Felix Tan 👋🏼

🚀 VC-backed Founder turned Indie Maker | 🧗🏻‍♂️Rock Climber | Built with NoCode, now learning to code

[Ann Nguyen @ann_nnng]

I know this kinda tool is very common, but using your own product to support your work gives a different level of satisfaction 😂

Esp. since I can change the imageUrl, which I always have to edit manually when copying the generated meta tags from sites like metatagsio 🙃

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

Programming is hard 😖

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

With my SAAS becoming more complex, I've had to wrangle with the quirks and limitations of NoCode platforms for a long time.

Now that I'm learning to code though, each time I'm building a feature, I can't help but think that this would be so simple with code.

[Erik Goins @erikgoinsHQ]

Yesterday I shared some semi controversial thoughts on the state of talent in #nocode.

Here's what I'm seeing in our industry:
- the majority of Flywheel applicants aren't qualified to build basic or introductory applications
- every month we get 2-3 project requests where the client has been abandoned by their previous freelance developer
- in addition to those we get 2-3 requests where they have a product that doesn't work. Usually a combination of bad DB design and totally misunderstanding the client's requirements
- about 30% of our job applications have frequent misspellings and/or misspell my name
- we've had job applicants claim our templates as their own projects in their portfolio🤦

I want to be really clear, this is a disaster at the bottom level of nocode.

It doesn't affect the top end. The majority of the companies and clients we work with have processes and budgets that allow them to escape this.

At the bottom end, in particular, with clients who are individuals and new to software development, they're frequently hiring developers who aren't going to be able to deliver.

This isn't everyone, of course. There are good devs out there. But bad devs reflect negatively on all of us.

At Flywheel, it's bad enough that we don't hire nocode devs anymore! We target traditional devs and university grads. We've had a significantly better experience teaching them the platforms than finding someone who's "well versed" on it.

How do we solve this? I don't have an answer. It's just really a shame because there are too many people passing themselves off as experts but aren't qualified.

I'd say half of the "bad" projects we see come from someone who's listed on the expert forum of a platform.

I think that nocode's accessibility is a double edge sword. By allowing anyone to become a developer, you've done exactly that.

What I'd really like to see:
- platforms significantly increase expert standards and their review process.
- more emphasis on studying traditional development skills (guess what! designing a DB schema in nocode is the same as code)
- clients should be more aware of how to qualify devs. I don't think this will happen, but I do wish ppl were smarter to maybe challenge if you're really going to get the app you want for $5k (it's probably too good to be true)

To be explicit. I don't want to discourage anyone from becoming a nocode developer. This is a life changing opportunity for a significant portion of the world.

What I want to see is more structure, professionalism, and and emphasis on building high quality software (not cheap software).

That benefits all of us and helps grow the ecosystem. If nocode can't deliver quality software, the ecosystem will lose its credibility which is difficult to overcome.

Anyways, just some thoughts from my side!

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@NigelGodfrey @bubble Congrats Nigel! 😉

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

Kinda always knew FlutterFlow would beat WeWeb. What a launch list of amazing features.

[FlutterFlow @flutterflow]

FlutterFlow 4.0 is now live for all users! 🚀

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

What happens when you fire 50% of the company.

[Tibo @tibo_maker]

What Twitter shipped before Elon:

• NFT Profile Pictures for 300 rich people

What Twitter shipped after Elon:

• Removed legacy checkmarks 👋
• Launched Twitter Blue globally
• Prioritized verified accounts to fight spam and bots
• Introduced verified badges for organizations that individuals can be affiliated to
• Launched Community notes for debunking propaganda and false statements globally
• Changed the Twitter logo to a dog 🤣
• Launched long-form tweets
• Introduced formatting for long-form tweets
• Open-sourced code for recommended tweets
• 2 hours/8 GB video uploads for Twitter Blue users
• Exposed truth via Twitter files
• Introduced individual reply to DMs and all emoji reactions
• Launched faster playback and mini player for videos
• Launched new API pricing (mixed reaction from me 🤣)
• Launched subscriptions for creators
• Twitter will keep none of the money from subscriptions for the next 12 months
• Launched pay for creators for ads served in their replies. First block of payment totals $5M.
• Introduced a better recommendation algorithm that updates every 24 to 48 hrs based on user suggestions.
• Improved advertisement and brand safety
• Removed child pornography

Easy to complain but I love how fast they're going 🤯

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@weweb_io @bestbubbledev I would prefer that random things in WeWeb don't break for no reason.

(I did not touch any setting whatsoever related to the datepicker and it's suddenly broken)

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@frantzfries At least 20.

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@atsaotsao Nice graphics! What tool do you use to generate them?!

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@bestbubbledev Even in nocode, every action is a predefined “function” of sorts. The nocode tool is just partially defining it for you in advance.

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@slavopastor @weweb_io If you could automate self host / write guides on how to do it, would be bomber :)

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

Bubble-fluencers after Bubble says they’ll reduce prices by 50-99% after “statistical regression”

“Oh great! Thanks for listening”

You’re still locked in, still at the mercy of price increases, while tolerating Bubble’s shit performance.

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@NocodeTalks Or just implement OTP / Magic link login when you migrate :)

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@equimore @bubble Sometimes as a nontechnical founder you have no choice 🥲 would recommend either @flutterflow or @weweb_io as an alternative.

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

The new bubble pricing update, and how so many bubble “experts” hail it as a good move, shows just how little these “experts” understand about building applications.

We’re finally seeing the exposé of twitter’s empty influencers 😜

[Chris Strobl @SWFactoryGuy]

Do things that don't scale.

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

The thesis of unnecessary VC funding and the industry’s hubris is finally becoming real.

[Tyler Tringas @tylertringas]

Good morning, AI-based tools will be a massive opportunity for calm companies, but a dud for VC. Here's my thesis:

[Felix Tan 👋🏼 @felixtanhm]

@johnnylinsf @bubble @postmarkapp @jamesdevonport Except that this happened 😉

https://t.co/PYE0MxC06w

[James Devonport @jamesdevonport]

So @postmarkapp just cut off our access without notice. Safe to say I’ll be deleting all the tutorials I made and not recommending them again.