Ask HN: Creating the best possible career/monetary outcome for a side project

3 points by adroitboss 4y ago ↗ HN

I wrote a JavaScript compiler / low code framework that can build single page apps pretty quickly in what I believe to be a unique way. I know it has some uses in the real world, but I am unsure how to monetize it or show it off in a way that can land me a better paying job in the future.

It has it's pro's and con's like most frameworks. It's not designed to be the fastest, but allows people to build internal like apps/ forms quickly with very readable code. I'm looking for advice on possible next steps I can take to create the best possible outcome without being taken advantage of. (I have heard tons of stories about open source maintainers driven to burnout because of the demands of the masses).

If anyone has advice I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

5 comments

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crobertsbmw 4y ago ↗

I think popular adoption driving the maintainer to the point of burnout is the exception. I run deckofcardsapi.com. It’s been fairly popular and I’ve never felt like the load has been more than a few hit issues that I can happily ignore. It’s also been a great bullet point in my resume, but that’s about it. But I’m just one data point.

adroitboss 4y ago ↗

Thanks for the reassurance. I guess I need to just take the leap of faith.

verdverm 4y ago ↗

Docs, demos, samples, and videos.

Focus on that and see what happens.

Research low-code as well. Are you targeting developers or non-coders? There is a world of difference in how it goes based on that

You'd get better feedback if you share a link / GitHub repo

adroitboss 4y ago ↗

I have to clean it up a little bit, but I will post it. I guess I'm currently in a negative "what if" form of paralysis where I am prematurely optimizing which is a software engineering sin.

I'm targeting backend developers who want a quick front-end that (in a way) works as a backend api. It's not overly customizable, but it's solid and people don't have to worry about the frontend.

verdverm 4y ago ↗

yeah, just get it out there, I've gotten feedback and ideas I would not have thought of myself from users. One I recently added and absolutely love, kinda wish I had thought of it :]

Frontend design and backend custom logic is where low-code / code-gen break down. It's hard to capture all the edge cases or custom things people do. You need a way to plug into or give users some control. Anecdotally, this is what I have found in my own work and having been around low-code/code-gen long enough to know the common complaints / limits.

My project if you are interested: https://github.com/hofstadter-io/hof