The Recursive ISV

Don’t know if you folks check your web logs in relation to browsers very often, I know I do.  I’m impressed to see all the different flavours from I.E. to Firefox, Safari and of course the various products that ship with Linux distros.  What does surprise me is the amount of people using old browsers - especially folks reading this blog who most probably are developers.  Now - it’s none of my concern what browser you use and the reasons you use it - but I do wonder why folks don’t upgrade?  Especially where Internet Explorer is concerned.  I.E. 7 has been out for two years now and yet lots of folks are still runnning version 6.   Similar stat’s can be seen for Firefox versions.  Wouldn’t upgrading make sense?  You can read more here from the article that inspired this post, it has some interesting stat’s and information on an effort to get folks to upgrade:

 http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/25/save-the-developers-stop-using-internet-explorer-6/

 On the topic of not upgrading - I’ve also seen in the web logs for this blog Windows versions going back to Win98.  Win98?  Developers?  Yep - around 60+ hits (and two for NT 4).   I find this odd, though no doubt somebody will point out some very good reasons (which I’ll probably instantly refute - but hey what’s a blog without at least one troll post from the owner?  <g>). 

Finally - the range of OS’ I’m seeing is impressive.  In the membership only forums I am or have been a member of it’s rare to see many - if any - Mac and *nix developers.  Most of the visitors here come from the BOS http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/?biz forums.  I’m getting consistently high visits from Mac and *nix users (developers I assume from the source) and the Mac is way in front of *nix flavours.   XP of course leads the crowd, Vista staggers in at a distant second.

 Scott Kane

One of the things that really bugs me is seeing software that not even its mother, the software designer, loves. 

We see it all the time with ugly screens, broken functionality, sixteen bit icons, stolen icons, icons that come with the IDE etc ad nauseam.  Why?  Because the developer gets a “hot idea”, plugs away and then releases to the world, throws it onto download sites, maybe does some SEO with Google et al. 

Said software rarely gets updated, rarely gets bug fixed, rarely gets bought and is frequently dismissed if not despised.  Heck, it even gets small software companies a bad rep amongst B2B and even consumers.

Who ever thought up the idea of selling programming languages to Joe and Jill Sixpack?  Websites or shrink wrapped products with “Even you can program” ought to be taken out back and shot, or at least hauled up under local laws for false advertising.  We see this all the time on the software forums.  Folks wanting an “idea” to write the “next killer” program, or how to find an idea for the “next killer” program, oh – and they want to be able to do it all in two weeks!! 

This is how some unloved software is released.  Money is the only motivator, no interest in the product, customer or future.  Product is abandoned.

Another instance is where a hobbyist with domain knowledge writes a product and releases, initially loving the *idea* of such a program (and the kudos that come with it) but are technically inept and lack design skills.  The idea is loved here but not the program.  Product is abandoned.

In other instances the programmer is technically competent, loves programming, has domain knowledge and loves the idea.  However the actual program is not loved, as evidenced by look and feel.  Products frequently abandoned.

It’s interesting to see that the products that are clearly loved by their “mothers” survive and prosper.  Some of them are pretty basic as far as depth of functionality goes, yet have loyal customers and benefit from frequent updates.

It’s not enough to be technically competent to love a product *we’re talking products for resale here – not tools or basic utilities).   A car does not need paint to run, it can be rusty and look awful but run just fine and do what it is supposed to do, get you from a to b.  But would you love such a car?  Nope.  You’d hate a car to look like this, no matter how functional.  A nice shiny, nicely painted car, for most people, is something to love.

Software is no different.

Build your product so that it is technically competent.  That’s essential and bears no dissention.  Certainly release early, I believe in that fully.  But love the product.  Be meticulous with the graphics and layout.  Icons should be modern, there is no excuse for this.  They can be bought pretty cheaply too.  See http://www.icons-icons.com/  for some great designs, there are others. 

Take some time out, if you are a Windows or *nix developer, to look at some Mac products.  Mac developers get this idea.  In the best products the icons on toolbars are color coordinated.  They take the time to do it right, showing they love the program and their customers, Mac users, demand nothing less.  When delivered they have some of the most loyal customers you could find.  

Keep in mind at all times that if you love your products and it shows you love them through attention to detail, not just code but look and feel, it’s more likely your customers will love them too.

So do you *really* love your product?

There are some really great blogs and books out there for ISV’s (Independent Software Vendors) and also some aimed at so called “mISV’s” (the m standing for micro effectively meaning smaller in size – for the purposes of this basic explanation).   So it’s not my intent to create yet another blog duplicating their fine work.  I will add links to them in article entries as and when they are relevant to the topic and certain (selected) blogs will be added to the blog roll of this blog.  Which brings me to the point of this first entry.  Who the heck am I and what on Earth is a Dropbear and how does this relate to ISV’s?

I’ll leave the gory details of who I am for those who want to pursue it on the About page of this blog.  You can make of it what you will but suffice to say I’m moderator of the Usenet comp.software.shareware.* (authors, announce and users) newsgroups, have been associated with “shareware” in one capacity or another for over two decades and I’m am an ISV (actually an mISV in the process of developing a new range of applications for a vertical market while also holding an Advanced Degree in Vaporware) and slaved as a corporate developer for way to long for a couple of companies most people have heard of and I’d rather forget. 

 

Now – Dropbears (I’ll deal with ISV’s below I promise!!).   Dropbears are a fictional animal designed to scare Australian kids and tourists (especially tourists).  There is an entire artificial mythology built around Dropbears.  They get there name (so the myth goes) by dropping out of trees on their victims and gobbling them up, flesh, bones, clothes, and cameras (especially cameras as this is the reason given why no Dropbear has ever been filmed).  They are attracted by eucalyptus (given that the Australian forests are 99% eucalyptus trees avoiding them would appear to be tough) and repelled by a product called “Aeroguard  ™” (a personal insecticide for the record marketed in Australia).  Filling in an Australian kid (especially a city based kid) or a tourist (you folks from the USA are the most desirable targets – Australian humor can be difficult to comprehend) is a pastime for some folks who delight in giving people a scare.  Not something I’ve indulged in (you can probably tell by now I’m Australian) but I know a lot of folks who do.  OK.  So how does this relate to ISV’s?

 

Well may you ask.  Much of the “information” that floats around the industry is FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) perpetrated often by folks who mean well, who believe what they are saying is true (and often it is for them) but fail to comprehend that it isn’t true or it’s based on certain “assumptions” (and you know what we do when we ASSUME) or that it applies in certain circumstances – but not all (theirs but maybe not yours).  So like the fictional (though none the less fearful and much believed in) Dropbear there’s a lot of fictional ISV information floating around for various reasons.  Because of this some important things are actually missed altogether and/or dismissed without deeper consideration or thought.  This doesn’t make them any less relevant however.  Thus a Dropbear for an ISV may be believing in what is not true or just as bad not believing in that which is true.  Hence the anaology of this blog.  As Kierkegaard said “There are two ways of being deceived. One is to believe that which is not true.  The other is to not believe that which is true.”  However….   In so following his words we have to also be mindful of Confucious “In painting a tiger you can paint the skin but not the bones.”

 

So if you’re after a “How to start an ISV” or “How To Choose A Software Product To Write And Make Millions” type blog this isn’t it.  Nor is it a “Here’s How To Write A Pirate Proof Registration Scheme” or which compiler is best for the job - besides everybody uses Delphi anyway don’t they?  ;-)    .  There are some great discussion on this stuff already on some blogs and I’ll be adding links to those over time where you can read all about it there.  Rather this blog looks at the things we often don’t consider or assume to be true (that word assume again) and questions the validity of those things.

 

I’ll elaborate further as time goes on but most of the entries will be serialized (weekly parts I hope) discussing specific topics.  For example I’ll be doing a piece on the hidden cost of software piracy, looking at how it may not always affect the software developer directly (there’s a new thought!) but indirectly.  The nature of pirates and hackers/crackers have evolved in the last decade to entirely different beasts to what we think they are.  Other articles will focus on download sites and how I have come to believe they can actually damage your business.

 

Where information is available on the net I’ll provide direct links, unless those links feed to an undesirable entity or persons.  The last thing I want to do is give some criminal a free Google plug to boost their rankings or advertise their wares for free!

 

As ISV’s the information we hear and repeat tends to be a bit like urban myths that are much loved but based on little research or awareness of trends - which is why I chose the name for this blog.  ”The Recursive ISV”.  Please see Recursive for an explanation.

 

Oh yeah  - and crikey, mate - watch out for those Dropbears!!!!

 
Scott