The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

Actual(ly) opening up (Interview)

Jul 1, 2022

James Long, the creator of Actual and Prettier, returns to share his journey in open-source software. He discusses the evolution of Actual from a paid service to a 100% free personal finance tool and reflects on balancing entrepreneurship with family life. The conversation dives into the challenges of solo building in tech, the need for collaboration, and community engagement in open-source projects. James also explores the complexities of maintaining a cross-platform app and the innovation in budgeting solutions that empower users.

01:35:26

Creator website

Episode guests

James Long

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Exploring the Magic and Burdens of Open Source in Personal Finance Management

4min

Navigating Personal Finance Innovation

26min

Building Alone: The Need for Collaboration

8min

Navigating Open-Source Growth Challenges

24min

Navigating App Deprecation and Data Solutions

5min

Complexities of Web Storage APIs

13min

Exploring Software Architecture and Community Engagement

8min

Finding Balance and Inspiring Contributions in Open Source

2min

10.

Balancing Passion and Responsibility

3min

Adam and Jerod are joined once again by James Long. He was on the podcast five years ago discussing the surprise success of Prettier, an opinionated code formatter that’s still in use to this day. This time around we’re going deep on Actual, his personal finance system James built as a business for over 4 years before recently opening it up and making it 100% free.

Has James given up on the business? Or will this move Actual(ly) breathe new life into a piece of software that’s used and beloved by many? Tune in to find out.

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Featuring:

James Long – Website, GitHub, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!

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