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Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

pimosa.app

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Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#171

Post by RamblingCTO »

rq1 wrote: post #135

I’ll try to not be dismissive of the labour, though it’s kind of funny (or actually natural) that the heavy lifting libraries that only a few can actually write are open and free, while the shallow wrappers that everyone can write are paid and closed. Decades ago we were calling out these software and now it’s the norm. Another example along the line: I wanted to extract a frame from a video on iOS, it’s impossible w…

Distribution, marketing and running it is the hard part, not building software. I consider libraries to be like roads, it's a communal good if you will. Feel free to build and run these apps yourself in the open instead of complaining. You will see how time consuming that is.

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#172

Post by scarface_74 »

imachine1980_ wrote: post #170
scarface_74 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes just like instead of Dropbox for a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software.

I don't check the project deeply yet so I don't comment about it. That's not true Dropbox was in the technical edge when it came, and old time ago, was barely possible, and the recurrent cost of the severs and operation cost is clearly not the same. And pay Foss GUIs are sad state of reality

That comment above was a call out to the (in)famous comment when Dropbox was introduced on HN back in 2007

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

It’s the HN version of “less space than the Nomad. No wireless. Lame”

https://m.slashdot.org/story/21026

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#174

Post by MetaWhirledPeas »

pletnes wrote: post #151
eps wrote: post #127

While you are not too far into selling - a word of advice. Switch to offering a year of free updates and charge a small fee after that. Trust me. You will coverge to this scheme sooner or later, so do it now. - Standalone Windows installer is a must. Windows Store is still a deserted wasteland and is not a default choice for the vast majority of Windows users. You are losing a ton of users over this. - ffmpeg and oth…

As far as I understand, windows store is no longer available on enterprise windows. So if you want to sell a business app, it is not even an option.

It's still there on the version of Windows 11 I use at my office.

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#176

Post by p4bl0 »

zac23or wrote: post #160

AWS can make billions from open source. On the other hand, solo developers who try the same path are basically seen as scammers. Ironic. And creating a good user interface is very, very hard. Otherwise Gimp wouldn't be the monstrosity it is.

Nobody is saying it's a problem to sell a user-friendly wrapper GUI to people who need it. And nobody should be saying creating those is easy. However the developer has to acknowledge the underlying open source tools (FFmpeg and ImageMagick) somewhere on their app's website. Otherwise, yes, there's a clear ethical issue in implying the heavy back-end work is done by your code.

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#177

Post by [deleted] »

scarface_74 wrote: post #161
bennythomsson wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He actually himself writes that he doesn't want to spend too much time on his apps: > now i have lession that i shouldnt build apps that consumes so much time. Sounds like somebody really devoted to the perfect UI experience. Look, I don't want to talk down this kid. Everybody starts somewhere and I like the enthusiasm. But him expecting to make $30 off everybody for plumbing together a bunch of FOSS libs is rubbing…

Yes just like instead of Dropbox for a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#178

Post by Y_Y »

otherayden wrote: post #175

Kind of sad to see people hating on this for using FFmpeg behind the scenes. So what? You've created value here by solving the problem of ffmpeg having no user-friendly GUI, which is not easy. Congrats on the launch!

There are lots of free and friendly frontends to FFmpeg. My choice would be VLC from videolan.org.

I think calling the criticism "hate" is an unfair dismissal of the comments as disingenuous. I'd expect that most posters feel neutral, and wanted to share their thoughts in a non-interested way.

(I know that VLC uses libavcodec from the FFmpeg project, rather than the frontend also known as FFmpeg.)

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#179

Post by scott01 »

scarface_74 wrote: post #172
imachine1980_ wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't check the project deeply yet so I don't comment about it. That's not true Dropbox was in the technical edge when it came, and old time ago, was barely possible, and the recurrent cost of the severs and operation cost is clearly not the same. And pay Foss GUIs are sad state of reality

That comment above was a call out to the (in)famous comment when Dropbox was introduced on HN back in 2007 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224 It’s the HN version of “less space than the Nomad. No wireless. Lame” https://m.slashdot.org/story/21026

I almost didn’t get the reference :)

Re: Show HN: I completed shipping my desktop app

#180

Post by 9cb14c1ec0 »

rubymamis wrote: post #134
eps wrote: post #127

While you are not too far into selling - a word of advice. Switch to offering a year of free updates and charge a small fee after that. Trust me. You will coverge to this scheme sooner or later, so do it now. - Standalone Windows installer is a must. Windows Store is still a deserted wasteland and is not a default choice for the vast majority of Windows users. You are losing a ton of users over this. - ffmpeg and oth…

The problem with distributing standalone installers on Windows is that all non-popular apps are immediately regarded as malware by Windows Defender unless you go through the horrendous process of signing your app, which requires obtaining a certificate (which also requires forming a company that is not an LLC) and waiting more than a month while navigating multiple rounds of bureaucracy. I’ve done it for my app, and…

Azure trusted signing for the win. Only $9.99/month.
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