10 Things I learned from Steph Ango
He is one of the founders/creators of Obsidian and has a very philosophical blog here:
- We want to stay small, we don’t need to hire lots of people
- We follow strict principles that we do not want to compromise
- Our users are happy to support us, we don’t need VC money
1. Big tech companies have the ability to make their software cheap by subsidizing costs in a variety of ways
but this creates lock in and private data.
2. Write 100% user-supported software
Why Obsidian is 100% user-supported and not backed by venture capital investors:
If you have principles and enough patience, being 100% user-supported is by far the most fun way to build.
3. Pain is information, and information is painful. Rewiring your brain is not a frictionless process. Some knowledge can only be discovered the hard way.
4. If you want to progress faster, write concise explanations.
5. The world before motors was a world of suffering.
6. If you want your writing to still be readable on a computer from the 2060s or 2160s, it’s important that your notes can be read on a computer from the 1960s.
7. 40 questions to ask yourself every year / decade
8. Nibble and your appetite will grow.
Appetite can be the hunger for any kind of thing, not just food. Some days I wish I had the appetite to write, to read, to exercise, or even go outside.
This is also true for food. If you don't nibble, you won't be as hungry.
9. Calmness is a superpower
"Calm people seem to be more helpful, they seem to see the situation more clearly.
Calmness is a foundation that you can build anything on top of. Calmness helps you solve problems. Calmness helps you appreciate what you have. Calmness helps you focus on what’s important."
10. Style is consistent constraint
"Your mind should be flexible, but your process should be repeatable.
Style is a set of constraints that you stick to."
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