OK, Tim. You’ve described the ethos behind The Candid Startup, you’ve explained why you left Autodesk. You think you’ll have more fun working on your own projects. So, what are those projects?
Before I reveal all, I think you need a little more context on how I’ve come up with these projects. First, this is The Candid Startup, so I’ll be playing the game of looking for some kind of market fit. I may even pivot at some point. I want something that I can bring something unique to. Of course any idea that anyone comes up with will have already been done in some form many times over. I’ll need to find ways to narrow focus to find my own niche.
One focusing lens comes for free. Everything I’m doing is open source so it would be totally legitimate (if a little boring) to build an open source version of something that already exists in closed source form. If there are existing open source projects I can fork them, contribute to them or at the very least learn from them.
Realistically these are projects I’ll be working on by myself. At least until I have something that gets potential collaborators excited. I need something where I can make a significant contribution or at least demonstrate progress on my own.
Of course the projects need to be technically interesting. The whole point is to have that feeling of excitement again, where you can’t wait to get started each day and have to be dragged away at the end.
An easy way of finding my own niche is to make use of my unique experience to get a head start. I want to learn something new so I won’t just be repeating my greatest hits in open source form. Which of my experience is relevant? There are three areas that I want to explore.
Interactive Viewing for Large Geometric Models
I spent getting on for twenty years of my life working on Interactive Viewing for Large Geometric Models. First, as a University research project, then developing the technology commercially in a startup and finally ending up with Navisworks. This is a topic I know something about. However, graphics technology has changed massively since then. There’s lots that I can learn and potentially do differently.
Indexing and Querying Spatial Data
Going back further in time, my doctorate was titled “A Parallel Architecture for Storage and Retrieval of Spatial Data”. The core of it was data structures and algorithms for indexing and querying multi-dimensional data. I used parts of it to implement the 3D bounding box index in Navisworks. I want to try applying some of the ideas to more general multi-dimensional data.
Multi-Tenant Multi-User SaaS
My most recent experience is in the world of Multi-Tenant SaaS products that support multi-user collaboration. I’ve seen how the sausage is made. I’d love to use that experience to find a simpler, more reliable, more scalable, more open, more flexible and lower cost way of delivering the same benefits to the customer.
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I have ideas for three initial projects - one in each area of experience. What exactly are they? Well, that will need a few more posts to explain …