Let's Clear The Air

A follow-up to the previous newsletter titled “My Honest Take”

This update primarily addresses community veterans, so it may feel a bit like inside baseball! The focus is mainly on how the content of Handmade Seattle has evolved and diverged from its original direction.

Dear Handmade Community,

Wow, a lot of people read my last newsletter. Two sections—“2024: A Gap Year” and “When the Industry Suffers, We Listen”—sparked strong reactions. They struck like a lightning bolt. Some loved it, some loathed it, and others fell in between. I want to address the concerns and clarify where I think I misstepped.

On “2024: A Gap Year”

This year is not a pivot. Handmade Seattle remains interested in technical depth. If you’ve noticed a broader trend of moving away from old-school talks, I think that’s fair to discuss, though I’d ask we don’t lump 2024 into that particular story. I explained some of my challenges in the previous newsletter, but ultimately I failed to ensure we included that type of content.

Also, I didn’t emphasize strongly enough just how much I personally want to return to a full slate of technical talks. I crave them too. For anyone who didn’t get their fill, I understand. We’ll need time to see me build that track record once again.

Keynote Talk

Regarding Andrew Kelley’s keynote, I should mention I personally want small businesses to flourish in the software space. I want more programmers selling closed-source binaries at a profit, not less. Seeing Handmade devs thriving in this way is my own dream: Andrew knows this! At the same time, I found his formulation of the problems in our industry compelling, even if I disagree with some of his solutions.

On My Rant

I said something unfair in the last newsletter:

“I’m struck by the ignorance from some audience members.”

This was directed at a small subset of interactions I had in person. That doesn’t excuse the comment, and I regret expressing my frustration this way.

To explain, though not excuse: the financial and logistical challenges for Handmade Cities this year were immense. Some costs tripled, venues demanded massive upfront payments, and negotiations were draining. On top of this, I saw firsthand the toll the economy has taken on friends, colleagues, and community members. I let my frustration spill over in the wrong direction.

My Two Requests

To move forward, I ask two things of you:

1. See 2024 as unique, not the new normal.
   I’m returning to old-school content, with a sprinkle of the non-technical, though sparingly.
2. Talk to me.
   Indie conferences allow direct feedback. If you loved a talk or demo, tell me. If you were disappointed, tell me that too. I’ll listen.

I hope this assuages the camp that feels alienated, even if just a little bit.

On Communication

Handmade Cities and Handmade Network are separate entities with a shared vision. If you’re upset about something Handmade Cities did, reach out to me directly. If it’s Handmade Network, Ben Visness is your point of contact. If it’s about both of us, email both of us!

Although we’re often happy to be surrogates for each other, it helps a lot when important feedback reaches the right human.

The community spans many spaces—some important folks aren’t on Discord, while others engage primarily online. I think we’ll need better ways to connect these groups. We’re keen on solving the challenge of clearer feedback across the various subsections of Handmade.

A Closing Note

I’m still me—still in love with Handmade software (and a couple other things), still re-watching Eskil Steenberg for the umpteenth time. I’m still excited to return to programming during Christmas break and avoiding humans :)

If I’ve let you down, please don’t let it fester. Email me, message me, or find me at an in-person event. We might end up not seeing eye to eye anyway, but at least we talked about it. Some of you have already started doing this and that means a lot to me.

Let’s also all try to rest this holiday season.

All the best,
Abner