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True, but developers rarely get to choose when their software ships. The question was really a marketing one, not a development one...
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One day I might find it quite amusing how touching tongues make life so confusing Anne Clark again [sighist]
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A man is like a rusty wheel on a rusty cart,
He sings his song as he rattles along and then he falls apart.
-- Richard Thompson
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Semper Fidelis
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While I would like to choose B, in all honesty (and business reality) I had to choose A.
First to market is a powerful position.
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
Simon Walton wrote:
"You come across a lot of people who call themselves realists, when they are actually pessimists attempting to look intelligent."
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The real way to do it is to have a better product that is released before your competitors product is on the market. Difficult to do, but not impossible.
Michael
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana
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Michael P Butler wrote:
Difficult to do, but not impossible.
Don't get me wrong. I want nothing more than to produce products I am proud of. Stuff I can hand to clients which will solve their problems.
However we both know the realities of business. So while yes it is possible, it is not always done. In fact most of the time I think it is not done.
Also not everyone here is in this business to make the world a better place. Some are just here to make money, however they can.
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
Simon Walton wrote:
"You come across a lot of people who call themselves realists, when they are actually pessimists attempting to look intelligent."
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Paul Watson wrote:
So while yes it is possible, it is not always done
Exactly why I chose only the two options and offered them as mutually exclusive choices.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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Paul Watson wrote:
In fact most of the time I think it is not done.
I have numerous cases where the client saw the beta and said that is good enough. Stop work and just give the beta to me (but label it Version N.)
If you insist in finding evil in me you will find it, whether it is there or not.
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Not always. VHS format came to market *after* betamax. Who won that market? VHS.
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That isn't a very good arguement. Betamax failed because it was proprietary, not because it was inferior.
Ryan Johnston
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Anonymous wrote:
VHS format came to market *after* betamax. Who won that market? VHS.
Good point. But there are always exceptions to the norm.
Who would you say had the better marketing/pr, BetaMax or VHS? (I was very young at the time and only know about BetaMax from my uncles whimsical reminiscing.)
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
Simon Walton wrote:
"You come across a lot of people who call themselves realists, when they are actually pessimists attempting to look intelligent."
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... you can get away with #1 for some reason, as you'll be able to still release further versions that get around to #2...
... But for the rest of us, i think #2 is more important.
Shog9
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Correction,
If you are MS, you can just buy up the competition so that you stay the best, by being the only player.
Regardz
Colin J Davies
Sonork ID 100.9197:Colin
You are the intrepid one, always willing to leap into the fray! A serious character flaw, I might add, but entertaining.
Said by Roger Wright about me.
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Well this is a way too Fair or not... everyone decides by himself
Philip Patrick
Web-site: www.stpworks.com
"Two beer or not two beer?" Shakesbeer
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Shog9 wrote:
... you can get away with #1 for some reason, as you'll be able to still release further versions that get around to #2...
... But for the rest of us, i think #2 is more important.
Sometimes you need to release a not 100% product (no product are 100% but...) and after you do it, then you need to collect some customer needs and then you have to manage your development roadmap and in some normal time you need to release a new version, with more features, less bugs and then your customers will use your product in a positive way. This will let you to earn some money and to invest it to the further development and your product will be better with every new release (just like Windows XP), sometimes this is the only way, because there will never be such thing like 100% reliable and 100% customer needs available software.
The #2 is the most important part, but you need to manage the optimal way, you need to find a balance between this two point, to be first and to be best. If you can find this balance point, then you will have a killer application.
Andy
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Andras Ludanyi wrote:
The #2 is the most important part, but you need to manage the optimal way
Yeah, i guess that's so. I was thinking more along the lines of IE or WMP*, but these aren't really products in the same way that, say, VS is. Windows *sorta* fits the model too, but since MS used it more like a Mac porting toolkit until something like v3.0, i guess that's not really applicable either.
*omg, i still have painful memories of hours spent downloading IE2 over dialup, only to come to the shocking realization that it was *worse* than whatever crappy Mosaic port came with the OS/2 bonus pak i already had...
Shog9
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I think that it depends on the situation. But in my history the decision has been usually to choose the better program. Including a more robust and reliable program as well as a better more complete set of features.
Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day Light a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life!
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The better product isn't the one that necessarily wins. Beta vs VHS, the Mac vs the PC...
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote:
The better product isn't the one that necessarily wins. Beta vs VHS, the Mac vs the PC...
...Springboks vs. Wallabies...
* I am begining to see more and more how marketing/PR/brand/image/etc. is what really sells a product and makes it dominant. You only get to feel the quality (or lack thereof) after you have chosen what to buy afterall...
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa
Simon Walton wrote:
"You come across a lot of people who call themselves realists, when they are actually pessimists attempting to look intelligent."
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CodeGuru.com vs CodeProject.com
Who came out first, who is better, and who is winning?
Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day Light a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life!
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