frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Made with ♥ by @iamnishanth

Open Source @Github

fp.

Open in hackernews

How to get up to speed on software development from the top down

1•dave2299•11mo ago
Hi everyone, I am a non-technical founder. I’ve bootstrapped a tech-enabled services company over the past year that’s growing, profitable, and close to 15K a month in revenue. I, by nature, prefer to be involved in the weeds of what’s happening in each domain of my business at first, even if that results in slower business growth. I built my company with a white label portal software (Copilot.app), Airtable, Squarespace, AppSheet,and some ChatGPT scripts.

Now, I need to start building out custom tools. I want to take a deep dive into software development, starting with front and back end web development from the top down, rather than starting from the bottom up as a coder.

If I keep growing eventually I will end up bringing on technical employees, but I want to understand the lay of the land before I start down that road, and I found that I’m able to do a lot once I understand the domain using low code and no code tools. So for example, things like Retool, etc. will accomplish most of the next phase of building I need. But I want to have a reading list of 10 or 20 books or blogs or courses or podcast, etc.. That will help me start getting the way of the land on how to architect software.

I know basic python, basics of the building blocks of programming at the intro level. I just read Designing Data-Intensive Applications (2nd ed on O’Reilly). Does someone have a list of 10 modern books that would help me understand big picture topics like this?

Comments

sherdil2022•11mo ago
I offer personal / 1:1 training, mentoring and technical consultancy for founders and co-founders.

Please feel free to reach out to me. My throwaway email is in my profile, and I will respond.

Build Video Tools with Code (customizable video components using p5.js)

https://www.usebutter.com/developers?via=leftium
1•Leftium•46s ago•0 comments

US Supreme Court Guts Key Provision of Voting Rights Act

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-supreme-court-blocks-louisiana-voting-map-with-second-black-majo...
2•Jimmc414•1m ago•0 comments

Retailers using plug-in batteries to reduce electricity costs

https://www.fastcompany.com/91534376/beard-papas-emack-bolios-nyc-retailers-plug-in-batteries-sav...
1•satvikpendem•1m ago•0 comments

Urban birds are more scared of women than men – but scientists don't know why

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/urban-birds-pigeons-women-men-study-b2966959.html
2•milchek•7m ago•0 comments

Scientists Unveil 'Long Lost' Map for Smell

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/science/nose-brain-smell-olfaction.html
1•bookofjoe•10m ago•1 comments

When an AI agent should refuse to answer

https://frigade.com/blog/when-an-agent-should-refuse
2•pancomplex•10m ago•0 comments

Lovable for iPhone

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/lovable-build-apps-with-ai/id6757471107
1•doener•11m ago•0 comments

MathDuels: Evaluating LLMs as Problem Posers and Solvers

https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21916
1•matt_d•14m ago•1 comments

The Internet Is Falling Down- CPanel/WHM Authentication Bypass CVE-2026-41940

https://labs.watchtowr.com/the-internet-is-falling-down-falling-down-falling-down-cpanel-whm-auth...
1•zikani_03•14m ago•0 comments

Secure AI and Agent Coding Policy

https://galdren.com/secure-ai-agent-coding-policy/
1•stAInley•16m ago•0 comments

AI discovery reveals DNA isn’t locked away in cells after all

https://gladstone.org/news/ai-discovery-reveals-dna-isnt-locked-away-cells-after-all
3•hhs•17m ago•0 comments

Terafab

https://terafab.ai/
1•Abbit•19m ago•0 comments

WolfTPM Firmware TPM (FwTPM) Support

https://www.wolfssl.com/announcing-wolftpm-firmware-tpm-ftpm-support/
1•aidangarske•19m ago•0 comments

Is "one-person company" a real category or just indie hacking rebranded?

https://www.opc.community
1•patrickliu007•22m ago•0 comments

wolfTPM: A highly portable TPM 2.0 library, designed for embedded use

https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfTPM
1•aidangarske•22m ago•0 comments

Cursor's Warchest, xAI's Redemption

https://ethanding.substack.com/p/cursors-warchest-xais-redemption
1•vinnyglennon•24m ago•1 comments

FusionCore: ROS 2 sensor fusion (IMU and GPS and encoders)

https://github.com/manankharwar/fusioncore
4•notmanaan•26m ago•2 comments

Group averages obscure how an individual's brain controls behavior: study

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/04/brain-scans-individual-versus-group.html
2•hhs•27m ago•0 comments

Ask HN: Rant, Am I bad or is this a company with a poor tech culture?

2•apatheticonion•27m ago•3 comments

Electro-chemo-mechanical modelling of structural battery composite full cells

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41524-025-01646-x
1•nill0•30m ago•0 comments

New study finds a simple rule behind how social norms spread

https://www.gc.cuny.edu/news/new-study-finds-simple-rule-behind-how-social-norms-spread
1•hhs•30m ago•1 comments

"Welcome our new robotaxi overlords"

https://www.ft.com/content/45a5187a-21f5-4539-ae08-c378eb93fa17
2•aanet•31m ago•1 comments

Cdbx

https://www.cdbx.ai/
3•chbutler•31m ago•1 comments

Software Isn't Dying. The Sprint Is

https://yani3380.substack.com/p/software-isnt-dying-the-sprint-is
2•yani•36m ago•0 comments

San Francisco streets with confusingly similar names

https://j-nelson.net/san-francisco-streets-with-similar-names/
2•SeenNotHeard•37m ago•0 comments

Operation Gladio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio
4•simonebrunozzi•43m ago•0 comments

Snowball Earth may hide a far stranger climate cycle than anyone expected

https://sciencex.com/news/2026-04-snowball-earth-stranger-climate.html
4•wglb•44m ago•1 comments

Show HN: Code on the Go, an IDE for Android with On-Device Debugging (GPLv3)

https://www.appdevforall.org/
3•hal-eisen•45m ago•1 comments

The Seven Deadly Fediverse UX Sins: A Redemption Report Card

https://wedistribute.org/2026/04/the-seven-deadly-fediverse-ux-sins-a-redemption-report-card/
2•edent•47m ago•0 comments

Dunning-Kruger and other memes (2015)

https://danluu.com/dunning-kruger/
3•downbad_•47m ago•1 comments