- People: Develop capabilities and deepen connections to build teamwork.
- Protocols: Evolve standards to optimize return from platform and people.
- Product: Distribute solutions that create value.
- Performance: Manage expectations while staying on course.
- Persuasion: Influence others to join your journey.
- Planning: Dedicate time, size your bets and manage risks.
- Reflection: Evolve your collective intelligence.
Related
- AI Use Cases
- AI Prompting
- Business Engineers
- Business Models
- Business Strategy
- Positioning and Sales
- Startups
- Documentation
Interfaces
What are the different types of software interfaces that can be built? What purpose do these interfaces serve?
Marketing/Education
Intent Facilitation
- Web App
- Mobile App
Choose the right tools for the Job to be Done
Common Requirements
What are the most common jobs that most people/businesses recruit software to do?
- AI Assistance
- User Authentication and Authorization
- Data Analytics and Reporting
- Integration Capabilities (APIs)
- Customization Options
- Subscription Management
- Customer Relationship Management
- E-commerce & Micropayments
- Booking & Scheduling
- Project Management Tools
- Dashboard Charts
- Email Out
- URL Shortener
Innovate at the edges while connecting dots and filling spaces
Architecture
Anyone can build anything.
Building blocks for creating modern SaaS apps that are scalable, secure, flexible, and user-friendly.
- Multi-tenancy architecture: This allows multiple customers (tenants) to share the same application instance while keeping their data separate and secure.
- Scalable infrastructure: Modern SaaS apps need to be able to handle growth in users and data without compromising performance.
- User authentication and authorization: Robust systems for managing user identities, access controls, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.
- Subscription-based billing: Flexible pricing models and automated billing systems to handle various subscription tiers and usage-based pricing.
- API integration: Well-designed APIs to allow for easy integration with other software and services, as well as to enable customization and extensibility.
- Data security and privacy: Strong encryption, data isolation between tenants, and compliance with relevant regulations.
- Analytics and monitoring: Tools for tracking usage, performance metrics, and user behavior to inform business decisions and improve the product.
- Automated provisioning: Systems that allow for quick and easy onboarding of new customers without manual intervention.
- Customization capabilities: Features that allow customers to tailor the application to their specific needs, often through configuration rather than code changes.
- Continuous deployment and updates: Infrastructure and processes that enable frequent, seamless updates and new feature rollouts.
- Customer support and self-service tools: Integrated systems for managing customer inquiries, documentation, and user education.
- Caching and performance optimization: Techniques to ensure fast response times and efficient resource usage.
A top quality engineer is a good ancestor
Crypto Architecture
Internet of Intent
Could an internet of standard smart contract protocols be called upon to perform atomic tasks from a higher-layer intent layer to augment or replace microservice architectures for completing complex interconnected business operations that have a premium on delivering verifiable truth?
To fully realize the potential of intent-based systems, technical breakthroughs in areas like zero-knowledge proofs for privacy, decentralized identity, and scalability solutions are crucial. These advancements will enable enterprises to leverage the benefits of blockchain technology while addressing the unique requirements of their business operations and consumer interfaces.
Blockchain Intents Pros
Decentralization and Trustlessness: By leveraging blockchain technology, an intent-based system of smart contracts eliminates the need for centralized control and trust in intermediaries. This enhances security, transparency, and resilience compared to traditional microservices.
Atomic Execution: Smart contracts enable atomic execution of tasks, ensuring that a series of operations either completes entirely or not at all. This atomicity is crucial for maintaining data consistency and integrity in complex business processes.
Flexibility and Composability: Intent-based systems allow users to express their desired outcomes at a high level, abstracting away the complexities of underlying blockchain operations. This flexibility enables the composition of various smart contracts to fulfil complex intents, promoting innovation and adaptability.
Cross-Chain Interoperability: Intent-based protocols can operate seamlessly across multiple blockchain networks using interoperability protocols, bridges, and relayers. This enables the execution of multi-chain intents, enhancing the system's versatility and reach.
- Automation and Efficiency: Automate processes, reducing manual intervention and errors.
- Trust and Transparency: Immutable records enhance trust among parties.
- Cost Reduction: Eliminates intermediaries, reducing transaction costs.
Intent Cons and Challenges
- Complexity: Designing and implementing an intent-based system of smart contracts is inherently complex. It requires advanced matching algorithms, efficient intent pooling, and robust solver networks to fulfil intents effectively. This complexity may increase development time and costs compared to traditional microservices.
- Scalability: Blockchain networks often face scalability challenges due to their decentralized nature and consensus mechanisms. Processing a large volume of intents and executing smart contracts atomically may strain the network, leading to potential performance bottlenecks.
- Limited Functionality: Smart contracts are designed to perform specific, predefined tasks. They may lack the flexibility and extensibility of microservices, which can be updated and scaled independently. This limitation could hinder the development of complex business logic and integrations.
- Governance and Upgradability: Updating and upgrading smart contracts can be challenging due to their immutable nature. Implementing changes requires careful governance mechanisms and may disrupt the system's operation. In contrast, microservices can be updated independently without affecting the entire application.
- Immutability: Once deployed, smart contracts cannot be changed easily, requiring careful programming.
- Scalability Issues: Blockchain networks can face latency and throughput limitations.
- Complexity in Integration: Integrating with existing systems can be complex.
Required Breakthroughs
Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) for Privacy: ZKPs allow parties to prove knowledge of information without revealing the underlying data. Integrating ZKPs into intent-based systems can enable privacy-preserving smart contracts, protecting sensitive business data and user information. This is crucial for enterprises dealing with confidential data and compliance requirements.
Decentralized Identity: Implementing a decentralized identity solution, such as self-sovereign identity (SSI), can enhance user privacy and control in intent-based systems. SSI allows users to selectively disclose their identity attributes without relying on centralized authorities. This enables secure and privacy-preserving interactions between users and smart contracts.
Scalability Solutions: Advancements in blockchain scalability, such as sharding, layer-2 solutions (e.g., state channels, rollups), and consensus algorithm optimizations, are necessary to handle the increased transaction volume and complexity of intent-based systems. These solutions can improve throughput, reduce latency, and minimize transaction costs.
Comparison Table
| Aspect | Smart Contract Protocols | Microservices |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Decentralized, blockchain-based | Decentralized, service-oriented |
| Execution | Automated, immutable once deployed | Flexible, can be updated independently |
| Scalability | Limited by blockchain throughput | Highly scalable by design |
| Security | High due to cryptographic measures, but public visibility can be a concern | Secure APIs and isolated services |
| Cost | Potentially lower transaction costs by removing intermediaries | Higher operational costs due to infrastructure needs |
| Complexity | Requires understanding of blockchain and smart contract development | Requires managing multiple services and their interactions |
| Privacy | Enhanced by zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for privacy-preserving transactions | Privacy managed through secure APIs and data isolation |
| Interoperability | Can be challenging, requires middleware or APIs for integration with existing systems | Easier integration with existing systems through standardized interfaces |
Attachments
What is the most important question you could ask yourself to make progress?