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P0: Show HN May 12-13 (post ready) P1: arXiv preprint + 5-part blog series from whitepaper P2: 2027 conference targets (FMCAD, FM, ICSE, ASE, NFM, SPLASH) P3: QCon SF talk proposal (~Jun 2026) P4: TOSEM/JAR journal (rolling submissions) P5: Cold email → first consulting client (summer 2026) Includes verified 2026/2027 conference deadlines, blocker inventory (7 items), decision framework by Show HN traction tier, and anti-patterns.
145 lines
6.5 KiB
Markdown
145 lines
6.5 KiB
Markdown
# Speckl Distribution Strategy
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> *The whitepaper is done. Now it needs a path to the world.*
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**Created:** May 7, 2026 (8:05 PM heartbeat)
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**Status:** All items pending — blocked on Scott for human-required actions
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---
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## The Asset: Whitepaper v2
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- **~19,000 words** across 8 complete sections
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- **Commit:** `6121fd6` — pushed to Forgejo
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- **Sections:** The Spec-Code Gap, SpeckDL Language, Compiler Architecture, Embedded Provenance, Consensus Protocols, Real-World Applications, Related Work, Future Work & Roadmap
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- **Positioning:** "specification language with compiler-level provenance for teams that need evidence of correctness more than proof of correctness"
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---
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## Priority-Ordered Distribution Plan
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### P0: Show HN (May 12-13)
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**No gatekeepers. Post is ready.**
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- **Post:** `docs/show-hn-announcement.md` — written, copy-paste ready
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- **Optimal timing:** Tuesday or Wednesday, 8-11 AM UTC (based on analysis of 1,200 launches)
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- **What it needs:** Scott's HN account, click "submit"
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- **Expected:** ~50-200 upvotes for a well-written open source technical tool, potential for front page
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- **Risk:** Low — even a modest response builds awareness and creates a permalink
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### P1: arXiv Preprint + Weekly Blog Posts
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**Builds the knowledge graph around Speckl before conference submissions open.**
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- **arXiv:** Submit whitepaper as a preprint to cs.SE or cs.PL
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- Requires: academic email or endorsement (Scott may need an endorser)
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- Value: citable, discoverable, timestamped — standard for CS credibility
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- **Blog series:** 5 posts extractable from whitepaper sections
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1. "The Spec-Code Gap" — why specs rot and what to do about it
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2. "SpeckDL by Example" — language tutorial (already exists as `speckl-by-example.md`)
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3. "Compiling Provenance" — how Speckl generates PROV-O, CycloneDX, SPDX
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4. "Consensus from Spec" — Paxos, Raft, Two-Phase Commit in SpeckDL
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5. "The Future of Spec-Driven Development" — roadmap and vision
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- Host on: speckl.scoble.me/blog (Storj static) or scott.scoble.me/blog
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- Each post cross-links to Show HN thread and whitepaper
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### P2: Conference Submissions (2027 Cycle)
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**All major 2026 cycles are closed.** Speckl's whitepaper (completed May 7) is well-timed for the 2027 submission cycle.
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#### Target Venues (2027)
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| Venue | Focus | Typical Deadline | Fit |
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|-------|-------|-----------------|-----|
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| **FMCAD 2027** | Formal methods + CAD | Apr-May 2027 | Strong — state machines, verification |
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| **FM 2027** | Formal methods (broad) | ~Dec 2026 | Strong — methodology + tool |
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| **ICSE 2027** | Software engineering | ~Aug 2026 | Good — spec-driven dev is an SE topic |
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| **ASE 2027** | Automated SE | ~May 2027 | Good — compiler-level generation |
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| **NFM 2027** | NASA Formal Methods | ~Dec 2026 | Strong — provenance + verification |
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| **SPLASH Onward! 2026** | New ideas in programming | ~Jun 2026 | Possible — "grand visions" track |
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#### Note on FMCAD 2026
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FMCAD 2026 (Graz, Sept 14-18, co-located with VSTTE) has **already closed**: abstract deadline April 26, paper deadline May 3. It would have been an ideal venue, but Speckl's whitepaper wasn't complete until May 7. 2027 is the target.
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### P3: QCon SF Talk Proposal (~Jun 2026)
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**Practitioner conference, not academic. Faster cycle.**
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- QCon SF 2026 call for proposals typically opens ~June
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- Topic: "Spec-Driven Development: From TLA+ to TypeScript" or "Building Evidence into Specs"
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- Less competitive than academic venues, reaches working engineers
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- Scott's existing speaking experience (3 talk forks) positions him well
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### P4: Journal Publication (Rolling)
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- **TOSEM (ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology):** rolling submissions, high prestige
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- **JAR (Journal of Automated Reasoning):** rolling, good fit for formal methods + automation
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- Both take 12-18 months but produce durable citations
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### P5: Cold Email → First Consulting Client (Summer 2026)
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**When: After at least one public artifact is circulating (Show HN + arXiv).**
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- **Pipeline already built:** `speckl/outreach.md`
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- **Top targets:** Dan Lorenc (Chainguard), Said Ziouani (Anchore)
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- **Emails verified:** dlorenc@chainguard.dev ✅, sziouani@anchore.com ✅
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- **Content:** Consulting one-pager drafted (`speckl/docs/consulting-one-pager.md`)
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- **Pricing:** Drafted, needs Scott review
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- **Approach:** "We've been building Speckl — an open standard for spec-driven development with compiler-level provenance. I'd love 20 minutes to understand how your team handles the spec-to-code gap."
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---
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## Blockers Inventory
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| Blocker | Priority | Owner | Status |
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|---------|----------|-------|--------|
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| Show HN submission | P0 | Scott | Post ready, needs HN account |
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| arXiv endorsement/account | P1 | Scott | Whitepaper ready |
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| Blog posts publishing | P1 | Scott or @content | Content mostly written |
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| Consulting one-pager review | P3 | Scott | Draft complete, needs pricing validation |
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| Cold email send | P3 | Scott | Targets identified, emails verified |
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| engineering#9 (parser fix) | P0 tech | @engineering | 4-bug scope documented |
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| Storj credentials | — | Scott | Expired, blocks new deploys |
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| ClawHub/npm auth | — | Scott | Blocks MCP experiment |
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---
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## Timeline (Ideal)
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```
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May 12-13: Show HN goes live (P0)
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May 14: arXiv preprint submitted (P1)
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May 15+: Blog post #1 published, weekly cadence (P1)
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Jun: QCon SF proposal submitted (P3)
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Jul: First cold emails sent (P5)
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Aug: ICSE 2027 deadline (P2)
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Sep: First consulting engagement (P5)
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Late 2026: Conference submissions for 2027 cycle (P2)
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```
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---
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## Decision Framework
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**If Show HN gets strong traction (>200 upvotes):**
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→ Prioritize blog series, community building, open source contributions
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→ Defer consulting — let inbound interest come naturally
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**If Show HN gets modest traction (<50 upvotes):**
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→ Still publish arXiv + blog for credibility
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→ Proceed to cold email for consulting (validates need regardless of HN)
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**If Scott can't get to Show HN by May 20:**
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→ Skip it — publish arXiv first, blog series second
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→ Show HN can happen anytime, but momentum matters
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---
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## What NOT to Do
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- ❌ Don't rush a paper to a 2026 venue with a late deadline — a rejected rushed paper is worse than a polished 2027 submission
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- ❌ Don't cold email without at least one public artifact circulating — credibility gap
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- ❌ Don't build more compiler features before distribution — the compiler works well enough to demonstrate the concept
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- ❌ Don't start a new venture — Speckl is the highest-ROI path to revenue
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