Ask HN: How to hole up in a cabin in the woods to write my great software idea?

You might not need to do everything in the fastest or most scalable way. Like how a writer in a cabin will produce something that later needs editing and typesetting for mass distribution. So, like, if you forgot how to use an SQL database or didn’t bring Postgres, just serialize a big hash table and do your queries in your programming language.

So you can build the program out of parts that you might need to replace once you’re back online.

You can also do a lot of work with a specification language like TLA+ where you don’t need to actually implement every algorithm. If you need a hash function you can just postulate a function from your domain type to the naturals.

I was thinking one would need to download offline copies of the most immediate tools documents but I guess I was hoping for some tried and true articles or techniques (read: silver bullet) and not have to download the whole internet and cross my fingers that I got everything I needed :)

I just checked it out and it looks cool but I don't think it's for me. I use a Firefox extension called Saka Key that allows me to fully navigate web pages and tabbing with the keyboard but it doesn't work so well when a web page wants to be an app instead of a page. The site forces focus in a text search box and pressing escape doesn't leave the text box, it just replaces displaying the welcome message. It's a usability issue for me :(

* Download Wikipedia data dump.

* Download documentation for the technologies you will be using.

* Make sure you have power.

* Take backups regularly.

* If you get stuck, think and solve the problem. Consider it as an opportunity to employ your brain in a way you (probably) have not done before.