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Make Your Own Thing

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Make Your Own Thing

Off Protocol

Sep 11
Off Protocol

Off Protocol

Sep 11
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

John Gruber has been writing Daring Fireball for nearly a quarter of a century, analyzing and cataloging a distinct array of internet ephemera, designer nerdery, and, of course, the meteoric rise of Apple. He joins Jim to talk about what the pre-platform i...

Highlights

John Gruber reflects on building an independent writing career, the origins and afterlife of Markdown, Apple’s enduring focus, and why open social systems sometimes require making an entirely new thing.
06:32
The web was simpler and more decentralized
12:17
For some writers, blogging was the goal itself.
15:19
Independent publishing once required building the whole shop
21:25
Platforms shape the definition of success
30:14
AI is accelerating cultural sameness
35:46
Markdown began with a frustration
48:05
A perfect name and a good idea
56:04
Follow what you are obsessed with, not what is merely lucrative
1:10:55
Elegance is a rare company-wide priority
1:20:57
Why not build on ActivityPub?
1:26:50
Your domain can be your identity

Chapters

From the early web to independent publishing
00:01
Building independently in an age of platforms
14:24
Markdown finds its form and audience
38:08
Apple, obsession, and resisting the next big thing
56:04
From platform incentives to portable identity
1:12:27

Transcript

Jim: A pretty short list of people who started blogging way back in 2002, and the ones who managed to make a career out of it, is more auspicious still. So it was a real treat to host John Gruber, who's been writing at Daring Fireball for over 24 years now...