I’m Lee Painter.
For the last twenty-five years I’ve been building software, mostly in security, identity and remote access.
Along the way I’ve written one of the first Java SSH APIs, built an open-source SSL VPN, started and sold companies, supported customers from beaches I should have been relaxing on, and somehow managed to spend most of my adult life turning ideas into products.
These days I divide my time between software, music and a growing collection of projects that all seem unrelated until you realise they’re really about the same thing.
Helping people do more of what matters.
The Software
I started writing software because I was fascinated by how things worked.
A ZX Spectrum was enough to start me down that path.
Years later I created J2SSH, which evolved into the Maverick SSH APIs used by organisations around the world. From there came SSL Explorer, identity products, VPNs, certificate systems and, most recently, Jadaptive.
My current software philosophy is simple:
Software is the gift. Expertise is the paywall.
Build software people can actually use. Earn trust first. Charge for the knowledge that helps people get the most from it.
It sounds obvious.
It isn’t fashionable.
I think it’s the future.
The AI
Like most developers, I became fascinated by AI.
Like many developers, I became frustrated by it too.
That frustration led to Vork.
I describe it as “AI without claws”.
An open-source automation platform focused on transparency, control and practical usefulness.
The long-term vision is ambitious.
I want to automate as much of my life and business as possible without losing control of either.
If one day Vork can answer support tickets while I’m sitting on a beach with a guitar, I’ll consider that progress.
The Music
Music came before software.
Then software replaced it.
Or at least I thought it did.
After a thirty-year detour building companies and products, I eventually picked up a guitar again and discovered the songwriter hadn’t gone anywhere.
He’d just been busy.
Under the name Ludup, I’m releasing original music, recording old songs, writing new ones and trying to become a better singer than I was in my twenties.
The answer, it turns out, was vocal coaching and persistence.
Not necessarily in that order.
The Platform
As I returned to music, I discovered the same thing many independent artists discover.
Everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Platforms charge.
Tools charge.
Middlemen charge.
Fans.audio grew out of a simple question:
Why are artists paying for five services when one platform could do the job?
The project is still evolving, but the mission is clear.
Help artists build direct relationships with fans without paying unnecessary platform tax.
The Engineer in the Lakers Hat
Years ago I watched a documentary about George Michael.
One scene stuck with me.
He was sitting in a studio talking about songwriting.
Not like a celebrity.
Not like a pop star.
Like an engineer.
Someone obsessed with making things.
He happened to be wearing a Lakers hat.
I’ve worn one ever since.
Not because I’m a basketball fan.
Because it reminds me that creativity and engineering aren’t opposites.
They’re the same instinct expressed through different tools.
Why This Site Exists
This site is where all of those worlds meet.
Software.
AI.
Music.
Bootstrapping.
Creativity.
The occasional rant about the state of modern technology.
It’s a place to document the journey, share lessons learned, explore ideas and, hopefully, leave a few useful breadcrumbs for the next person trying to build something.
If you’ve made it this far, welcome.
Pull up a chair.
Just keep an eye out for plastic spoons.