Zoo with Jessie Frazelle

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Dec 12, 2024

In this insightful discussion, Jessie Frazelle, CEO of Zoo and a former engineer at Microsoft, Docker, and Google, shares her vision for transforming hardware design tools. She highlights the shortcomings of current CAD tools and how Zoo aims to modernize these processes using Rust. The conversation touches on migrating from C++ to Rust, the challenges and advantages of Rust for software reliability, and the chaotic yet thrilling life of startup innovation. Frazelle also reflects on the importance of user-friendly code generation and the role of automation in hardware development.

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ANECDOTE

Zoo's Origin Story

Zoo, initially KittyCAD, was born from frustrations with existing CAD tools at Oxide Computer Company and Relativity Space.
Slow loading times and lack of automation inspired Jessie Frazelle and Jordan Noone to create a modern alternative.

INSIGHT

From KittyCAD to Zoo

Zoo's initial name, KittyCAD, was a pun, and the rebranding to Zoo followed the introduction of animal-themed AI tools like 'M-elephant'.
The Zoo.dev domain was surprisingly available and affordable.

ANECDOTE

Electron Adoption

Jessie Frazelle's ACMQ paper, "A New Era for Mechanical CAD," initially advocated for native apps over Electron.
Ironically, Zoo later adopted Electron for its production readiness and surprising performance capabilities.

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Think about this: software engineers have modern code editors, parallel processing, continuous integration, and countless tools that make their work efficient. But hardware engineers? They're often working with single-threaded tools, limited automation, and workflows that haven't fundamentally changed in decades. Zoo is building the infrastructure to change that, creating a modern set of tools and APIs that will allow companies and engineers to build better hardware design tools and accelerate the development of physical products.

Today we're joined by Jessie Frazelle, CEO of Zoo (formerly KittyCAD), to talk about migrating core parts of Zoo's infrastructure to Rust, boring infrastructure, how Rust can help bridge the gap between software and hardware development, and how Zoo is building the foundation for the next generation of hardware development tools.

About Zoo

While software engineering has evolved with powerful tools and workflows, hardware design is still stuck 'the dark ages.' Zoo's mission is to make building hardware products as seamless as building software.

Zoo is working on everything from graphics engines to automated workflows for mechanical engineers, and they're even developing their own file format in collaboration with industry leaders. Their goal is to become the foundation that powers the next generation of hardware design tools, making it possible for individuals and small teams to build innovative solutions that were previously only possible within major companies.

About Jessie Frazelle

Jessie Frazelle is the CEO of Zoo and a former software engineer at Microsoft, Docker, and Google. She's a contributor to many well-known open-source projects and has a background in security, containers, and cloud computing. Jessie is also a prolific speaker and writer, and she's passionate about making technology fun and accessible to everyone.

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Links From The Episode (In Chronological Order)

LXC - Alternative Linux container tool
Oxide Computer Company - Jessie's previous startup
Relativity Space - Jordan's previous startup
Solidworks - CAD software used at Oxide
Parasolid - CAD kernel from the 1980s
OpenSCAD - A code to 3d model CAD software
fillet - rounded edges on objects
B-rep - representing 3d models by their boundaries instead of lots of triangles
ACM Queue: "A new era for mechanical CAD"
Tauri - Lightweight, Rust based Electron alternative
WebRTC - Real-Time communication for the web
igalia - Amazing WebRTC consultancy with the coolest nerds on the planet
NAPI-RS - Use Rust in NodeJS
Leptos - Build interactive web applications in Rust
Dioxus - Rust GUI toolkit for web, desktop, mobile, and more
Vulkan - low-level standardised graphics programming interface
CUDA - Nvidia's parallel computing interface
nTop - formerly nTopology, implicity modelling application
Nomad - container orchestration software from HashiCorp
KCL examples - Some examples of the KittyCAD Language
CXX - C++/Rust interop
STEP - CAD file format
glTF - JSON based 3d file format
ruststep - STEP parser using derive macros
schemars - Generate JSON schemas from Rust types
cargo-expand - expand Rust macros
dropshot - Oxide's OpenAPI server framework
zoo.dev: "Boring Infrasctructure" - Simplifying backend infrastructure with Rust
Rust in Production: Zed - Podcast episode with Conrad Irwin from Zed
tokio - Rust's most used async runtime
http crate - A general purpose library of common HTTP types
hyper - A protective and efficient HTTP library for all.
Rust in Production: Oxide - Podcast episode with Steve Klabnik from Oxide Computer Company
Clippy - Rust's official linter
anyhow - Error library for Rust applications
go generate - Generate Go files by processing source
Embedded.fm: "That Girl's Brain" - Podcast episode with Jessie
Adam Chalmers: "Making a Programming Language for 3D Design" - Recording of Adam's RustConf 2024 talk about KCL
winnow - nom, but better
nom - a parser combinator library
zoo.dev: "Introducing Delouse" - Zoo's async debugging framework
The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder - Book recommended by Bryan Cantrill

Official Links