Local-first software stores your data on your device first and the cloud second. The cloud becomes a syncing convenience, not a landlord. Power flows in the direction of the user instead of toward a billing portal that can decide tomorrow to deprecate you.
This is not a Luddite position. It is a stance about who gets to read your files at 3am when the vendor’s auth service is having a bad night. The answer should be: you do.
Treat local-first as a design constraint, not a feature. Constraints shape better products than features ever do.
