the teletext for today
i'm rahul. i run withqwerty, a one-person software company. i make things at the intersection of sport, education and personality - though honestly, that's just a fancy way of saying i build stuff i wish existed.
there's a feeling i keep coming back to. the hum of a CRT warming up. that phosphorescent glow. waiting for the scores to update, one page at a time. sport felt more innocent then - or maybe i did.
i know we can't go back. i don't really want to. but i think there's something worth carrying forward: the ease of it, the delight, the shared affection for things that don't need to be complicated.
that's what i try to make. software that respects your time, doesn't fight for your attention, and maybe - on a good day - brings a small moment of joy.
teletext was information design at its purest. 40 characters, 7 colours, and it gave you exactly what you needed. no infinite scroll, no dark patterns. just clarity.
i think about that a lot.
i could run ads. plenty of football apps do. but then my incentive becomes keeping you scrolling, not helping you get what you need.
i could take betting partnerships. the money's good. but then i'd be part of a system designed to extract money from people - often people who can least afford it. i'm not saying everyone who bets is irresponsible. but the industry's entire business model relies on people who are. that's not something i want to profit from.
i could sell your data. but honestly, i find that creepy. i don't want to know that much about you. i just want to show you the scores.
so qfax has subscriptions. you pay, you get the thing. simple. if you don't pay, you still get a lot of the thing. also simple.
qfax is the main project right now - live football scores and news in that distinctive teletext style. it's for people who remember ceefax fondly, and maybe for people who just want something that feels a bit different.
more things are coming. life throws punches, sport throws punches, but you keep going.
we'd love to hear from you:
withqwerty is the trading name of withqwerty ltd., registered in england and wales.