28 Apr 2021
Intro: Low-code/No-code Essentials
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By most estimates, 99.5% of the world’s population doesn’t know how to code.
By my estimates, 100% of the world’s population would be better off if they did. Writing code is a superpower. It enables software developers to translate human creativity into solutions to our biggest problems. If you’re in the 99.5%, don’t worry, you too can now be a superhero.
Thanks to a rush of new companies enabling visual programming (think: clicking, dragging, and dropping), it’s easier than ever to build software without knowing how to code. You’ll hear this movement referred to as “low-code/no-code.”
This basic premise isn’t exactly new. Simple website creation tools have been around for decades. Speaking of, this podcast pack is brought to you by Squarespace, the easiest way to make a website! Just use code podcastpacks for 10% off. Okay, fine, I don’t have any sponsors yet, but cut me some slack! We’re only 3 packs in here.
So if this stuff’s been around forever, what’s changed?
What’s made this whole low-code/no-code thing buzzy enough that I decided it was worthy of a podcast pack?
The “creator” mindset crosses over into work:
Creator platforms like Youtube, Tiktok, and Roblox have embedded digital creation into the fabric of Gen Z/Millenial society
The result? An increasingly entrepreneurial, digitally savvy workforce eager to build solutions to their problems and a bevy of new tools rising to meet this need
Back-end in a box + better interoperability between tools enables “full-stack” drag and drop development:
“Full-stack” means combining back-end and front-end software development. Put simply, the front-end refers to the user interaction layer of software (the websites or apps you tap/click every day), while the back-end refers to everything under the hood (the pipes that gather data from various sources, organize it, and send it out upon request)
Early website builders allowed anyone to build a templatized landing page but provided little ability to easily collect/manage data
What’s more, it was nearly impossible to transfer data between applications stored locally on a computer (shout out CDs).
Today, you can seamlessly collect data via a custom front end interface, store/organize it in a familiar, Google sheets style hub and pipe it out to Slack, email, or wherever else you please, all with a few clicks!
In this pack (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gRhPJ8jMuxNYNPWWmmCFk?si=2bafb150cb234b2e) you’ll hear from four founders on the frontlines of this movement:
Howie Liu (Airtable (https://airtable.com/)), Vlad Magdalin (Webflow (https://webflow.com/)), Emmanuel Straschnov (Bubble (https://bubble.io/)) and Wade Foster (Zapier (https://zapier.com/)).
Using their tools, I’ve built software to help me furnish my apartment (https://airtable.com/universe/expn38xdYZDKzzTqX/the-best-furniture-planner), save my house plants from certain death and become a better manager all with little to no code. Here’s hoping their stories inspire you to build something too!
