I just read a new post by Edmar Ferreira titled:

It’s his take on what we previously called “chat-driven programming”, but perhaps broader.

I thought it was user-focused, but his description too is engineer focused, but more personal. His journey.

Selfish software refers to writing code for yourself without any external customers in mind.

I like the name, I guess.

Perhaps the process of creating software this way we can call “chat-driven programming” and the artifacts that are a result we can call “selfish software”, or what I have previously been calling “disposable software”.

I like the “how to start section” too.

For example, this snippet on the need to re-think the approach:

It can be challenging to jump into selfish software after being accustomed to searching for customers and making projects for profit. I had to rewrite my own workflows and to rethink how I approached work.

The main steps:

  • Tune out external noise (e.g. play, get creative, have fun, rather than market-focus)
  • Identify personal pain points (e.g. track small user pains all the time)
  • Start with small pieces of “disposable software" (e.g. one-off scripts)
  • Develop personal software for ongoing use (e.g. larger projects once you have confidence + processes)
  • Maintain a playful mindset (e.g. what would make this cooler, do that)
  • Scale or don’t scale—it’s your choice (e.g. scale or stay small/personal, and that’s okay)

Nod.

So far, most of the code I have generated feels like “disposable software”, even the stuff I’ve put on webpages and github.

The reason is because I know I can generate it again fast, and probably better.

I strongly believe software (interfaces) are going to be generated on demand.

For example:

Why talk to an LLM when it can generate a custom interface to show you the answer to a question and allow you to play with it.

Agree with the final point, it’s about re-discovering the joy in making/creating.

Selfish software is not about ignoring user needs altogether; it’s about restoring the joy of building by making yourself the user you’re most eager to please.

A nice swing-back from indie-hacking software for the market that was so popular for a decade+.

Building for yourself has never been more accessible—or more fun.

Agreed!

Good piece.

Also see some of Edmar’s substack pieces where he tested some of these ideas: