everything can be a file

bdon @ valuesbased.software

brandon

@bdon on ig, gh, are.na
human organism
cartographic technologist → protomaps.com
a file (bdon.jpg)

in the 1980s, everything was almost a file

replacing map platforms with map files

files are symmetrical interactions

images, JSON, markdown, mp4 video

publishing ↔ consumption

Platforms

platforms are asymmetrical interactions

what you upload you cannot download

but SaaS is good for revenue

pre-platform internet nostalgia

everything was a file

videos are one-dimensional files in time

maps are 2 or 3-dimensional in space, but can be made 1D

Exploring the PMTiles v3 File Format →

protomaps: maps aren't platforms.
just a big file 🗿

May 12, 2025

The first interactive map on the New York Times frontpage

nytimes.com →

an interactive map of every container ship

Flexport atlas →

platforms might align with your values if you get lucky and ask nicely

everything is a file: the values are baked into the software design itself

“File over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom.”