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> software that allows you to concentrate on developing your application’s features rather than configuring servers If you are running a SaaS, how is system ad

> software that allows you to concentrate on developing your application’s features rather than configuring servers If you are running a SaaS, how is system administration less important than coding? Now if the author had written "software that allows you to be more productive on both fronts", fine. But the notion that operations is somehow less important than development is exactly what fucks up so many SaaS companies in the long run. Your users want your service to be 24/7 available and responsive. That's not a static goal (unless you fail to gain traction), and an essential and highly integrated part of what you deliver. Maybe the author is lucky that his particular SaaS is easy to deploy and scale, but dismissing system administration as a distraction that can be solved with software is not universally applicably advice.

HyprMusic 13y ago
I read the point as not to spend time away from your core skills in order to save money - in his example, hosting.
mrgoldenbrown 13y ago
The context of the snippet you quoted is "Spend money on tools that make you more productive." In other words, don't skimp on a tool or service that can simplify an operations task, if the result is that you can focus more time on features. I don't see the implication that operations is unimportant. Having a laptop/PC that you can develop on is important to developing a product, but no one would suggest that the author design one from scratch. Everyone (excepting perhaps Richard Stallman) would say it's better to just outsource that task to Apple or Lenovo.
starrhorne 13y ago
For the owners of a small bootstrapped company, pretty much anything that doesn't increase revenue is a distraction and should be delegated to someone else, or some other company. That doesn't mean you always can delegate them. Or that things like ops aren't important. It just means that a company's founder isn't the ideal person for the job, even if they can do it well.

HyprMusic 13y ago

I read the point as not to spend time away from your core skills in order to save money - in his example, hosting.

mrgoldenbrown 13y ago

The context of the snippet you quoted is "Spend money on tools that make you more productive." In other words, don't skimp on a tool or service that can simplify an operations task, if the result is that you can focus more time on features. I don't see the implication that operations is unimportant. Having a laptop/PC that you can develop on is important to developing a product, but no one would suggest that the author design one from scratch. Everyone (excepting perhaps Richard Stallman) would say it's better to just outsource that task to Apple or Lenovo.

starrhorne 13y ago

For the owners of a small bootstrapped company, pretty much anything that doesn't increase revenue is a distraction and should be delegated to someone else, or some other company. That doesn't mean you always can delegate them. Or that things like ops aren't important. It just means that a company's founder isn't the ideal person for the job, even if they can do it well.