About / Means
An independent software group.
Means builds and operates focused software companies, each with a distinct model and a shared standard for useful, well-made products.
One group, two operating models.
Cortex Software keeps open, specialist tools accessible to the communities that use them. Working Theory gives focused commercial products room to develop sustainably. They operate as sibling companies under Means and share one standard for useful software.
Parent company
Local-first software for creators, developers, and specialist communities.
Focused commercial software built around problems worth solving.
How Means works
Five decision rules, set in advance. When a trade-off appears—in a product, a company, or this site—the answer is already written down.
01 / Utility
PriorityUseful
RejectedMerely impressive
02 / Scope
PriorityFocused
RejectedNeedlessly expansive
03 / Access
PriorityOpen
RejectedClosed without reason
04 / Systems
PriorityOne coherent system
RejectedA collection of disconnected products
05 / Clarity
PriorityUnderstandable
RejectedClever for its own sake
Software, built with intent.
Means is early, and the structure is small on purpose: two companies, two models, one standard. If you make things and care about how they are made, correspond.