Hey! I'm Peter and I've been working on dev.to with Ben & Jess since last January. Here's some more info about me:
I work on the "business" s...
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What's your favorite part about working on dev.to?
I love being part of a team that is facilitating an inevitable and positive movement in the lives of software developers. We're not trying to create a new market or push people in arbitrary directions; we're trying to support the broader movement of cultivating a more kind, inclusive, and constructive environment for programmers.
I also love that it has a high ceiling. We're building for all developers — no matter their background or experience level. We can build something lasting and important for people all across the globe, which is a very special and motivating force.
Past projects I've worked on had elements of being niche, singularly profit-focused, or somewhat temporary and limited in their potential scope. It's refreshing and deeply inspiring to feel like I'm a small part of something much bigger.
Hey ! Thanks for your awesome platform, it is a great idea to let developers write about various things !
Are you planning thematic weeks or something else ?
Since Peter hasn't gotten to this. YES. Well not planning yet, but planning to plan.
What Ben said 👆🏽
We've also had internal "thematic weeks" in the past. For instance, an "on-boarding week" where everyone was doing something that at some level improved the process of signing up, or learning about how the site works. It's fun to occasionally lean in on shared goals with hard-metrics that support progress instead of all going out in our various directions on longer-term projects.
What's your favorite Korean-Ashkenazic fusion cuisine item?
My family didn't cook very much growing up, but this happened to have been a refrigerator staple:
Soy Vay! Love it.
This reminds me of how many kosher Asian (mostly Chinese) restaurants there in Brooklyn. Wonder if this is the secret sauce...
What have you changed your mind about recently?
Ack. I've been trying to think of a better answer here. It's a great question.
I'm definitely more intrigued by blockchain technology recently, but that was a transition from "I don't have an opinion" to "this is really interesting and potentially game-changing."
To pick a more lighthearted example: I've recently been eating a lot more tofu, seitan, and tempeh. As a kid, I would tease my sister (a life-long vegetarian) that I would eat a lot of meat in her stead, so this shift is somewhat notable in my personal day-to-day.
Are you planning to launch a job-search feature, akin to the one on StackOverflow? I think it would be awesome!
It's definitely on the roadmap! We have a dedicated #hiring tag (which is effectively in beta right now) where members can post job opportunities at their company. In the coming months, we'll be improving the experience for both job-providers and job-seekers.
Job-seekers will be able to search the listings and filter their results. They'll see more of the most relevant information (location, salary range, listing age, etc) at a glance.
Job-providers will have an easier time posting their listings, and tracking their success.
I think that hiring tools represent a key area where we can generate revenue while also delivering meaningful value for all parties involved. It's important to us that everything be organized such that you can easily ignore that wing of the platform if it's not relevant to you at that moment in time.
Brilliant Idea. I probably would be willing to pay some small money to get access to such information even if it is for analysis purposes.
I really want to get into development, but my biggest issue is the giant amount of resources that seem to muddle up things for me and selecting a language to "master". My most worked on language has been Python, which I don't enjoy very much, but do have some knowledge in web, so I've started JavaScript and so far it's a lot better and makes more sense to me.
My main question is am I right in fearing that without a mastered language I'll have no hope? It's very hard for me at the time to stick with one language and get into that zone of attempting to fully master it. Am I looking at this all wrong? I feel I need someone to calibrate my compass.
Hey Ben, I'm probably not the best person to answer this question, but I'll offer my thoughts anyway.
My sense is that if you're not enjoying Python, but you are enjoying Javascript, then allow yourself to allocate more of your time in that direction. I wouldn't worry about any "sunk cost" that you've already put into Python; you'll still benefit from that experience as you learn new languages.
The idea of "mastering" a language is pretty abstract. You can always improve, and your skill in that specific language improves by osmosis as you pick up skills in other areas. If you're specifically worried about job-hunting, I do think it could make sense to pick a language and continue making progress on it and its related technologies.
I think that in a job search, being able to demonstrate your legitimate interest and demonstrated progress, along with the ability to finish projects and intelligently describe the choices you made, would be about the most impactful part your application and pitch.
I'm sure @jess , @ben , or another member of the community would be happy to jump in and lend their thoughts, as well. Good luck!
I have a few thoughts Ben.
I really mean point 3 in the most positive way. It's hard work, but there's ample opportunity.
Hey Ben! I'm willing to bet that most developers don't consider themselves 'masters' in a specific language. Understanding underlying concepts is what's important.
I've seen plenty of devs get hired without knowing the company stack because they demonstrated sound logic during interviews. They usually end up spending the first few week learning the new language/framework while on the job.
Hi Ben! I've been programming with Python since forever (I think Python 2 wasn't even a thing) and I still have to google stuff sometimes :-)
I love it (less than I used to) but if it's not for you there are so many languages and skills (that can get you hired) you can learn. JavaScript is quite fun and you can definitely get hired being a good JS developer.
My advice is don't wait to feel ready until you can recite "JavaScript the bad parts" by memory :-D
Good luck!
Do you have an advice for either 1) non-technical people working in a technical environment or 2) technical people (the devs, technical writers, etc) who are looking to branch into the "business side" of tech?
Great question.
I somewhat touch on this here, but I'll expand a bit. I think that it's easy to fall into the trap of imagining a huge gulf between the technical / non-technical sides of the business. It's frustrating to look at code and feel totally lost, or to let your mind wander as someone explains the technical nitty gritty.
The reality is that you are totally capable of understanding what's going on if try hard, ask thoughtful questions, and have patient and committed teammates. You'll learn more quickly than you had anticipated due to "beginner gains," and then you'll build the capacity to accrete more and more knowledge on your own. You might not be committing code, but it won't take long to notice that you're a lot more informed and effective when communicating with technical members of the team.
I think that it's easier to "bike shed" on the business side — after all, everyone can have an opinion on pricing or roll-out strategy, whereas not everyone can have an opinion on which Javascript framework to use and why.
I've found that the bigger blocker going in this direction is a sense of reticence about "staying in one's lane." I've noticed that programmers I've worked with in the past sometimes had tremendous insight, but felt shy about speaking up because they felt like it wasn't their place. So, again, I'd say it's about making a concerted effort to begin the dialogue, ask thoughtful questions, and then seeking the right forum to raise ideas.
What are your thoughts on the cryptocurrency madness?
As I've educated myself and learned more, I think I'm at the position of... I know enough that I don't know enough.
I think that the vast majority of people investing into cryptocurrencies are purely hype-driven and have no insight or appreciation for the underlying technology. Maybe that's fine, and maybe they're "right" in the macro sense, and they'll all make a lot of money as cryptocurrencies gain adoption and importance in our world. But I find it worrying.
A lot of the smartest people I know are working on blockchain-based projects, and understand how to leverage the technology's unique advantages to transform industries. At this point, I don't have that same level of insight or bullishness in the area — but I'm prepared to be wrong in a major way.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this whole thing play out similarly to the .COM crash. A lot of people will lose a lot of money on specific projects — maybe it's too early — but the overall sector will do really well in the long run.
I've known Peter and been working with him ever since moving to USA/New York almost five years ago. When it was looking like dev.to could be bigger than a two-person side project earlier this year, we turned to Peter and have been working with him ever since.
Having three partners is great for breaking ties in arguments.
Ask Peter anything. He's always willing to chat or offer advice on anything.
Fun fact: Ben and I met on reddit.com/r/nycjobs
I would like to know your experience working with developers while being "the least technical member"(Since I often face the same situations). Are there any struggles that you encounter and how do you communicate with them?
I didn't know that you were a half korean! Awesome!
When I first started working with Ben, I was definitely guilty of the "JUST" mindset. I didn't have a full appreciation of how difficult and de-moralizing it can be to work with a non-technical stakeholder that doesn't have adequate insight into the technology. Constantly changing the specs, assuming major changes are trivial, etc.
We often internally cite the XKCD Tasks comic to explain the disconnect.
Over the last several years, I've made a substantial effort to ask thoughtful questions, and improve my overall understanding of the technology we use and decisions we've made. I do my best to write detailed issues and can usually identify the right "approach" as I suggest features and provide feedback. I'll often peruse the code included in PRs to ensure I have a vague recognition of what went where and what it did.
I think it's critical that everyone on the team — even if they're not committing code regularly — has an appreciation for and understanding of the code-base and it's moving pieces. I plan to try and take on more "approachable" issues in 2018.
I was an English major too! I also played Bball in junior and high school and was really, really good.
How did you move from English major to entrepreneur of two successful ventures?
What were you on Montel show for? 😉
I tried to embrace the "liberal arts" mindset when I got to college. I decided pretty early on that I would let my passion and authentic interest guide my course-load as opposed to optimizing for career prospects or the optics of "hard skills." I loved building abstract arguments and defending them, and debating ideas, and English classes were great for those intellectual exchanges.
I've never felt "limited" whatsoever by that decision. It's increasingly common to continue developing professional skills post-graduation; so I think the primary goal of school should be to hone your ability to self-learn, rather than give you all the knowledge you'll need.
The Montel Show was part a pretty crazy experience. I was fifteen and on a helicopter tour in Hawaii when I noticed a glint of light way below us on the black ground of a lava field. I knew that people sometimes used flashing lights to communicate an SOS signal, so I mentioned it to the pilot.
It turned out to be a hiker that had been lost for five days who was using a piece of mirror to try and signal helicopters. He had been at it for days and they had called off the search for his body. They invited us on for a "meet your hero" episode. It was pretty nuts. Here's a link with some more info.
Was the decision to be a co-founder a conscious and deliberate one, or were you "driven by fate"? How did you managed then to communicate to the people around you your intention and ideas? Do you think it was a risky decision, or you were walking on safe ground at the time you get to be who you are now?
Great question. I've always been entrepreneurial — from launching projects and side-hustles through middle and high school, to building and selling a business in college. When I moved to NYC, I was part of a small team at Hatch Labs, a mobile app incubator that was part of IAC. I had a super cool role where I was tasked with helping every incubating company with all of their non-technical needs: everything from customer support to business development to partnerships, product development, acquisition, etc.
I loved that job, and my co-workers, and I recognized that I was building a ton of valuable skills... but even though I was only at that company for six months (before it shut down), I always felt a strong itch to take more control and lead my own project. After it folded, I met @ben and we started working on Texts.com.
In that sense, I've always "felt the drive" and have wanted to lead and co-lead projects.
That said, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the massive element of privilege that's often present in being an entrepreneur. The fact that I was able to attend quality schools growing up without accumulating personal debt, that I had a family that would support me if all else failed, that I knew people who could invest at the early stages, on and on, has been a major factor.
The ground has been unsteady and chaotic at times, but it's also been a lot "safer" for me personally than it has been for many other entrepreneurs. I try not to forget that, or to ascribe too much pride or self-satisfaction without remembering that massive advantage and privilege that I feel like people don't talk about enough.
"After it folded, I met @ben and we started working on Texts.com"
How long after Hatch folded-- 6 weeks... 6 months?
Did you meet Ben virtually / online?
How did you & Ben agree to start working on Texts-- was it a project or a side hustle?
Much closer to six weeks. It folded at the end of 2012 and we met in Feb of 2013.
We met on /r/nycjobs
Texts.com was a "real project," in that we were both doing it full-time. At the very start it was more "my" project with Ben helping out as a contractor; but, within a month or two, it became clear we got along well and were ready to commit as real partners.
That's a cool way to begin + cement a relationship. Thanks for the details... very insightful.
Thanks for your answer!!
Any reason you wanted to be in New York City?
I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, so NYC was always the mystical "big city" on the other coast. I knew I wanted to get out of California for college, and I ended up going to school in Connecticut.
I was able to connect with a few entrepreneurs in NYC while in my senior year, and they helped me find an awesome job here in the city. I actually moved here just a few days after graduating, which was exhilarating but terrifying.
I love that tech/startups are one of many prominent industries in NYC. I had noticed that Entertainment dominates in Los Angeles, that Tech dominates in San Francisco, and I wanted to be somewhere with a more diverse set of professional fields. There are so many people in finance, media, fashion, the arts, etc. here — it's never boring and you get to meet new and interesting people every single day.
It's been 5.5 years and I'm still loving it, despite the cold weather :)
Peter, without you, dev.to wouldn't be where it is today. I'm so happy you're doing this AMA so that the community has an opportunity to get to know you a bit more.
I'm curious, did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
In sixth grade we could earn fake money for presenting a current event at the beginning of class. You got to use that fake money at the end of the year to bid on candy in an auction setting. The "catch" was that you could only present one current event / per person / per day.
I started creating "ready to go" current events that I would sell right outside the classroom for 50% of the bounty. It got to the point where we were wasting so much time on these presentations that the teacher agreed to just buy me out for the entire year.
I think it was as I was eating my fill of Twizzler's and Reese's at the end-of-the-year party that I knew.
Hello and thank you about the project :)
Do you plan to have something like full "Reactions history" or "Articles bookmarks" in order to be able to save most interesting articles to be previewed again later?
Hey Ivan — yup, this has definitely been discussed and requested. I've been finding myself personally wanting this feature more and more over the last few weeks. It might have to wait until we open-source, but it's a popular request so hopefully it's treated as a priority :)
Thank you! Good luck with the project. It makes a lot of people happy.
And... it's here!
Changelog: Bookmarks!
Ben Halpern
Wonderful!!! Even already tried it :) Thank you
What was your first ever entrepreneurial venture?
In seventh grade (2003), my friend and I were addicted to Counter Strike. I believe it was version 1.5 — this was before Steam sort of centralized everything. We started hosting a dedicated
de_ratsgame server off of his parents spare computer for our group of friends. Over time, and because "rats" was a relatively niche map, we developed a pretty sizeable following of regular players.We eventually started charging for "admin" access on the server. Being an admin would allow you to slap, kick, ban users, send game-wide messages, etc. It was sort of a thrill for folks to have that extra power, and they were willing to pay $5-10/mo for the privilege. It also guaranteed you a reserved slot in the server, which could get very crowded at peak hours. The forced scarcity (due to our crappy machine) turned out to be a critical factor. Everything was facilitated by Paypal.
Fast forward a few months, and we had a tidy little business on our hands. We eventually built a dedicated host-machine ourselves, and expanded to support more game servers. This was before cloud-hosting servers were ready available. We called it CounterAdmin.com — it's still on Archive.org's wayback machine.
Um, are you sure you're the least technical?
Hahaha I was just about to ask this same thing. Doesn't sound like @peter is non-technical at all. 😜
Hehe. My co-founder on that project is absolutely brilliant and currently works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He deserves the vast majority of the credit.
Dude I know exactly what you're talking about. I remember getting so salty when I found out these admins that were slapping me around just paid to be an admin on that specific server.
That's an awesome first venture though 👌
And my first game in counter Strike was in the fifth grade and I was 12 years old then, it was 2001, it only recently appeared, but very quickly began to gain popularity, even now it is one of the best. At the moment I am still connected with this video game, namely on the site csgobettings.com/csgoempire-referr... I use various top platforms for betting and thus make money. When I started doing this, my family was in a very difficult situation, but now everything has changed.
We also can recommend other game according to your needs. Please, check gamble-csgo.com/csgoempire-referra... for new users they offer attractive bonuses.
Counter-Strike is a whole epoch! Lately I've been playing CS:GO, and I also periodically open cases on sites from the rating here
You work on the "business" side. Does this mean that you give the "greenlight" on ideas that are supposed to make dev.to a self-sustainable project? How do you take decisions as a team when it comes to decisions such as these? Are there any "conflict" between you and the more technical developers when it comes to the path to choose? I suppose one of the goals of dev.to is to become self-sustainable, how do you balance between doing something more on the 'community' side and something more on the 'money' side ?
Hey Damien, great question. No one on our team is the sole arbiter of "green" or "red"-lighting a major feature or initiative. Ben, Jess, and I collectively discuss these issues and tend to come to mutual agreement. That, or someone eventually "disagrees and commits" and we go forward newly-aligned on something.
That said, we each have our "areas" of specific influence, and I tend to have a strong voice in revenue-generating goals. I'll share my personal thoughts.
As you know, we're a company with real costs (mostly in the form of team salaries), so we need a way to offset those expenditures. We'd love to generate revenue and become self-sufficient, rather than rely on a constant drip of external capital. We think that being sustainable (and ideally profitable) is incredibly important to our goals of remaining member-driven and long-term focused.
I don't think that generating revenue and enriching the member experience need to be mutually exclusive. For instance, as we build more features in the jobs/hiring arena, we can support job-seekers while charging job-providers a reasonable fee for the connections.
As a thought experiment, let's think about theoretically implementing display ads. On one end of the spectrum, we could make money by putting up terrible third-party blinking banner ads everywhere. They track you, they slow down the site, it's awful. That's the extreme — and it's obviously nothing we would ever do. It would alienate our members and betray the good-faith they've put in us.
On the other end of the spectrum, maybe we place a link somewhere on the site to a "Sponsors" page. No one ever sees it or goes there unless they specifically seek it out. On that page, and that page only, there are self-hosted banners (logos) that highlight the companies that have chosen to financially support us.
When we discuss these things, we tend to anchor the bounds at the two extremes. That way we can understand where each other stand on the issue, and work productively to find the mid-point that best retain our values (community) while also protecting our ability to keep the lights on (money).
In 2018, we'll be releasing more features and initiatives to generate revenue, but we'll be proceeding with a strict member-first mindset. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the answer. It does seem like a tricky transition from being entirely free to start charging services. Hope it all goes well!
I think folks will be pretty happy with everything we have in the works 😊. We're pretty heavily routed in our ideology regarding what it means to be a good thing for people and compared to being some other crappy company on the internet. You might hear me beating the drum on this the most, but the values run deep throughout the org.
Nobody seemed to ask this yet - what is your favorite sport?
I definitely need those physical competitive juices to keep me balanced after coding and problem solving all day.
So ya, fav sport? Team? Player? Fighter etc.
My favorite sports to play right now are basketball and soccer. I play pick-up basketball most weekends, and I'm on a fairly-competitive soccer team (we just won our league!).
My most serious sport at any moment in time was Rugby (Union) during college. I was the captain of my team for two years and played second row (lock) before transitioning to inside center. I think rugby is an amazing sport to play and watch because the action is so fluid and it requires players to be fit and coordinated as well as bruising and tough.
Rugby looks so intense and fun. I'd love to just try it out a few times. I was really small and didn't really hit my growth spurt till the end of high school so I never considered real physical sports like football.
I've been in love with basketball though since I can remember. Was undersized in high school but basically made the team by being an amazing shooter and hustling my ass off. I still play pick up pretty regularly but I also train muy thai kickboxing and Kali/Escrima (filipino stick fighting).
I enjoy playing all kinds of sports with friends though (Tennis, soccer, football, water polo, whatever is going down). But ya, never played rugby yet.
Rugby is a tough game to play at a "pickup" level. There's a variant called "touch" that's pretty fun, but it's completely different from a normal game with contact.
I'd recommend sitting down and watching a highlight video which will give you a sense of why rugby is so exciting and dynamic. And then if you can find a local pub that shows some big international games, you can go watch with die-hard fans which is an awesome experience in itself.
First I love dev.to . I just fail to understand what went in your head when you opened it.. "lets open a developer friendly blogging platform like the other million out there and hope it works"? (It worked but I just don't get it).
I think this question would be best answered by @ben . This article touches on some of his general insights about launching a project
Ben’s Five Keys to Creating a Successful Side Project
Ben Halpern
But I'm sure he'd be happy to expand on the specific rationale and motivation for starting The Practical Dev Twitter account and then dev.to platform.
Hi Mr Peter,
Please don't take this in an offensive way.
But What is the business side of dev.to .
Coz I've never seen any ad or sponsored post or subscription option.
So what's your source of income to run the business ?
What's your strategy to drive traffic to site ?
What's your weekdays and week end's like ?(I've never heard about any non developer's work life )
Hello Aswath, no offense taken. This is an AMA after all :)
I talk about the business side a bit here. The long/short is that we don't have revenue-generating features quite yet, but we'll be rolling out some offerings soon. We're committed to making sure those new initiatives add value for our members.
The strategy to drive traffic is relatively simple: work hard to provide our members with a platform to share knowledge and find support. That means building a good product and cultivating a positive community that people want to frequent and commit their time/energy/thoughts into.
More tactically, we drive traffic through direct traffic (habitual usage, links); social media (Twitter and Facebook, mostly); and search engines.
My work-life largely entails dealing with inbound email; sending outbound emails; managing finances, strategy, and personnel with Ben/Jess; spearheading special projects (IE our sticker campaign or the launch of the new shop); and everything in between. Because I'm the least likely to have my head stuck in a coding editor, I'm often the first call to deal with the "everything else" that running a business demands.
I'm passionate about web app development and constantly coming up with ideas for new projects. What helps you stay focused on you current project or idea so that you can first make that project successful before moving on to your next idea?
I'm going to cheat and use an awesome article by @ben as my answer here:
Ben’s Five Keys to Creating a Successful Side Project
Ben Halpern
I think Practical Dev is headed in an interesting direction. Global service lies in reaching less technical folks, like u & me. What's the best way I can work with Dev to achieve that?
Hey Ingrid, nice to hear from you. I think that the most immediate way you can help is by continuing to be a contributing member of the community. There's a myth that you have to be an "expert" to produce worthwhile content on dev.to. On the contrary, some of my favorite articles have been written by other #beginners who are sharing their experience and specific perspective as they work through a problem or make a breakthrough.
Thanks for the insightful answer. That "myth" is part of Dev's reputation... and reality. Part of the reality of someone who doesn't "work" in tech is a missing value proposition. "What's in it for me?" is a question that lingers for many-- poor & wealthy alike. Since I don't feel like I have time to 'spare', like many pre-beginners, I'm not likely to 'escape' to Dev unless that question is answered. What's in it for me? Again, many thanks for the answer.
I think a lot of specific articles on dev.to deal with addressing the pre-beginner mindset of "why should I learn to code in the first place?". That said, I think the "what's in it for me?" is mostly a personal question. I imagine it can be pure curiosity ("how does all this work?"), a profit motive ("I'll get a high-paying job once I learn these skills"), or something else entirely.
I think our platform is specifically well geared to support people at that "post-beginner" stage. There are already so many fantastic resources for people who want to learn to code; but there seems to be a dearth of friendly and inclusive communities for junior programmers who have some basics, but need help "leveling up" and finding support as they work through issues and encounter new issues and ideas.
It seems like most of the "market" is focused at the two ends: either you're brand new or you're an expert. We've been focusing more on the middle.
Agreed on the 'dearth' and with your logic behind choosing the middle lane. I'm not a post-beginner. No matter which level I'm at, I seek community too... as opposed to being part of a trend or initiative. Thanks again for a thoughtful reply.
Thank you for great platform!
Do you know qiita.com/trend , which is a similar platform to dev.to in Japan?
I've wrote some on Qiita in Japanese, and I'm willing to translate it in English.
Do you think you will pursue speed in UX, if you run other kind of platform, say, online dating, e-commerce, micro-blogging, blalabla.
In my opinion as a developer, I'm enthusiast for micro-interactions, especially for fast loads, so I will choose a strategy akin to dev.to.
Hi Kento!
1) Thank you!
2) I wasn't aware of Qiita, but it looks quite similar. We'd love to have you cross-post and/or translate any articles you've written :)
3) While I don't think another kind of platform is on the immediate roadmap, I do think speed/performance will always be a central priority for us. Not just because it's awesome, but because it's a good constraint to ensure the site is performant and consistent for everyone, not just those on a fast connection.
Not a question but a request: please refrain from making the announcement of this #ama animated - when I want to read valuable content on dev.to I don't want to be distracted by a blinking dot (the announcement itself is fine :-))
Noted. I'll make an issue and we'll discuss at our next sprint planning. Thanks for chiming in.
Considering the fact, that you have a business background, how is it possible that an article which was being prepared for two weeks, with 'proof of concept' done, in general, nothing more to say in this topic and it turns out that it gets through a smaller number of people than the one written in the evening, over the beer?
It's a good question. It's hard to know what people will respond to.
Just remember: sometimes startups raise tens of millions of dollars in VC and end up building something that no one wants. Then other side-projects occasionally come along and turn into massive businesses.
Maybe, to the extent possible, try testing the headlines and major ideas and gathering feedback before or during the writing process?
Hey Peter. Love the AMA.
Tell me something that you strongly believe, that almost nobody agrees with you on.
This is a fantastic question... I've been thinking about an answer on/off since you asked it, but I don't have anything I'm satisfied with yet. I'll keep pondering.
How would you answer this question?
I can't take credit for the question, as Peter Thiel is famous for asking this in job interviews. I believe there are some philosophical/moral topics that 99% of the population immediately write-off as disgusting or inhumane, but when you break the issues down to their first-principles, the contrarian perspective makes more and more sense (e.g. cannibalism, drug decriminalization, etc.). I don't necessarily vouch for legal changes within some of these subjects, but rather, I disagree with the logic as to why they are 'outlawed'. It's all very abstract of course, but we should chat more over a coffee/beer in the new year.
why heroku and not linode/do?
Pinging @ben who will have a much better answer.
Familiarity and it gets the job done. Heroku is super simple out of the box with a conventional Rails app and really gets out of the way. If it makes sense, we'll gladly change some day, but the calculus hasn't yet tilted in that direction.
Do you have training/internship programs ? (Muhammad 17yo from Tunisia )
Hi Muhammad, we have a DEV apprenticeship program that's currently in it's second cycle. If you're interested in learning more before we get rolling with another one, feel free to ping me at peter@dev.to.
What's does your normal day look like? Do you have any side project?
No side projects currently, though I have a few in mind that I'd like to take on next year.
The most positive day-to-day development recently has been the decision to work from home at least one day a week. 🤗
How did you begin forming this community? How we can gather people to make an interactive community like this?
The growth of dev.to and its transition towards becoming a "true" community followed an interesting path—
Stage 1: Twitter account, managed by Ben.
Stage 2: fledgling platform, with a small set of contributors. The main draw was exposure via the Twitter account
Stage 3: maturing community with a wider set of contributors and meaningful on-site activity (reactions, comments, follows, etc).
I think that having a strategic plan was important, as was sticking true to our major principles (welcoming environment, performant experience, focusing hard on the major product features).
How do you make revenue from this application or is there no revenue made?
Hi Chidindu, I cover that somewhat in this reply. The long/short is that we're not currently making revenue, but we'll be rolling out some revenue-generating features eventually that we really think the community will love :)
dev.to using what technology?
@ben wrote a great article on the topic:
The dev.to tech stack
Ben Halpern
What is your business model? I.T. companies like facebook and google make their revenue from adverts majorly, what about you guys?
In 2018 we'll release some revenue-generating features. I don't want to jump the announcement(s), but here are two comments with some additional information: link1, link2
What is the architecture of dev.to ?
I think this post has what you're looking for :)
vi or emacs
Sublime Text for me 😳
Well, if you are intersted in gaming niche and earning money from it, you should look at here now for more info