Every time I use an app these days, I just wish I had the code myself. They are never exactly what I want. They often have some unique or novel ideas, or some clever domain specific knowledge that I myself don't have. It used to be the case that even if you got your hands on the code, you wouldn't realistically be able to modify it or deploy it. At least not without a whole bunch of study and time expense.
Those days are over.
Today, I'm launching Moatless. The idea is simple. Pay once, get the code. You can subscribe for a monthly amount to receive any updates. No updates that month? No payment is taken.
Who is this for?
Many will think this is just for programmers. It isn't. I know so many entrepeneurs, hobbyists and enthusiasts who are building applications every day. I believe this wave will spread, and it will spread fast. Buying subscriptions just to use software just does not make sense anymore. The properties of technology are changing. They have changed.
How does it work?
Moatless ingests the code from a connected git repo. You can use any git URL, or connect to github with our github app. Simply publish a release or a tag, and it updates on moatless. Moatless then acts as a git remote allowing buyers to download the code. Simple!
Why would I put my code up for sale?
So many of you have built your own applications. Toy projects, fun ideas, businesses that never took off. Why not put them up on moatless and see if anyone bites? Maybe you have a passion for building, but find it hard to actually sell subscriptions directly these days, especially for developer focused tooling? Or maybe you see the writing on the wall.
Why would I buy code that I have to modify and deploy myself?
Well, do you really have to do it yourself? Your agent can take the code and get it shipped for you in practically no time. There are a million hosting platforms out there that will run an application for you. You don't need massive servers if you're running software for yourself. You don't need fancy architecture to host just your own data.
You also don't need to wonder what someone else is going to do with your data, or whether or not you will like what they release in the future. Over time, you'll end up with a hosting platform you like that you can easily just spin up more apps. Or perhaps you combine a couple things you like into one app that you use anywhere.
No need to get your app on the app store. Just sign up for the apple developer program and put your apps directly on your phone. Or create an APK if you're on android. So much of what goes into building and deploying an application is already well known. Sure, there are a lot of options, a lot of ways to do anything these days. But again, how much does it really matter if you're shipping an app for one user? Or just for you and your friends? Or even your local community?
It just makes sense
For both buyers and sellers, the math works out. The seller uses their tokens, time and knowledge to create something, and buyers can pay less than they would have paid in tokens, leverage the unique knowledge that the seller has, and save time all-around by getting access directly to the code.
This is a win/win.
Happy Hacking!
- Zach