Simple !== Easy
+ a rebrand
Hey, it’s the “Fullstack Engineering” guy. I renamed this newsletter to “Keep Software Simple” so newcomers know what kind of writing to expect.
Choosing the right name truly is a skill, and I’m learning to appreciate the power of descriptiveness.
While prepping to launch Compass Calendar v1.0.0 this week, I dug up my early designs from 2021.
(Yes, it took 5 years.)
(Yes, that’s insane.)
I couldn’t help but chuckle at what I saw.
I envisioned a superapp that’d support a plethora of data types: events, tasks, habits, reminders, tags, and routines. I wanted it to be as powerful as Notion, but less heavy-handed.
So I started coding.
Then I made every first-time founder mistake in the book:
Stuffing it w/ features
Ignoring feedback
Using Electron
Chasing VCs
Wearing fleece vests
I built a bloated app that no one used.
Eventually, I looked in the digital mirror and thought:
“I gotta lose some weight.”
I spent the last seven months deleting, consolidating, uninstalling, and refining.
As a result, v1 does a lot less than v0:
It only has events and tasks
It only works on the web (not desktop, not mobile)
It only syncs w/ GCal (not Outlook, not iCal)
It only has two views (initially it had five)
But what it does, it does well.
In 2021, shipping something so lean would’ve embarrassed me.
In 2026, the product’s minimalism is what makes me proud.
That’s because along the way, I learned a priceless lesson:
Simple !== easy