The real story behind Compass
Today is a big day.
Sure, Compass Calendar is on Product Hunt today, but that’s not why.
It’s August 14.
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Five years and eight months ago, I started working on the thing that I would eventually call Compass.
The app has been free up to this point (although that’ll change soon).
Usage has been flat for years.
When I run into my old peers, they ask me what I’ve been up to.
I tell them I’ve continued to work on Compass.
Then they stop talking to me.
In light of this, some people ask me the obvious question:
“Why?”
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“I have such amazing friends and family and I wish I could slow down time just a little bit so I can take all these relationships in as much as possible. Time is the biggest enemy we all face.”
Derek posted that in 2014 during Christmas break. A few days later, he passed away unexpectedly.
So many people loved Derek that they had to have his funeral in a gymnasium, which still couldn’t hold everyone who attended.
Until then, I had been the smart one, the one who managed his time better by leaving early to study. Derek, on the other hand, would stay out to hang out with people. He didn’t excel academically because he was too busy building friendships.
Sitting in that packed gym of loved ones, I suddenly felt like the dumb one, the one who completely missed the plot.
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In 2015, one of Derek’s family members introduced me to a distant aunt.
“This is Tyler, the guy who brought Derek to church.”
“Oh, bless you,” the woman said.
It was true; I played a role in Derek’s faith. Or rather, God used me to draw Derek towards him. Derek got baptized and turned his whole life around.
Although we both grew in our faith together during high school, we also strayed from the path during college.
By the time Auntie met me, my faith had dissolved so much that I felt ashamed that she thought highly of me.
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In 2023, I dedicated Compass to Derek. I added a “secret” shortcut to Compass that displayed that quote about time in his honor. I always planned to dedicate my first book to him, but I hadn’t published one yet, and an app felt like a decent consolation.
There was just one problem:
The app sucked.
I dedicated a shitty app to my best friend.
That tension gnawed at me for a year as I tried to step away and work on more fiscally responsible things.
Finally, I started tweaking things in late 2024.
At first I’d ship a small feature for fun as an excuse to apply what I was learning.
But it felt really good to work with time again, to meditate on what Derek taught me.
Compass was a much-needed escape from the empty lifestyle I had fallen into: partying, hangovers, fake friendships.
I moved, got sober, and put all my free time into Compass.
The more I worked on the app, the more connected I felt to Derek.
The closer I felt to Derek, the closer I felt to God.
After 14 years of silence, I started praying again.
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It’s awkward to admit that working on a free calendar app restored my relationship with my dead best friend and God.
That’s why when people ask why I keep working on Compass, I usually just shrug and say it’s cuz I’m stubborn.
Derek was always honest, even when the truth was messy.
In celebration of his 33rd birthday, I figured I’d try being a little more honest myself.
——
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In addition to being an exercise in honesty, I hope this also helps someone find their own source of purpose, however messy it may be.
It took me over a decade to figure this stuff out, to opt in to a narrative bigger than myself while accepting the price along the way.
If this resonates and you’re on a similar journey, I’d love to chat. Not as developer-to-user, just man-to-man. HMU: tyler@keepsoftwaresimple.com.