If you have built APIs, then by now, you are already familiar with the practices of how we typically build APIs:
- Code first API approach
- Contract first API approach
But there is one that I absolutely love, and I think is where APIs become art… Developer Guide first approach.
“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
— Brandon Sanderson, fantasy and science fiction writer
Why a “Developer Guide” first approach?
I have been building API products since 2005, and having designed and built good and bad APIs, I now have a belief…
How to build a startup that get acquired?
- Don’t plan on being acquired from the start
- Build a company to run for life
If you get acquired, then that’s great and fine and might work for you, but look at the greatest: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, they didn’t get acquired, they acquired. Then of course there’s Musk and Hoffman, that exited x.com and PayPal and started LinkedIn and Tesla, SpaceX. But I bet you, they didn’t start with reading an article on how to build a startup that gets acquired.
I have been doing a lot of Android development lately, and I’ve been getting to learn a few shortcuts and commands that are increasingly making my life easier. In the spirit of giving back, I’m writing this list of the most handy shortcuts in Android Studio.
1. Search for command: who doesn’t need this? I can’t remember all commands or how to get to them, so I use cmd + shift + a on Mac or ctrl + shift + a on Windows/Linux.
2. Choose content to paste: another gem! This command allows you to select to paste from your…
A shift in MENA startup system?
The MENA startup ecosystem woke up to two big news with different implications:
- Uber’s oil money: Saudi Arabia’s $3.5 Billion investment into Uber disappointed a lot of people who think that money, or even 5% of it will do wonders for the startups and the kind of money available to them. Feeling: Disappointment that reflects the low ambitions of regional startups and the lack of true innovation (we are still copy cats).
- Souq.com to IPO: Ronaldo Mouacher said that the company plans an IPO in 18–24 months. If that happens, it will be the first of the kind in the region, and will set a tone for exits and expectations of VCs. Feeling: a must watch thriller. Get popcorn and sit in your favorite spot.
November 1, 2015.
To be or not to be.
And you know it’s time when that’s the first thought that crosses your mind the minute you wake up…
January 30th, 2014. That was the last day I had a job.
People ask me every now and then: don’t you regret it? My answer is always a straight no. I mean moving back home, leaving the friends I had for 8 years, was tough, and still is, but I have no regrets about quitting my job.
Do I miss the paycheck?
Yes! Especially when it’s a six figure salary. But I don’t regret it, I’m still holding on, and I hope that my projects will start paying off by the end of the year.
Do I miss the security?
Yes! At least you can plan your life around it…
A lot! But, we’ll talk about it later…
When I moved back home to Amman in Feb 2014, I had a vision of what I wanted my “career” to look like in 5 years, and I had so many ideas of how to get there!
After taking a much needed sabbatical for a few months, I've laid down a plan of what I needed to do, and at a high level, it consisted of:
- Make @techcardo a reality
- Engage with the Amman startup community
- Write!
- Live!
- Exercise!
I basically wanted to have fun working, and doing startups is what I…
Mohammad Shaddad
A Jordanian foodie and a Geek! Into technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
