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Three years of building no-code software for political organizations (write.as)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/opensource@lemmy.ml
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[–] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

"no-code" software is a very specific category of software that aims to enable users to build something that usually is built by a dev, without needing one.

And while "no-code" can be a weird name, it makes sense when you read the definition I just gave. Just like "serverless" does not mean there is no server involved (obviously), but simply means you don't even need to think about the server part.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Yes, so it’s software with logic abstractions. Why do we need a name like that? That covers almost all software, and you can just say extensible and configurable software. That name actually makes sense.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    No, it definitely does not cover almost all software. Most software does not aim to allow a random user to build something that usually requires a dev.

    When you use an OS, you build nothing. When you use a browser, you build nothing. When you use a game, you build nothing. When you use a graphics editor, you build something, but it's not something that a dev could do.

    I could go on with a list of almost all software like this, but that's not a good use of my time, and I hope it is not necessary.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    What do you mean “usually requires a dev”?

    I am a dev, and nothing I’ve built (by writing code) is something any of this software could do. Why would someone hire me to build something that’s already available? The reason I write things is because they can’t be done with existing software.

    I build things with an OS all the time. I built a media center PC by installing Bazzite on a mini pc. Doesn’t that make Bazzite no-code software? I also built a living room gaming console with Bazzite. And I built an automatic sorting system in my Minecraft world. Minecraft is no-code software. I built some bookmarklets in Firefox, so Firefox is no-code software. (Ok, to be fair, I wrote code to do that, so I guess Firefox is code software.) I built a parametric font with Inkscape. Isn’t that no-code software? Oh, I built a 3D printed wood joiner bracket with FreeCAD, so that’s no-code software too.

    Does none of this count? What is the exact specifications of the things you can build with a piece of software that make it no-code software vs not no-code software?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago*

    I am a dev as well, and to build a website you traditionally need a dev. Well, nowadays, you can build a website with a "no code" website builder. That's the most common "no-code" use.

    Not that it's relevant to this conversation, but that doesn't stop people from hiring me to build their website, because "no code" also means "limited customization" and/or "low quality".

    1. The OS isn't the software building anything for you.
    2. You didn't build a media center, you installed software that makes a media center. A "no-code" software that would build a media center would not make much sense, as there isn't a need for any sort of customisation that would not fit into "configuration".
    3. Your point with Minecraft does make sense, but as it does not have any use outside of Minecraft, I wouldn't call Minecraft a no-code system. However, the system itself that you used inside Minecraft to build your automatic sorter would fit the definition, imo. Redstone is a no-code system, for sure.
    4. Firefox didn't build it, you did.
    5. A parametric font isn't something that would require any code to make, so it doesn't fit the definition. What makes a parametric font useful is its support, which requires dev work, and is not no-code.
    6. A 3D print isn't something that would require a dev to do. Of course you can always model something with lines of code, but that's not how you'd sensibly do it.

    "Building something" and "Building something that traditionally requires dev work" are not the same thing.

    The software you use always needed code to make, but it doesn't aim to skip the "hire a dev" phase of your project. If it does, it is "no code".

    And for the sake of argument, let's say that Blender doesn't exist and no other software fulfilling the same purpose exists. Then you'd have to commission a dev (team) to create that software so that you can train people to create 3D models. But the dev building your 3D modeling software doesn't typically have the skills to use the software afterwards, so it does not fit the "no-code" definition.

    TL;DR: It is a "no-code" software when you can skip the "hire a dev" phase of your project and use said software instead.

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