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Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

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Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#71

Post by Spooky23 »

gaze wrote: post #70

I don't really understand why people are writing off the desktop in general. For engineering and design and lab software nobody wants tablets. I guess this is all niche but it's a big niche. Do I really want my next finite element analysis package or pattern design software or whatever running on a tablet? Maybe if the tablet is the size of my table or at least as big as all my monitors put together. This category of…

I work in a large enterprise. Total workforce of 150,000 computer users. 7% smartphone/tablet penetration rate.

Some PCs are going to be displaced by server based solutions like VDI, but there has literally been almost no substantial displacement of PC apps. It's a decade away at least IMO.

The "death" of the PC is exaggerated. I think it's become a boring, stable market. If anything, the browser computer (i.e. Chrome book)will replace more PCs than the "mobile" OS platforms. And Chrome is closer to a desktop than an iPad.

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#72

Post by LarryMade2 »

I would say not all the desktop apps have been 'rewritten' lately. The evolution of the desktop many, many great apps for years and decades past have been obsoleted sometimes the software was way ahead of the hardware.

If you aren't finding anything interesting that is unwritten, you might take a trip down history and see what things had been abandoned on the wayside fro one reason or other, that might be time for a refresh.

As far as new platforms - I think augmented reality (such as google glass, hololens) is going to be a new desktop metaphor and see a lot of "wheel reinvention" in the coming years as the platforms become stable.

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#73

Post by wprapido »

tonyarkles wrote: post #69
greenyoda wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Money? That's harder, unfortunately. It's hard to innovate when people want to cling on to what they already know." It's also hard to make money when there's so much free software available, some of which is quite good. For example, it would take a huge amount of effort to improve on the functionality of Libre Office, Paint.net, Audacity, Wireshark, etc. (just to name a few of the free programs I use) but since peop…

All of those have piles of competition that make a bunch of money, except maybe Wireshark. In fact, I'm a paid user of the alternatives (MS Office, Photoshop, Reaper). I have used the free alternatives that you've mentioned, but relative to the commercial offerings, they are functional but clunky. I think there's still piles of room for innovation on the desktop, both for open source and commercial software. We've re…

sketch (http://www.sketchapp.com) is a good illustrator competitor, as well

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#74

Post by reitanqild »

mixedCase wrote: post #65
reitanqild wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too miss GDS and its related offerings. Lately Windows built-in search has impressed me though. I also had great hopes for nepomuk on KDE but I think that is discontinued now.

Nepomuk has been replaced with Baloo, which is very much alive, way more performant and integrates well.

Thanks! Always liked KDE so nice to read.

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#76

Post by Nilzor »

cJ0th wrote: post #45
therealmarv wrote: post #9

Desktop is for sure at the end of the hype cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_cycle but that does not mean that you cannot make money or not be successful when you write a very good software or you hit a particular niche. And I would not fear Google or Apple, I cannot remember when Google did the last time a rich and good desktop app for end consumers (was it Picasa, the last one?) and the only big professional…

> TL;DR Desktop will not die and there will never be a time were you can say "Everything is done". Generally I'd agree with that. However, from a business point of view I am not sure whether writing desktop software is still generating good profits. I guess there is room for industry specific software. But I doubt there is much money in the end consumer market. Especially since piracy is probably still a big problem.…

Just an anectdote: I've made several apps for Android and Windows phone, but the only place I've made money is on Windows Desktop (an outlook plugin of all things). People seems to be more accustomed to having to pay real money for software on desktop. Don't even think about the donation route

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#78

Post by crispytx »

At the mortgage company I worked at after college, the entire company was using "command line style" "ms-dos" looking software that ran the entire company. This software completely dominates the entire mortgage market! Makes some boring ass mortgage software with a GUI and some bug fixes and you might make yourself a millionaire. And the software was not "rock solid". It had all kinds of bugs that screwed up customers accounts and cost them $$$. The only reason companies use shit like that is because it beats running the company manually without a computer. So anyway, go out there and write yourself some boring business process software!

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#79

Post by Washuu »

crispytx wrote: post #78

At the mortgage company I worked at after college, the entire company was using "command line style" "ms-dos" looking software that ran the entire company. This software completely dominates the entire mortgage market! Makes some boring ass mortgage software with a GUI and some bug fixes and you might make yourself a millionaire. And the software was not "rock solid". It had all kinds of bugs that screwed up customer…

Yep! There is a cabinet company that has been trying to revolutionize the customer quoting process. The old software is slow and clunky that requires entering data from quote sheets. They want the process to be simple as tapping away on a tablet and getting a quote from a server/central office within minutes all while in the customer's home.

Re: Ask HN: Has all interesting desktop software already been written?

#80

Post by Lordarminius »

newtype wrote: post #13

I am doing just that. A hugely ambitious project, with a very wide potential user base, but I have lost all hope in finding funding at a reasonable rate. I am consulting during the day to pay for what I need, and working on the product at night.

Tell me about your project too!
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