The TMPDIR podcast

Do You Own Your Platform?

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Show notes:

  • difference between a product and platform
  • platform is a collection of modules and tools
  • a platform is extensible, programmable, consists of reusable pieces and
    • components
  • desirable qualities in a platform and various considerations
    • a platform is a living being to some extent
    • availability
    • stability
    • performance
    • how easy is it to fix when things break
    • adaptability
    • the iceberg analogy – most of your product is invisible, but this can cause
      • problems
    • how do you select the right technology for your platform?
      • important not have bias
      • products are short-lived, where platforms last a long time, so important to
        • make the right choices in your platform.
      • it is good to depend on standards to avoid lock-in to one tool/technology
      • the wrong solutions do not scale
      • have a network of experts you can reach out to and get the information you
        • need
      • knowing who to ask is the superpower in this age
      • why you need some level of control over your platform
        • damage control: solve problems when they arise
        • moving things forward: can it be modified as new requirements come up
        • building platforms for reuse
          • build systems are important
          • automation
          • continuous integration
          • The Yoe Distribution and the Simple IoT project are examples of platforms that
            • are re-usable and flexible, and applicable for a wide range of projects
          • recomposable platforms scale not just vertically, but horizontally, which is
            • the real power of them
          • a lot of up-front discipline goes into this
          • you create a platform not only for others, but yourself
            • you respect the APIs in the same way you expect others to respect them
            • APIs as a contract become very important
            • Most people can track product costs very well. Platform costs are harder to
              • track and are an investment in the future
              • example of an embedded Linux platform that goes into a product that lives
                • for many years. A lot of work is required upfront to get the base system
                running, but then you can build on it for years.
              • A more constrained platform like a MCU + RTOS tends to be not as extensible
                • and more limited to a product.
              • Two kinds of platforms
                • Transaction platforms: facebook, twitter, etc
                • Innovation platforms: what we’ve been talking about
                • personal platform
                  • write things down
                  • when helping someone, instead of emailing or messaging the solution, I write
                    • down the solution in some type of long lived documentation, and then share
                    that documentation with them.
                  • do you own your platform?
                    • owning your platform is more of a mindset rather than an rigid absolute
                      • are you willing to learn and own the details of your platform
                      • with OSS we not only use it, but we also have the option to be part of it

                        • Discuss this episode at our

                        community site.

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