Posts tagged: software-development
From VFX Tools to Enterprise SaaS: Three Lessons in Finding Product-Market Fit
By Ben Houston, 10 Minutes Read, 2025-07-26
This is the story of how I went from building Hollywood VFX tools to raising $65M for enterprise SaaS, and the three crucial lessons I learned along the way.
Tags: enterpreneurship, the-indus-enterpreneur, talks, software-development
Three Hard-Won Lessons for Entrepreneurs: From VFX Tools to Enterprise SaaS
By Ben Houston, 8 Minutes Read, 2025-05-22
After twenty years building computer graphics software used in Hollywood blockbusters and enterprise product visualization, here are the crucial lessons that can help entrepreneurs build more successful companies.
Tags: enterpreneurship, the-ottawa-network, talks, software-development
Understanding TanStack Router's beforeLoad and Loader Behavior
By Ben Houston, 4 Minutes Read, 2025-04-07
A detailed exploration of how TanStack Router handles data loading through beforeLoad and loader functions, with insights on execution order, data merging, and performance implications.
Tags: software-development, tan-stack
Crafting README Files for Efficient AI-Assisted Coding
By Ben Houston, 5 Minutes Read, 2025-03-28
Optimize your README.md files to empower both human developers and AI coding assistants alike.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
Building 3D Web Apps That Work Everywhere: A Data-Driven Approach
By Ben Houston, 5 Minutes Read, 2025-03-24
Learn how to develop 3D web applications that work reliably across all devices using real-world browser capability data from Web3DSurvey.com with a practical two-tier development strategy.
What is the Most Minimal Agentic Coder You Can Write?
By Ben Houston, 3 Minutes Read, 2025-03-21
Exploring the simplest possible implementation of an agentic coder using just 200 lines of TypeScript, demonstrating foundational concepts clearly and concisely.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
Building an Agentic Coder from Scratch
By Ben Houston, 6 Minutes Read, 2025-03-20
How to build an autonomous agentic coder that leverages advanced LLMs to transform software development. A talk given at the Ottawa Forward JS meet-up.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development, forward-js, talks
The Ephemeral Nature of Software in the Age of AI
By Ben Houston, 6 Minutes Read, 2025-03-17
As AI dramatically reduces software development costs, we need to rethink our approach to code. Software is becoming ephemeral - easily replaced rather than maintained. This paradigm shift means optimizing for current needs instead of hypothetical futures.
Tags: agents, software-development
Agentic Coders with GitHub Comments and Actions: Automating Real Development
By Ben Houston, 3 Minutes Read, 2025-03-13
AI agents are moving beyond IDEs into full automation of coding workflows. Discover how integrating agentic coding into GitHub Actions can streamline software development -- turning issues into PRs and automating documentation, tests, and even code reviews, all through simple GitHub comments.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
GitHub Mode: A Game Changer for Agentic Coding
By Ben Houston, 4 Minutes Read, 2025-03-07
Adding GitHub Mode to MyCoder has radically improved my productivity, making my agentic coder feel like a true team member. By leveraging GitHub for task tracking, pull requests, and CI/CD feedback, I’ve seen a 3x to 5x boost in development efficiency.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
Lean into your Agentic Coder's Mistakes
By Ben Houston, 2 Minutes Read, 2025-03-06
Adapting your codebase to match AI coder assumptions doesn't just help AI -- it uncovers hidden complexity, ultimately benefiting human developers.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
Stop Writing Code for Humans - The Future Belongs to AI Agents
By Ben Houston, 16 Minutes Read, 2025-03-05
As AI coding agents become increasingly capable, we need to rethink our code organization and documentation practices. Here's why traditional "human-first" coding approaches are becoming obsolete and how to structure your projects for optimal AI compatibility.
Tags: mycoder, agents, software-development
I've started using TanStack/Start and I like it a lot.
By Ben Houston, 5 Minutes Read, 2025-02-18
Why TanStack/Start may be the right choice for your next project. Exploring the unique features of TanStack/Start in comparison to Remix, and Next.js.
Tags: software-development, tan-stack
The Origins of Krakatoa: A VFX Rendering Journey
By Ben Houston, 6 Minutes Read, 2024-12-06
From solving a unique rendering challenge for a single film to becoming an industry-standard tool used in blockbuster movies like Avatar and Harry Potter, the origin story of the Krakatoa point renderer.
Tags: enterpreneurship, frantic-films, visual-effects, software-development
Building Deadline: Finding Product Market Fit in a VFX Studio, and almost winning an Oscar
By Ben Houston, 7 Minutes Read, 2024-12-05
Sometimes big opportunities come from solving what seem like minor problems. In 2002, fresh out of university, I accidentally co-created what would become one of the most widely-used tools in Hollywood visual effects - all because I needed a better way to run fluid simulations.
Tags: visual-effects, frantic-films, entrepreneurship, computer-graphics, software-development
The Entrepreneurial Journey of Clara.io: Finding Product-Market Fit in Unexpected Places
By Ben Houston, 6 Minutes Read, 2024-12-04
How a pioneering web-based 3D editor pivoted from trying to revolutionizing visual effects to finding unexpected success in enterprise product visualization.
Tags: clara.io, enterpreneurship, computer-graphics, software-development
I Didn't Need Kubernetes, and You Probably Don't Either
By Ben Houston, 7 Minutes Read, 2024-11-05
Kubernetes often represents the ultimate solution for container orchestration, but my experience has led me to leave it behind in favor of a simpler, cost-effective solution using Google Cloud Run.
Tags: software-development
Introducing Web3DSurvey: Tracking WebGL and WebGPU Capabilities
By Ben Houston, 3 Minutes Read, 2024-09-01
Web3DSurvey is a tool for 3D web developers that tracks and aggregates WebGL, WebGL2, and WebGPU capabilities providing valuable insights into real-world support for these features.