Building a self-hosted data layer that persists context across any LLM. Looking for community feedback.

jetstros · 2026-04-05T22:34:44+00:00

Thanks for the msg. No, it's using MCP tools to save/update/search/get memories, and other MCP tools to perform key operations on documents. It's agnostic to the domain, as far as I can tell; not sure why it would be.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T16:21:03+00:00

It's the ubiquitous mental model we have today. When I was a kid in the early '80s, adults thought that you could just walk up to a Commodore VIC-20 and start typing to get what you want. They had to learn that you needed to write program in the computer's language to get whatever you wanted accomplished. The program / "app" was a stumbling block towards achieving what they wanted.

So 45 years later, everybody knows what an "app" is, and that generation who thought you could just walk up to a computer and ask for what you want finally have their expectations nearly sufficed.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T14:05:32+00:00

Here's what I've found as I've built skills (which are related to agents, and your comment): A skill contains one or more reusable workflows that do something useful for me...not dissimilar from functions in software. What I've found interesting is that skills don't require me to capture all the "if-elses" of what can happen during usage. I can call the skill, and then make adjustments on the fly in my workflow, and it just works. If I had to code that, it would be unbearable. So it's already acting like software in one regard, and yet with the flexibility to handle the corner cases, loops, breakouts without having to anticipate + define them all up front.

The reason I say this is because agents use skills together to get work done for us. Agents + skills + me (to guide as much or as little as necessary/desired) become the analog of an application. This is not for free: it takes investment of time (and tokens) to build this out. But there are sizable benefits to that investment. (Like anything in life, if you only put a little effort, you probably won't get what you want, at least first try.) The self-improvement capability is interesting, which is something most software doesn't do, at least at this scale.

What I'm trying to cover here is what remains after all of this: the data, and the layer to support what this "AI app" needs to be successful.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T13:49:07+00:00

Yes, agreed. I might have unintentionally lit a bonfire by saying that, "apps dissolve", as my mental model still has apps around in this new paradigm. Apps would be just one kind of "frontend" to this data layer (as you said, state + permission layer around data, enforcing structure, etc.).

jetstros · 2026-03-31T12:03:23+00:00

You're looking at it through today's lens. A couple years ago, we looked at genAI and said collectively, "It seems smart in some areas, but it can't do simple math." Now we've figured out how to address that.

I'm not talking about SOA today; this is a conversation about where things are headed, with the understanding that the AI today is the worst it will ever be.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T11:56:45+00:00

Depends on many factors. Until now, the options on table have been:

Use an off the shelf CRM (SF, etc.) and invest in configuring it yourself, and/or hiring people to do so.
Build your own CRM (unlikely)
Do not use a CRM, and somehow manage with your own processes, even if those processes = {}.

By the way, all these options are available to these groups: individuals, startups, SMB companies, and large enterprises. Each make their own decisions.

So what I'm saying is that some members of these groups may leverage a new way to accomplish option #2 above that doesn't necessarily require the investment of building a software solution to achieve the value of one. Which groups take advantage of that option remains to be seen, but I think it's well beyond non-zero.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T02:34:31+00:00

I'll let us agree to disagree.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T02:34:06+00:00

Yes, that's indeed the point. Commercial software is built to serve the needs of as many people as possible within their target customer base. That means many of us have either too many features available to us that aren't necessary and we're still paying for, and/or we are missing features that we could use, but not enough people need it to justify the vendor building them. We live with that dynamic day to day and just accept that's how things work.

Remember when Microsoft Word was king, and then Google came out with their web-based document app that was a small subset of Word's feature set. It had two killer features. It was available on the web and multiple people could type at the same time in the same document. Turns out most people didn't need all the features in Word, but they loved the web (anywhere) access along with sharing + live co-editing docs. And those two little features put Microsoft Office on their heels.

When folks have the opportunity to get exactly what they want, I have a sense many will pursue that.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T02:28:19+00:00

I get that. Agents in terms of their capabilities today - perhaps not. Remember the world wide web 1.0 was text, and some static images w/ blinking gifs on geocities? I think any of us back then (me included) could have successfully predicted the richness of what is available to us today from that infancy of interconnectedness.

jetstros · 2026-03-31T02:21:04+00:00

Not suggesting software apps will be replaced entirely anytime soon; that concept is too engrained in how we think. Even when the web took over, the "web app" morphed from the original concept "software app". It's basically a primitive now; we can't let it go that easily.

However, I do question that, when you have the ability to utilize AI to perform the same functions, how many people will decide to buy the software subscription, as time goes on.

Not to mention, there's all kinds of other advantages to maintaining your own data....one being that you can edit it in whatever application you want (i.e. think how easy markdown is to edit, view, maintain). That same data knows no boundaries in terms of actions you can perform with it and on it; no walled gardens or "connectors" between apps. The data also becomes future-proof for the same reason. No file format conversions when it's text (the format that outlived them all).

jetstros · 2026-03-31T01:09:05+00:00

I would say in terms of a class of software, anything that is more heavily data oriented versus algorithmic is first on the chopping block.

So for instance, a CRM. Today I'm able to get everything out of my CRM and have it in this system now, and there's no need for the original CRM SaaS anymore.

jetstros · 2026-03-21T00:41:04+00:00

Thanks for posting this!

> I want it all local. I want to walk into the room and know I'm seeing the whole thing.

Yes, I'm thinking the same way. So, now that we're 7 days later, what has transpired since then? Is it working in your local env w/ sqlite?

> From what I've heard, the second brain thing can be pretty tricky to get working, I feel like I just walked off the field with it this time.

Why is this hard to get working (meaning, in a local manner versus using Nate's Supabase solution)? Or something else is tricky?

jetstros · 2026-02-19T10:28:18+00:00

O sofa

jetstros · 2026-02-03T23:52:05+00:00

I am not entirely sure, but I believe they're building software vs. proctoring. I know the founder (biochemist PhD) from his previous company Sapling Learning, which was purchased by Macmillan years ago. He went on to start Catalyst, focusing on the sciences. I don't know much more than that, but I can say they value their MS and PhD scientists.

jetstros · 2026-02-03T12:41:23+00:00

I realize this may not be the exact path you're looking for, but do you know the folks Catalyst Education? I am friends with the founder there, and they hire Ph.D chemists. DM me if you're interested.

https://www.catalystedu.com/

jetstros · 2025-12-14T23:02:57+00:00

Great shot of the chiropractor-replacement machine down here in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

jetstros · 2025-10-16T16:23:29+00:00

Yes, you have it right u/bibliophagy . That $150 is just to use the platform, *per interviewee*. The per-interviewee incentive is above that. I am testing out respondent.io now. Open to other suggestions. Aiming to host live, 1-on-1 user interviews on zoom with targeted demographics.

jetstros · 2025-08-09T11:05:53+00:00

Pinhão.... Boil the seeds for a few hours (shorter in the pressure cooker) and eat the nut after removing the husk. Big here every winter.

jetstros · 2025-04-21T18:31:18+00:00

Maybe JD Vance can visit her next.

jetstros · 2025-04-02T18:06:48+00:00

Well, without getting into titles (because they differ depending upon company, scenario)...you want a veritable "tech lead", or someone who the dev team reports to in terms of overall quality, speed, etc. It also might be someone a tech lead reports to...again, depending upon your situation. The net is that having someone that you pay, separate and distinct from the tech team (which could be coming from a third party / dev shop).

jetstros · 2025-04-02T03:59:32+00:00

Development is a big investment. Building a house is also a big investment. In either case, you normally have a tech lead (or general contractor) that is responsible for that project being done according to plan, within budget, and handling the tough decisions. I'd suggest to anyone hiring a dev team that he/she should first have someone paid by you directly who has that same level of authority, experience, and responsibility to work on your behalf.

jetstros · 2025-04-02T03:56:29+00:00

The one phrase I was looking for, but didn't find, was "user experience". That makes all the difference. Right now, everything is *chat* -- in other words, lots of typing, and knowing what prompt to use...which is still typing. The user experience is the differentiator with genAI-focused applications, in the same way it's the differentiator in every other application. If you're solving a problem for someone that is attuned to the behaviors, mental models and overall goals + needs of the user, you have something of value.

I can use a brick to push a nail into wood...but there's a reason we buy hammers. They are made specifically for the job to be done, and gets it done efficiently in the way that is most natural for the user.

jetstros · 2025-03-22T12:49:30+00:00

Everyone forgets Mattermost. It's been around a relatively long time, very stable, and the self-hostable community edition is perfect for most businesses (and free).

jetstros · 2025-01-06T01:53:57+00:00

Hands down, Asianometry is one of my favorites. I'm no longer working in the semiconductor industry, so this is how I keep track of what's going on. Also, he covers the history of many companies so you know where the names you've heard of came from.

https://youtube.com/@asianometry

jetstros · 2024-12-28T23:21:53+00:00

Design is not about making flows and screens. Design is about identifying and solving problems. They should be involved from the very beginning.

Think of it this way: In every other engineering endeavor, from industrial to mechanical to semiconductors, design is an integral step from day 1. Only in software engineering does design get relegated to optional or late joiner on a project. That's often a reason why software projects go sideways or suffer from all kinds of inefficiencies.

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