There's a phrase that's been stuck in my head ever since I heard @_adamwiggins_ say it on the Metamuse podcast:

"Software that says something unique about the world"

We're so used to thinking in features: "Can't XYZ do that already?"

But as an author/creator, that's not always what it's about. Sometimes, you're just driven by a feeling that there's a better way to do things.

Like I'm sure some people see @_ohmjs as "just another JS parsing toolkit".

Does it do anything that the other tools don't do? Not really.

But we happen to think we have a unique spin on that category.

So I love Adam's phrase for two reasons:

1️⃣ It's a reminder of what most of us really care about. If you're an Emacs-head or a vim-o-phile, an iOS fan or an Android die-hard, it's almost certainly not because of the feature list.

2️⃣ As an author, it pulls me in two directions. On one hand, it's freeing — my work doesn't have to be *novel*, it's enough to be *different*.

On the other hand, I also see it as a challenge: "Why am I doing this? Am I really saying something unique here?"

I like that tension.