We make shitty software [1995]

http://scripting.com/davenet/1995/09/03/wemakeshittysoftware.html

by okal • 14 years ago

3 2 14 years ago

I like the sentiment, after all, it's true. Ship or sink.

However, even though Dave Winer has historically been a great power both in writing and software development, I wonder whether the WMSS mantra as written really helped once applied in the context of what was effectively Agile philosophy in mid 1990s at UserLand.

AutoWeb and Clay Basket that came out in 1995 were in public beta, but never released. Then in 1996 Clay Basket was abandoned. It was four years later in 1999 that Manilla came out, which was the first product I remember the name of from that period.

UserLand may have been pushing the "run it in beta" thing long before Google and others made it so popular in 2004. But it's important to note, like anything else, you want to make something that isn't shitty to the user; if the process is shitty and it has bugs, fine, as long as the user uses it and keeps using it and the snowball of usage starts. It's great that WMSS worked at Living Videotext, though. Selling the company to Symantec and making a bundle wasn't too shabby either.

okal• 14 years ago

Interesting history :). Didn't know any of that before I posted this - I was still 7 back then, and nowhere near a computer ;). Just found it cool that this is a post from '95 talking about what is essentially Agile.

We make shitty software [1995]

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