Ep. 29 | Building Search Infrastructure Developers Actually Want to Use with Don MacKinnon

SummaryIn this episode of the Overcommitted Podcast, host Erika and co-hosts Bethany and Brittany Ellich engage in a conversation with Don McKinnon, founder of Searchcraft. They discuss Don's journey in software engineering, the challenges faced while building Searchcraft, and the unique features that make it accessible for developers of all levels. The conversation also touches on the integration of AI, market competition, and the path to founding a startup, concluding with a fun segment about walkout songs.Takeaways

• Searchcraft aims to reduce complexity in search infrastructure.
• Rust was chosen for its efficiency and performance benefits.
• Building Searchcraft took two years of development before launching as a product.
• Searchcraft allows non-technical users to manage search relevancy through a GUI
• AI integration is crucial for modern applications, especially in search.
• The market for search tools is evolving with the emergence of AI.
• Founding a startup involves learning and adapting to new challenges.
• Identifying pain points is key to developing a successful product.
• It's important to focus on solving real problems rather than perfection.
• The journey of building a product can lead to unexpected opportunities.

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Links

• Don MacKinnon⁠⁠: https://donmackinnon.dev/
• Searchcraft⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.searchcraft.io/⁠
• Article: Improving trust in AI systems⁠: ⁠  / improving-trust-in-ai-systems  ⁠

Hosts

• Overcommitted: https://overcommitted.dev
• Bethany Janos⁠⁠: https://github.com/bethanyj28

• Brittany Ellich⁠⁠: ⁠https://brittanyellich.com⁠
• Eggyhead⁠: ⁠https://github.com/eggyhead⁠