Developer Nets Zero Hacker News Upvotes, Buys New Domain to Restart

stdout the rapper

Public indifference and harsh criticism fail to deter indie developers, who promptly purchase new domains and repeat the side-project cycle rather than abandon software creation.

AI-assisted summary of $stdout - Side Projects — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2019-02-12

Key ideas

Developers frequently struggle with abandoning unfinished side projects due to time constraints, perpetually promising themselves they will ship in the future. (0:01)
Initial project excitement often leads to severe scope creep, such as ballooning an MVP into a 300-ticket Trello board before writing core functionality. (0:01)
Development velocity is routinely crippled by premature optimization and bike-shedding, including hours spent on logos and days refactoring unimportant code. (79:00)
Even completed launches face brutal apathy or criticism on platforms like Hacker News, prompting indie hackers to reset the cycle with new domains and ideas. (143:00)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by stdout the rapper on February 12, 2019, "Side Projects" is a developer-themed rap song featuring mixing and mastering by YLA over Joemay's instrumental track "Trace." The video's description captures the relatable plight of software developers worldwide who gaze out of their office windows and dwell on the long trail of creative side projects they never managed to finish.

## TL;DR The song documents the familiar life cycle of an indie software project, starting with the initial spark of an app idea, visions of joining tech titans like Jeff Bezos, and immediately over-scoping an MVP into a 300-ticket Trello backlog. The momentum rapidly dissolves into bike-shedding over repo names, logo design, and unproductive refactors, leading the developer to shelve the project under the weight of a full-time job. Even when an application is finally completed and launched on Hacker News, it faces zero upvotes and cutting feedback. Rather than admitting defeat, the protagonist embraces developer resilience—noting that real indie hackers never kill -9—and immediately begins the cycle anew with another domain and fresh ideas.

## Atmosphere & style Rapped over a smooth, melodic beat, the track strikes a clever balance between witty tech-insider satire and genuine, relatable frustration. The emotional arc swings from grandiose ambition down to the exhausting slog of scope creep and harsh public reception, before bouncing back into irrepressible optimism. It delivers a cathartic, humorous, and affectionate portrait of the independent developer mindset and its relentless loop of creative hope.

## Bulletin - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) Developers frequently struggle with abandoning unfinished side projects due to time constraints, perpetually promising themselves they will ship in the future. - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) Initial project excitement often leads to severe scope creep, such as ballooning an MVP into a 300-ticket Trello board before writing core functionality. - [01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Development velocity is routinely crippled by premature optimization and bike-shedding, including hours spent on logos and days refactoring unimportant code. - [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) Even completed launches face brutal apathy or criticism on platforms like Hacker News, prompting indie hackers to reset the cycle with new domains and ideas.

## Key takeaways - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) The recurring chorus articulates the perpetual developer dilemma of abandoning side projects while continuously telling oneself that shipping is only postponed. - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) Conceiving a new app idea sparks immediate fantasies of wealth and tech-titan status alongside figures like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) Sharing an idea reveals distinct audience biases: developer friends obsess over backend tech stacks while others focus solely on monetization. - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) Project scoping quickly becomes unmanageable at the outset, escalating into a Namecheap domain purchase and a 300-ticket Trello board for a solo MVP. - [01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Significant working time is squandered on low-value tasks, including an hour picking a repo name, two hours making a logo, and three days refactoring code. - [01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Progress stalls drastically against backlog bloat, leaving the developer only around three percent done and no longer having fun. - [01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Unenthusiastic feedback from a demo to friends, combined with full-time job responsibilities, prompts the developer to shelve the project unpaid. - [01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Developers rationalize shelving projects as temporary pauses rather than permanent failures, claiming they will finish them another day. - [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) Launching a finished product to Hacker News results in zero upvotes and harsh feedback attacking responsiveness and the core premise. - [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) Unfavorable public reactions contrast painfully with successful, focused micro-SaaS tools like PullReminders. - [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) The track uses the Unix metaphor 'real indie hackers never kill -9' to show resilience against project failure and creative burnout. - [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) The indie hacker journey ends in an infinite loop: instantly brainstorming a new idea, acquiring a new domain, and starting a fresh Trello board.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) The Unfinished Backlog and the Birth of a New Idea

The track opens over a smooth, melodic instrumental beat as stdout the rapper reflects on the familiar developer dilemma of abandoned ambitions. Software engineers worldwide find themselves staring out of office windows, haunted by the graveyard of half-baked repositories and neglected applications they once dreamed of launching. The chorus articulates the internal bargaining that every programmer experiences when balancing creative ambition against limited bandwidth, as stdout the rapper laments, “All the cool projects I abandoned on the side.” He perpetually promises himself that given just a bit more time, his ideas would reach production, insisting that delivery is merely postponed rather than discarded.

The narrative shifts into the intoxicating initial rush of conceiving a brand-new software product. Convinced that this concept is genuinely legitimate and destined for commercial stardom, he fantasizes about joining the ranks of tech titans like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Yet, the moment he shares the pitch, his audience splits along predictable tribal lines: technical peers obsess over the architecture, wanting to know what backend programming language will power it, while non-technical friends immediately question monetization strategies. Vowing to break his historical cycle of unfinished builds, he commits to full public accountability by announcing the endeavor to everyone he knows, naively believing that writing the code is the only hurdle remaining. He immediately secures custom branding by purchasing a domain on Namecheap, briefly ponders an organizational hierarchy before remembering he is a solo creator, and begins aggressively planning in Trello until the so-called minimum viable product mushrooms into an unmanageable monster.

```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: The Side Project Ideation Cycle accDescr: Flowchart illustrating the initial excitement and over-scoping of a developer side project. subgraph Ideation ["Inception & Validation"] A["App Concept"] --> B["Tech Stack Debate"] A --> C["Monetization Queries"] end subgraph Setup ["Project Initialization"] B --> D["Register Namecheap Domain"] C --> D D --> E["Trello Planning"] E --> F["300-Ticket MVP Backlog"] end ```

- In the chorus, stdout the rapper frames his perpetual procrastination: “One day, I swear I’ll ship it.” - He rationalizes his lack of delivery on the current calendar day: “One day, I’ma do what I say, but today is not that day.” - Setting up the project management infrastructure rapidly spirals out of control: “I got 300 tickets for the MVP.”

---

[01:19:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=4740s) Over-Engineering, Scope Creep, and Shelving the Dream

After reinforcing the chorus, stdout the rapper details the tedious quagmire of bike-shedding and premature optimization that derails actual development progress. Instead of delivering functional business logic, vast stretches of productive energy are squandered on aesthetic trivialities and trivial setup chores. He spends an entire hour merely agonizing over an appropriate repository name, wastes another two hours designing a logo, and burns three full working days executing an extensive refactoring pass to perfect code that has no practical bearing on user value. Looking at the reality of his output against the mountain of planned features, the joy evaporates into exhaustion when he realizes he has barely scratched the surface of the work.

Demoralization peaks when a rough demonstration to friends meets silent, unmistakable skepticism, forcing him to confront the commercial viability of the prototype. Grounded by the harsh necessity of maintaining his actual full-time job and acknowledging that unreleased software fails to generate revenue, he quietly packs the codebase away. Rather than admitting defeat, he preserves his ego through developer rationalization, treating the pause as a temporary hiatus rather than an outright surrender. As stdout the rapper resolves to pause development, he reassures himself, “I’ll come back and finish it another day.”

- Time allocation quickly derails into secondary tasks: one hour naming the Git repo, two hours drawing a logo, and three full days refactoring non-essential code. - Despite the accumulated hours, development velocity remains shockingly low: “I think I’m like 3 percent done, honestly I’m not having fun.” - User feedback from personal circles proves deflating when showing early progress: “Gave a couple friends a little demo, I could tell that they were thinking ‘hell no’.” - Competing adult obligations force the project into dormancy: “Plus I got a full time job to do, this project ain’t getting me paid.”

---

[02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) The Harsh Reality of Launching and the Indie Hacker Loop

Against all odds, the narrative takes a surprising turn as the developer finally pushes through the friction, completes the build, and submits the finished product to the tech community on Hacker News. The celebratory feeling is instantly extinguished by algorithmic indifference and community toxicity. The post sits dead in the water with zero upvotes, while the few readers who do interact leave blunt criticisms targeting poor mobile responsiveness and dismissing the entire core premise as useless. Stung by the rejection, he reflects enviously on successful, highly focused micro-SaaS tools like PullReminders, wishing he had conceived an idea that captured immediate market traction and revenue instead of sacrificing sleep on an unappreciated release.

Rather than succumbing to depression or permanently terminating his creative drive, stdout the rapper embodies the stubborn resilience of the independent developer culture. Using a classic Unix process termination metaphor, he refuses to quit software creation altogether, declaring, “Real indie hackers never kill -9.” Instead of mourning the flop, he immediately channels his creative energy back into the starting phase of the cycle. He returns to the drawing board, ready to acquire yet another web domain, spin up a fresh Trello board, and embrace the intoxicating promise of the next unbuilt project as the outro repeats the song's central mantra.

```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: The Launch Rejection and Restart Loop accDescr: Flowchart illustrating the launch feedback on Hacker News leading back into a new project idea. subgraph Launch ["Hacker News Release"] G["Show HN Post"] --> H["0 Upvotes & Harsh Critiques"] end subgraph Reset ["Indie Hacker Resilience"] H --> I["Refuse Process Kill (-9)"] I --> J["Brainstorm Next Idea"] J --> K["New Domain & Trello Board"] end ```

- The harsh public reception on Hacker News offers no validation: “I finally finished, go on Hacker News and put up a post, but that s**t got 0 upvotes.” - Reader feedback focuses entirely on flaws: commenters complain that the homepage is not responsive, declare the product unappealing, and vow never to use it. - Long nights spent building feel disproportionate to the outcome: “After all those hours that I put in, staying up late when I shouldn’t.” - The song concludes on an optimistic loop, resetting the journey with a fresh whiteboard, a newly purchased domain, and the perpetual hope that the next side project will finally be the one that reaches completion.

## Notable quotes > [02:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=8580s) Real indie hackers never kill -9. — stdout the rapper

## Mentioned stdout the rapper, YLA, Joemay, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Namecheap, Trello, Hacker News, PullReminders

## Video description Lyrics below. Somewhere in the world right now, a dev is looking longingly out of their office window thinking about all of the side projects they never finished.

This song was mixed/mastered by YLA (https://soundcloud.com/producedwithlove)

Lyrics:

(Chorus) Always on the back of my mind All the cool projects I abandoned on the side If only I had some more time Maybe I would get to go live One day, I swear I’ll ship it Someday, I’ll really finish One day, I’ma do what I say But today is not that day

Had a new app idea, yeah it’s legit It’ll be a hit, damn I’m gonna be rich They’ll talk about me like one of the greats I’ll be chilling with Bezos and Bill Gates Talked about it with my dev friends All they wanna know is what language I’ma use on the backend Went and talked about with some other buddies All they wanna know is how it’s gonna make money Usually my side projects never get finished But this time it’s gonna be different I’ma really ship it, already told everyone I know All I gotta do is write the code So I bought a domain off of Namecheap And thought about the team structure, but it’s just me Whipping up cards on a Trello board I got 300 tickets for the MVP

Spent an hour trying to name my repo Spent two hours trying to make my logo Spent three days on a refactor Perfecting code that didn’t even matter I haven’t been working that long But I get sad looking at my backlog I think I’m like 3 percent done Honestly I’m not having fun Gave a couple friends a little demo I could tell that they were thinking “hell no” I gotta rethink this through Plus I got a full time job to do This project ain’t getting me paid So I think it’s time to tuck it away But it’s okay, I still think this app could be great I’ll come back and finish it another day

I finally finished, go on Hacker News and put up a post But that s**t got 0 upvotes And somebody left a comment Telling me my homepage ain’t responsive Someone else replied saying my idea was crap And they would never ever use my app Now that’s too bad, I really thought I’d make stacks Like PullReminders, why couldn’t I think of that? After all those hours that I put in Staying up late when I shouldn’t This is what it came down to, but I don’t mind Real indie hackers never kill -9 I just gotta go and brainstorm Get a new domain and a new Trello board Then I’ll be on my way With another project for another day

Credits: Instrumental: Trace by Joemay

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q)

中文简报

开发者在Hacker News获零点赞，随即购买新域名重新开始公众的冷漠和严厉的批评并未阻止独立开发者，他们迅速购买新域名并重走业余项目周期，而非放弃软件创作。这首歌记录了一个独立软件项目令人熟悉的生命周期：始于一个应用创意的火花，梦想着跻身杰夫·贝索斯等科技巨头之列，却立刻将MVP过度扩展为包含300个工单的Trello待办清单。随后，这种势头迅速消解在对仓库名称的无谓争论、Logo设计以及徒劳的代码重构中，最终因本职工作的重压而将项目搁置。即便某个应用最终完成并在Hacker News上发布，也面临着零点赞和尖刻的反馈。然而，主人公并没有承认失败，而是展现了开发者的韧性——指出真正的独立创客绝不会强行终止进程（kill -9）——并立刻带着另一个域名和新想法重新开始这个循环。由于时间有限，开发者经常陷入不得不放弃未完成业余项目的困境，并不断向自己承诺未来一定会发布。 (0:01) 项目初期的兴奋往往会导致严重的范围蔓延，例如在编写核心功能之前，就将一个MVP膨胀成一个包含300个工单的Trello看板。 (0:01) 开发进度常常被过早优化和无谓细枝末节的争论所拖垮，包括耗费数小时设计Logo以及花费数天重构无关紧要的代码。 (79:00) 即便顺利发布，也可能在Hacker News等平台上遭遇残酷的冷遇或批评，促使独立创客带着新域名和新想法重启循环。 (143:00)

Reading summary

In the track "$stdout - Side Projects," stdout the rapper examines the recurring cycle of software engineers attempting independent side builds, detailing how early enthusiasm routinely dissolves into over-engineering, launch indifference, and persistent resets. Initial Rush and Premature Project Scoping (0:01) The development cycle typically begins with the intoxicating belief that a new application concept could bring commercial fame on par with industry figures like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. However, this early excitement immediately surfaces conflicting feedback from peers: technical colleagues focus strictly on backend architecture, while non-technical acquaintances press for monetization models. In response, developers attempt to enforce self-accountability by publicly announcing the project. Instead of focusing on core functionality, creators frequently prioritize administrative overhead. In stdout the rapper's narrative, this takes the form of instantly buying domains through Namecheap, daydreaming about organizational hierarchy, and aggressively mapping tasks in Trello until the supposed minimum viable product mushrooms into an unmanageable 300-ticket backlog. Bike-Shedding, Scope Creep, and Quiet Shelving Actual programming progress is routinely sidelined by bike-shedding and premature optimization on peripheral tasks. The artist illustrates this misallocation of productive energy by noting an entire hour spent brainstorming a Git repository name, two hours designing a logo, and three full days refactoring secondary code that delivers no tangible user value. Consequently, development velocity slows to a crawl, leaving the creator feeling only three percent done and stripped of enjoyment. Demoralization deepens when informal demonstrations to friends elicit unenthusiastic reactions. Confronted with the demands of an existing full-time job and the reality that an unreleased product generates no revenue, the developer shelves the codebase. To protect the ego from outright failure, this retreat is rationalized as a temporary postponement rather than permanent abandonment, accompanied by the repeated pledge to finish it another day. Launch Rejection and the Indie Hacker Reset When a project successfully reaches completion and is submitted as a post on Hacker News, the achievement is met with algorithmic indifference and community criticism. The release garners zero upvotes, while active comments attack poor mobile responsiveness and dismiss the product's utility, prompting the builder to question lost sleep while enviously eyeing streamlined micro-SaaS successes like PullReminders. Rather than abandoning independent development, stdout the rapper draws on a classic Unix command to declare that "real indie hackers never kill -9." Instead of ending the pursuit, the developer channels the rejection directly back into the ideation phase, purchasing a fresh web domain and setting up another Trello board to begin the process over again. The track frames the software side-project experience as a self-sustaining behavioral loop, where the emotional letdown of over-engineering or launch failure is perpetually overridden by the optimism of the next unfinished idea.

精炼阅读摘要

说唱歌手兼软件工程师 stdout the rapper 在作品《Side Projects》中，探讨了独立开发者在业余项目上面临的反复困境：创意初期雄心勃勃却因范围膨胀与过度工程化而搁置，即使坚持上线也会遭遇冷淡的市场反馈，最终又重新开启下一轮开发循环。创意萌芽与范围无限膨胀 (0:01) 开发者构思新软件时往往伴随着极高的热情，甚至产生比肩 Jeff Bezos 或 Bill Gates 等科技巨头的成功幻想。然而，当把想法分享给外界时，技术同行往往执着于后端编程语言等架构细节，非技术朋友则立即质疑商业变现路径。为了防止项目无疾而终，创作者试图通过公开承诺来施加自我压力，并误以为编写代码是唯一的实施门槛。在项目启动阶段，开发者迅速在 Namecheap 注册专属域名、尝试搭建组织架构，并在 Trello 中密集规划任务。这一过程使得原本设想的最小可行产品（MVP）迅速膨胀出多达 300 张任务工单，项目管理机制失控并直接加剧了后续的交付阻力。琐碎细节消耗精力与理性搁置在实际开发推进中，项目极易陷入无关痛痒的细节推敲和过早优化。创作者花费整整 1 小时纠结 Git 代码仓库的命名，耗费 2 小时设计徽标，甚至连续投入整整 3 个工作日重构与用户核心价值毫无关联的代码。这种精力的错配导致实际开发进度异常缓慢，作者自述累计耗费大量工时后项目进度仅完成了约 3%，开发乐趣也随之消磨殆尽。与此同时，向朋友展示的早期演示版本遭遇了明显的沉默与怀疑，迫使开发者不得不正视原型的商业可行性。在必须维持全职工作以保障经济收入的现实制约下，创作者选择封存未完成的代码库。开发者并未承认彻底失败，而是通过“改天再来完成”的拖延心理来进行自我安慰，将项目搁置定性为暂时休整。公开发布受挫与无限重启循环即便克服重重阻力将产品最终构建完成并提交至 Hacker News 社区，上线成果也往往会迅速被冷酷的现实击碎。发布的内容在平台上仅收获 0 个点赞（upvotes），寥寥无几的互动评论也充斥着对移动端未做响应式适配等技术缺陷的严厉挑剔，甚至直接判定该产品毫无用处。面对投入大量熬夜时间却换来冷淡反响的结果，创作者羡慕起 PullReminders 这种能够迅速获得市场认可和收入的聚焦型微型 SaaS 工具。然而，创作者借用 Unix 进程终止命令隐喻表达出独立开发者群体的韧性，宣称“真正的独立黑客绝不 kill -9”。开发者并没有因此彻底放弃编程创造，而是立即将精力重新投入到下一个全新构想中，再次购买新域名、重开 Trello 看板，进入新一轮的开发循环。本作品呈现了独立黑客在技术理想与现实落地之间的结构性矛盾：缺乏边界约束的规划和对细节的执念极易导致交付停滞，而直面真实市场又常伴随严酷打击。尽管每次尝试都伴随着半途而废或遭遇冷眼的风险，开发者依然选择在推倒重来的循环中维系创作动力。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由 stdout the rapper 于 2019 年 2 月 12 日发布在 YouTube 平台上，歌曲伴奏为 Joemay 的《Trace》，并由 YLA 负责混音与母带制作。视频简介写道：在世界的某个角落，正有一位开发者深情凝视着办公室窗外，思念着那些自己从未真正做完的业余项目（Side Projects）。 ## TL;DR 这首说唱歌曲真实刻画了程序员进行独立开发时的典型心路历程与困境。主角从灵光乍现、幻想比肩科技巨头，到仪式感十足地购买域名并在 Trello 上拉出 300 张 MVP 任务卡片；随后却迅速陷入给仓库起名、画 Logo 和重构细枝末节的过度工程化泥潭，导致进度停滞在 3% 并最终因全职工作而搁浅。即便后来勉强上线并在 Hacker News 遭遇 0 点赞与刻薄差评，他依然秉持“独立开发者绝不 kill -9”的精神，毅然买下新域名开启下一个无限循环。 ## Atmosphere & style 整首歌曲在悠扬略带感伤的伴奏中展开，叙事风格极具黑色幽默与精准的极客自嘲。情绪弧线从最初灵感迸发时的狂热自嗨，急转直下至面对 Backlog 与现实阻碍时的沮丧妥协，再到遭遇社区无情差评后的无奈与释怀。听感上既像是深夜加班后程序员的抱团哭诉，又带着一种屡败屡战、明知是坑却依然奔赴下一个新项目的浪漫执念。 ## Bulletin - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 独立开发者常因过度工程化和仪式感准备陷入泥潭，在未写核心业务前便完成抢注域名、规划架构，甚至在 Trello 为 MVP 堆砌 300 张任务工单。 - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=100s) 业余项目常因时间分配失衡而搁浅，大量精力被挥霍在仓库命名、Logo 设计及无关紧要的代码重构上，开发进度停滞在 3% 且失去乐趣。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 产品上线往往面临残酷市场反馈，项目发布至 Hacker News 遭遇 0 点赞及无响应式适配、无价值等负面评价。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 独立黑客展现出顽强的死循环执念，践行“Real indie hackers never kill -9”，在失败后立即开辟新域名与新看板奔向下一个项目。 ## Key takeaways - [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) 程序员普遍存在对未完成业余项目（Side Projects）的执念，长期在“总有一天会交付”的誓言与现实拖延之间妥协。 - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 新点子萌生时常伴随暴富与名望的膨胀幻象，幻想与 Jeff Bezos 和 Bill Gates 平起平坐。 - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 社交圈对新项目的关注点存在显著认知差异：同行程序员只问后端编程语言，圈外朋友只关注商业变现模式。 - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 项目启动阶段易陷入形式主义，在单人开发状态下即刻在 Namecheap 购入域名并煞有介事地规划团队架构。 - [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 在 Trello 为最小可行性产品（MVP）拆解出多达 300 张任务工单，导致 Backlog 严重超载并埋下挫败感隐患。 - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=100s) 开发精力严重错配于非核心细节：耗费 1 小时为仓库命名，2 小时绘制 Logo，并花费 3 天重构无关痛痒的代码。 - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=100s) 看着停留在约 3% 的进度看板，开发乐趣迅速消退，半成品 Demo 遭到朋友尴尬冷淡的反馈（Hell no）。 - [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=100s) 由于项目无法带来直接收入且存在全职本职工作压力，开发者选择妥协并将其无限期搁置，借口未来再回来收尾。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 好不容易完成初版并在 Hacker News 上发布，却惨遭 0 个 Upvote 的极度冷遇。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 社区反馈充斥负面指责，直指网页未做响应式移动端适配，甚至批评产品点子毫无价值且绝不会使用。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 对比爆火被收购的成功案例（如 PullReminders），开发者对熬夜肝代码的沉没成本感到失落与遗憾。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 借用 Unix 信号术语宣示极客信条：“Real indie hackers never kill -9”，拒绝彻底放弃独立开发之路。 - [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 挫折过后迅速重新开始头脑风暴，通过注册新域名和新建 Trello 看板开启新一轮相同的循环。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=1s) 永远搁浅的业余项目与程序员的执念（副歌）音乐在悠扬而略带感伤的伴奏中拉开帷幕，勾勒出无数程序员最熟悉的日常心境：坐在办公室的窗前，眼神迷离地望向窗外，脑海中盘旋着那些无数次被开启、却从未真正完成的业余项目（Side Projects）。这些曾经闪烁着创造力火花的代码库，如今大多静静躺在硬盘或远程仓库的角落里吃灰。歌曲开篇的副歌部分以极其写实且充满自嘲的笔触，唱出了开发者对“交付”与“现实”之间巨大落差的无奈妥协。副歌唱出了每位开发者心底最深切的叹息：他们总是将这些半途而废的酷炫构想深藏于心，并寄希望于未来的某一天。如果有更多空闲时间，也许它们早就能成功上线部署；他们一次又一次向自己发誓总有一天会把产品交付出去，总有一天会真正把功能收尾，总有一天会践行诺言。stdout the rapper 在副歌高潮处坦白道出残酷的现实：“One day, I’ma do what I say, but today is not that day.” ### [00:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=35s) 灵光乍现：新 Idea、宏伟构想与 300 张 MVP 卡片故事从一个崭新的灵感迸发开始。开发者突然想到了一个绝妙的应用程序点子，笃定这绝对是一个能彻底爆火的合法项目，甚至能让自己一夜暴富。他的幻想迅速膨胀，想象着未来各大媒体会把自己与科技巨头并列讨论，脑海中浮现出自己与 Jeff Bezos（杰夫·贝佐斯）和 Bill Gates（比尔·盖茨）谈笑风生的奢华画面。然而，当他兴致勃勃地去找程序员朋友讨论时，对方关心的全都是技术选型——后端到底打算用什么编程语言；当他转向其他圈外好友倾诉时，大家却只冷冷地追问这东西到底要怎么赚钱。尽管以往的业余项目几乎全部胎死腹中，但他这次坚信绝对会与众不同。他到处宣扬，告诉了身边的每一个人自己即将发布这款产品，仿佛成功已成定局，眼下“剩下的唯一工作就只是把代码敲出来而已”。于是，第一步并非写核心逻辑，而是仪式感十足的前期准备：他火速去 Namecheap 上抢注了域名，甚至煞有介事地开始规划团队组织架构，尽管整个团队从始至终就只有他孤身一人。接着，他在 Trello 上疯狂新建看板，光是给所谓的最小可行性产品（MVP）就一口气拉出了整整 300 张任务卡片（Tickets）。 - 财富幻象：幻想项目大获成功后能与 Jeff Bezos 和 Bill Gates 平起平坐。 - 朋友反应的分歧：开发者同行只问后端技术栈，其他朋友只关心盈利模式。 - 夸张的启动动作：在 Namecheap 购买域名、为单人项目规划团队架构，并在 Trello 堆积 300 个 MVP 任务工单。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 业余项目启动流程 accDescr: 独立开发者从产生点子到陷入任务堆积的启动循环 subgraph planning ["灵感与筹备阶段"] A["萌生 App 点子 幻想致富与巨头同行"] --> B["向朋友炫耀并吹风 探讨后端语言与盈利方式"] B --> C["仪式感准备工作 在 Namecheap 购买域名"] C --> D["单人规划团队架构 Trello 看板堆积 300 张 MVP 工单"] end subgraph execution ["过度工程化泥潭"] D --> E["纠结仓库命名与设计 Logo"] E --> F["重构无关紧要的代码 进度停滞且失去乐趣"] end ``` ### [01:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=100s) 现实重击：重构无用代码、无趣的 Backlog 与搁置当真正的开发拉开序幕，效率便迅速滑向泥潭。开发者并没有专注于核心业务，而是把大量时间浪费在无足轻重的细节上：光是给 Git 代码仓库起名字就耗费了一个小时，为了手搓一个 App 图标又白白浪费了两个小时。更离奇的是，他竟然花费了整整三天时间去进行底层重构，去拼命完善那些根本无关痛痒的代码。虽然实际上并没有高强度投入多久，但每当他打开看板，看着那堆积如山的待办清单（Backlog），内心便被巨大的沮丧感所笼罩。此时整个项目的整体进度大概仅仅完成了百分之三，写代码的过程也早已毫无乐趣可言。当他勉强拼凑出一个半成品 Demo 给几位朋友试用演示时，从朋友们尴尬而抗拒的表情中，他心知肚明对方心里想的完全是“得了吧，快算了吧（Hell no）”。现实的压力接踵而至，他不仅需要彻底重新审视这个产品的可行性，更不得不面对自己还有一份全职本职工作需要应对。正如 stdout the rapper 所感慨的那样：“This project ain’t getting me paid, so I think it’s time to tuck it away.” 鉴于这个项目不仅不赚钱还在透支精力，他决定顺理成章地将其尘封收起，同时自我安慰道这个应用依然有成为伟大产品的潜质，自己只是等改天有空再回来收尾。 - 时间分配的失衡：花费 1 小时为仓库命名，2 小时绘制 Logo，3 天时间重构细枝末节的代码。 - 进展与心理落差：整体开发进度仅约 3%，待办看板引发情绪低落，乐趣消耗殆尽。 - 现实妥协：试用 Demo 遭遇朋友冷遇，加上本职工作的现实束缚与零收益现状，导致项目再次被无限期搁置。 ### [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) 发布惨剧与独立开发者的无限死循环在经历了漫长的拖延与折腾之后，开发者终于咬牙把项目做出了一个雏形，并鼓起勇气将它发布到 Hacker News 社区寻求关注。然而，现实却泼来了一盆冰水：这篇发布帖凄惨地收获了 0 个赞（0 upvotes）。在少得可怜的反馈中，有人留下尖刻的评论嘲讽网站首页连响应式移动端适配（Responsive Design）都没做好，还有人甚至直接回复指责这个 Idea 纯粹是一堆垃圾，声称自己这辈子都绝对不可能用这个应用。看着屏幕上的冷嘲热讽，开发者感到极其失落。他原以为自己能靠它大赚一笔，甚至不由得艳羡起类似 PullReminders 这样爆火后被收购的成功案例，懊恼自己为什么就想不到那么巧妙的点子。回想起自己投入的无数个日日夜夜，以及那些本该休息却用来熬夜爆肝的代码时光，最终换来的却是这般结局。然而，真正的独立黑客（Indie Hacker）绝不会轻易被打垮，stdout the rapper 坚定地道出了独立开发者的信条：“Real indie hackers never kill -9.” 他不会向挫折彻底屈服，而是转头投入新一轮的头脑风暴，重新注册一个新的域名，打开一张全新的 Trello 看板，满怀憧憬地奔向下一个注定同样命运的业余项目。 - 发布冷遇：在 Hacker News 上仅获得 0 个 Upvote。 - 负面反馈：评论区被指责主页没有做响应式适配、点子粗制滥造无人会用。 - 参照对比与执念：羡慕 PullReminders 的商业成功，痛惜牺牲健康熬夜写代码的付出。 - 极客精神与无限循环：借助 Unix 信号术语 `kill -9` 比喻绝不轻言彻底放弃，而是通过开辟新域名与新看板，立即投入下一个循环。 ## Notable quotes > [02:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q&t=160s) Real indie hackers never kill -9. — stdout the rapper ## Mentioned stdout the rapper, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Namecheap, Trello, Hacker News, PullReminders, YLA, Joemay ## Video description Lyrics below. Somewhere in the world right now, a dev is looking longingly out of their office window thinking about all of the side projects they never finished. This song was mixed/mastered by YLA (https://soundcloud.com/producedwithlove) Lyrics: (Chorus) Always on the back of my mind All the cool projects I abandoned on the side If only I had some more time Maybe I would get to go live One day, I swear I’ll ship it Someday, I’ll really finish One day, I’ma do what I say But today is not that day Had a new app idea, yeah it’s legit It’ll be a hit, damn I’m gonna be rich They’ll talk about me like one of the greats I’ll be chilling with Bezos and Bill Gates Talked about it with my dev friends All they wanna know is what language I’ma use on the backend Went and talked about with some other buddies All they wanna know is how it’s gonna make money Usually my side projects never get finished But this time it’s gonna be different I’ma really ship it, already told everyone I know All I gotta do is write the code So I bought a domain off of Namecheap And thought about the team structure, but it’s just me Whipping up cards on a Trello board I got 300 tickets for the MVP (Chorus) Always on the back of my mind All the cool projects I abandoned on the side If only I had some more time Maybe I would get to go live One day, I swear I’ll ship it Someday, I’ll really finish One day, I’ma do what I say But today is not that day Spent an hour trying to name my repo Spent two hours trying to make my logo Spent three days on a refactor Perfecting code that didn’t even matter I haven’t been working that long But I get sad looking at my backlog I think I’m like 3 percent done Honestly I’m not having fun Gave a couple friends a little demo I could tell that they were thinking “hell no” I gotta rethink this through Plus I got a full time job to do This project ain’t getting me paid So I think it’s time to tuck it away But it’s okay, I still think this app could be great I’ll come back and finish it another day (Chorus) Always on the back of my mind All the cool projects I abandoned on the side If only I had some more time Maybe I would get to go live One day, I swear I’ll ship it Someday, I’ll really finish One day, I’ma do what I say But today is not that day I finally finished, go on Hacker News and put up a post But that s**t got 0 upvotes And somebody left a comment Telling me my homepage ain’t responsive Someone else replied saying my idea was crap And they would never ever use my app Now that’s too bad, I really thought I’d make stacks Like PullReminders, why couldn’t I think of that? After all those hours that I put in Staying up late when I shouldn’t This is what it came down to, but I don’t mind Real indie hackers never kill -9 I just gotta go and brainstorm Get a new domain and a new Trello board Then I’ll be on my way With another project for another day (Chorus) Always on the back of my mind All the cool projects I abandoned on the side If only I had some more time Maybe I would get to go live One day, I swear I’ll ship it Someday, I’ll really finish One day, I’ma do what I say But today is not that day Credits: Instrumental: Trace by Joemay [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2GT2PCUN3Q)

Source quotes

[2:40] stdout the rapper: Real indie hackers never kill -9.

Source quotes

[143:00] stdout the rapper: Real indie hackers never kill -9.

Original transcript

[0:01] [Muziek] [0:14] hou eens aan de bergen maar maar maar ik [0:16] hoop dat ik daar ben en alles zijn [0:19] ja het smart uit pego [0:25] yep sam en gilly bent [0:29] one day armen duwen de zee en een nieuwe [0:35] app matthias en amanda [0:39] rich de talk about my money glitch [0:43] abid ali b zou starten bae bae bae bae [0:47] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [0:50] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [0:52] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [0:54] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [0:56] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [0:59] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [1:02] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [1:04] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [1:06] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [1:09] bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae bae [1:11] bae bae bae bae [1:13] met een apart aan het wel afford a 3 [1:16] antieke ceramiek [1:19] mauris aan de beckham als is daar ben ik [1:23] alles aan ja het witte kool [1:30] super [1:32] staan jacqueline [1:35] amen to that [1:40] en en in marigot [1:43] bent u waar we samen met mijn lolo smart [1:46] 3d vector [1:48] perfecte code [1:49] innemen mij [1:51] have been working together [1:55] en emma at work apotheek online 3% sns [2:00] reaal na hem [2:01] mark [2:02] oké up of en ze live demo maken [2:05] tel.nr denken hell no [2:07] hem [2:08] mijn vader was een koude start een game [2:15] ik snap het oké het is oké [2:19] recepten great stuff pack binnen zit een [2:22] ander t oog is annebeth mod podge lijm [2:28] en een andere site via het web [2:38] sunday april uw ns [2:40] want mijn doel was een van die pennen [2:48] politiek asiel bood [2:52] mensen body luxe kamer zelf beter van [2:56] als een placebo audio het nummer [3:01] ls to bed en jullie die haar meest [3:04] access for my [3:05] zwakte daarna winkelen en de roddels [3:09] over en twee meisjes worden [3:13] down to what a man has got to do a great [3:20] start [3:21] denyo doorheen en een nieuwe teller [3:23] wordt de nabhi mama we een ander project [3:27] voor nodig ja [3:30] oh samen met alle toepassing zijn bende [3:34] van de sahaja yogi go [3:41] branché [3:42] [Muziek] [3:46] ben aan mijn doel we dat zeggen wat ze [3:49] deden [3:49] na thee