The Return of No-Code Dreams




Back in the glory days of the mid-nineties, when floppy disks ruled the world, there was a phenomenon known as Microsoft Access. Today, it’s wearing a fresh coat of paint and goes by the name of no-code tools. When I see today’s entrepreneurs tripping over themselves to use these tools, it feels awfully familiar. Ah, deja vu, you sly fox!Honestly, we’ve seen this movie before. Sure, it wasn’t on the Internet, but the script was the same. These tools dazzle at the beginning of a project with their quick, drag-and-drop appeal. But many of those early Microsoft Access pioneers (let’s not glorify them as “solopreneurs” yet) often found themselves stuck in the complexity of their own work. I’ve seen companies entrust their core processes to such software time bombs, only to see them explode into chaos when the sole operator bailed. For those of you scratching your heads and wondering what the hell Microsoft Access is — imagine a digital zombie. This tool allowed every Tom, Dick, and Harry to create and share database applications using the ever-so-fancy drag and drop. And while Microsoft has tried (and failed) several times to lay this beast to rest, its stubborn community just won’t let it die. Sound familiar? It should. It’s the same pitch used by countless companies today selling the dream of building web or mobile applications without writing a single line of code. The dream of turning a profit without the hassle of understanding software development.