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Why isn't there Tinder for coding partners?

James Palermo on June 09, 2022

I'm a person who really enjoys having a partner to work on stuff with. Maybe there is some obscure syntax that needs googling -- one of you can go ...
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Michael Tharrington

Awesome post, James!

I really think you're onto something here...

I've had a similar idea about an app for matching up folks to play music together. My idea kinda hinged on pairing up people that are in the same area geographically, which I believe must be how Tinder works granted I don't truly know (I've been with the same person for 15 years so luckily missed out on online dating, haha).

With finding a coding partner, I don't think you'd need to pair people up that are physically nearby each other, so that's kind of cool that you wouldn't have to worry about that. Still, it'd be cool to give folks the option to filter to people that are near them in case they want to meet up and work on a project in person together.

Anyway, good idea. If you decide to move forward with creating something like this, I hope you'll share it with us!

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James Palermo

I have some questions that would also apply to a music app. Can I bounce a few questions off ya? I’ve got all the messenger platforms or shoot me an email. 😎

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michaeltharrington profile image
Michael Tharrington • Edited

Absolutely! πŸ™Œ

Would you hit me up at michael@forem.com?

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

Sent an email.

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

Ever receive that contact?

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michaeltharrington profile image
Michael Tharrington

I did indeed! Just hit ya back!

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yuridevat profile image
Julia πŸ‘©πŸ»β€πŸ’» GDE

This is such a great idea! I felt the same way a lot during my journey and I really wish this kind of app would have exist back then!
It is actually pretty hard to find someone not only be β€žinterestedβ€œ in coding but also that hard working/learning like me.

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d7460n profile image
D7460N • Edited

Concur, pair programming can be very beneficial.

Often wished I knew of a community where I could find a like-minded software engineer to partner with for projects rather than finding an elusive needle in a haystack answer for every coding issue.

I know many devs who have great ideas but because they don't have the skills and or the time to build it all themselves, those great ideas never see the light of day.

To expand on your idea, you could have descriptions or selectable options for the project type and scope you want to develop, the developer you want to partner with, and the type of partnership you want.

For example, formal, informal, mentor, mentoree, expert, novice, noob, specific language support, strategy, design, best practices, long term, short term, open source, profit sharing, front-end, back-end, middle-ware, or just pitching ideas.

(Does sort of feel like what may be found in a dating app.. lol)

Thanks for writing this article.
Hope something comes of it.

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gmf002 profile image
George Fazio

Remote pairing is tolerable. But, there's nothing quiet like passing the keyboard back and forth in person. An ex-coworker had the IT department install two keyboards, mice, and an extra monitor that he mirrored. When we'd pair, one person sat at each keyboard/monitor and we'd just take turns writing code. He was big on TDD, so it was usually one person wrote a test, the other wrote the code, then another test and repeat. It flowed really well. I've yet to be on a remote pairing session that flowed as well as that.

So, maybe you're on to something here. :)

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robertgid profile image
RGID

It isn't quite the same, but things like VS Code Live Share can partially emulate that experience, letting you follow along and write code simultaneously.

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sasirekhamurakonda profile image
sasirekha • Edited

Enjoyed reading the article. Good idea actually.

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danielkv profile image
Daniel Guolo

Well, despite many communities around, I've never seen something that specific. I do think might be a good ideia! I'm really interested! If you have any interest on building a mvp, reach out. I'll leave my contact info in my profile.

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Muhammad Uzair • Edited

Ben Awad (youtuber) created a VSCode extension kindda same product you are talking about, later sold it within weeks.

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

Never heard of it.

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Khokon M.

Award πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

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uzair004 profile image
Muhammad Uzair

I mean Awad :D

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Bervianto Leo Pratama

This is a great idea. πŸ™‚

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Jan KΓΌster • Edited

And instead of a profile image you see a code snippet πŸ˜…

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maikomorales profile image
Maiko Morales Roman

I was thinking something like that lol

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robertgid profile image
RGID

Or maybe you could pick a few logos of your favorite technologies, apps, etc.

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Thea • Edited

There is a VS Code extension already (Vsinder) made by Ben Awad: marketplace.visualstudio.com/items...
I have installed it and works fine, just not many devs know about it.

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

That is much less targeted at finding people to work with on projects than what I have in mind. The "Tinder" reference in my title was not meant as literally as this vsinder implementation is.

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highflyer910 profile image
Thea

And here is the app for Android:)
play.google.com/store/apps/details...

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tsbrun profile image
Anya Brun

I agree that it's more rewarding to learn with a friend. "Tinder for coding partners"; maybe you've found your next project idea?

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domingosl profile image
Domingo

Maybe it does not exists yet because there is no apparent good monetization strategy for an app like this?

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James Palermo

Do you know how many lines of code have been written with zero interest in the return on investment they'll generate?

A whole lot. Like a lot a lot.

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Domingo

agree, many "lines of code", but I'm talking about products, not libraries or any open source projects. Can you mention a couple of products (related with this) that are successful with no business model or monetization strategy?

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

Let’s just short circuit this conversation because I’m hung over:
I have at least a dozen themes for WebStorm and VSCode that have no monetization.
VSCode is just an editor. No money there.
run β€œpipx install bpytop” and enjoy a beautiful free and 10000% un-monetizable system status console.

Oh. And Debian. Ubuntu. OpenSuse. CentOS. Xu/Lu/etc*buntu.

The room is spinning. My argument is ….

Katy Perry is so pretty. And you’re wrong. 🧐

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Hardeep Kumar

Great idea actually.... But i prefer to work alone. Can't deal with nuisance.

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ethand91 profile image
Ethan

Nice idea. Would be great to find local coders. :D

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Luis Paulo Dobreira

You do have Discord groups...

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james_palermo_bc208e463e4 profile image
James Palermo

Addressed in my article.

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andrewbaisden profile image
Andrew Baisden

If it does not exist yet then somebody should create it πŸ˜‰

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Tilak Jain

That's a great idea, I wish there was something like it.

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Miracleio

Omegle for developers

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wetndusty

If you 100% asexual maybe i can help you... πŸ˜‚