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Sparrow acquired by Google

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Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#221

Post by danudey »

wyclif wrote: post #116
tvon wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A good app has been EOL'd so the developer(s) can go work on a known crappy app. We've gone from "known good" to "hopefully this will work out and the gmail iOS app will be good"... how is that not frustrating if you're a fan of the iOS apps? As for the Sparrow desktop app, well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail...

Sorry, but Gmail isn't a crappy app in my way of thinking. It was the best webmail in 2004, and it still is. You may not like it, but that doesn't extrapolate to crappiness. Although I'm sorry that Sparrow is being end-of-lifed, Gmail is a best of breed web app. well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail. Sounds like a feature to me, not a bug. Desktop software is going out. Wh…

> Desktop software is going out.

I'm inclined to disagree. I use no web apps that I don't have to. We use google apps at work, and I use Mac Mail, Calendar, and Contacts. The web app is a good option if I'm nowhere near my phone or laptop, but it's my absolute last choice.

Ever since the days of Yahoo Mail and Hotmail, I've preferred local desktop clients. I've never enjoyed web apps, and I can't imagine I ever will. It's always a lowest-common-denominator option, and on OS X and iOS, there are too many good desktop clients for the web services I use.

I didn't care for Sparrow, but if Google is going to throw all their work away and put them to work on something else, it's a shame. They did the same thing with the author of Quicksilver, canning that in favour of their own, dramatically inferior, clone. Instead of people switching to Google's version, they generally stayed on Quicksilver until they discovered Alfred, and now his talent and the work he put into it is wasted.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#222

Post by duaneb »

kposehn wrote: post #65

There are some companies that, when acquired in similar circumstances, you are not sad to see subsumed into a larger entity. Either their product wasn't that revolutionary, they didn't have a good strategy, whatever. However, Sparrow does not fall into that category. I think it is a massive mistake to sell like this. They clearly had the product and following (IMHO) to become something massive. Selling early when you…

> They clearly had the product and following (IMHO) to become something massive.

What exactly does 'massive' look like in this case? One-time payments don't offer dependable growth.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#223

Post by microtonal »

thematt wrote: post #142
ceejayoz wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Timing a sale right before an announcement you're well aware will drop sales numbers off a steep cliff looks pretty deceptive to me.

It's a standalone app, it's not going to stop functioning. $4.99 is a deal, regardless of whether there would be future versions or not.

Yes, but it needs security updates and possibly bug fixes. That's the very least you'd expect when purchasing software. I bought Sparrow for the iPhone and Mac directly after they were released and really never used them.

But imagine that you just bought either Sparrow a few days ago, or even worse, made it part of your workflow.

It sucks.

On the other hand, it's always an inherent danger with proprietary software. Open software gets maintained by Debian for like forever ;). I learnt that lesson after the demise of Be Inc.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#224

Post by untog »

rglover wrote: post #199
w1ntermute wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is getting extremely frustrating. Sparrow is a fabulous email client both for iOS and Mac. I love and use both daily and this is fairly devastating. I was really looking forward to the products development, growth, and future releases. To read this announcement and hear that they won't be working on their apps but on Google projects is sad. I think it's a matter of perspective. As someone who doesn't use and h…

A great point. But still no excuse to have their existing customers left behind. All of their customers (myself included) invested in the product because it was good, because it worked extremely well, and because it solved problems. I didn't invest in their work at Google. Where does that leave me? The biggest concern I have with this is the same thing that happened to Tweetie: the one company that should have scoope…

All of their customers (myself included) invested

No you didn't. You bought. There was no investment, you should not expect a 'return'.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#225

Post by gurkendoktor »

carsongross wrote: post #181

Once again, kids: recurring revenue models. It appears to be the only way to build sustainable, quality software these days. I love, love thick clients (even though I'm an ambivelent web guy) but every time I see an app as a one-time $10 or even $99 shot, I think: how are they gonna survive in the long run?

> how are they gonna survive in the long run?

In theory: By building the next thick client app and pitching it to their existing customer base. I loved OmniGraffle so OmniFocus was an obvious choice, etc...

Apart from games, are there any examples of this business model left?

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#226

Post by backspace »

rglover wrote: post #199
w1ntermute wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is getting extremely frustrating. Sparrow is a fabulous email client both for iOS and Mac. I love and use both daily and this is fairly devastating. I was really looking forward to the products development, growth, and future releases. To read this announcement and hear that they won't be working on their apps but on Google projects is sad. I think it's a matter of perspective. As someone who doesn't use and h…

A great point. But still no excuse to have their existing customers left behind. All of their customers (myself included) invested in the product because it was good, because it worked extremely well, and because it solved problems. I didn't invest in their work at Google. Where does that leave me? The biggest concern I have with this is the same thing that happened to Tweetie: the one company that should have scoope…

Simply put: that's a risk you take for being an early adopter. Deal with it, there's a good chance it will happen with any/all early adoption startup products out there.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#227

Post by angrow »

tommorris wrote: post #188
wyclif wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, but Gmail isn't a crappy app in my way of thinking. It was the best webmail in 2004, and it still is. You may not like it, but that doesn't extrapolate to crappiness. Although I'm sorry that Sparrow is being end-of-lifed, Gmail is a best of breed web app. well, obviously Google isn't going to be developing a native desktop app for Gmail. Sounds like a feature to me, not a bug. Desktop software is going out. Wh…

I quite like being able to answer email when I'm in a railway tunnel, on a transatlantic flight or in a 3G dead zone. Desktop software is quite useful if you haven't bought into all the post-PC hoopla and still like typing things on a keyboard.

First, I'm pretty sure you can use a keyboard with gmail.

As far as doing work offline, Application" rel="nofollow">http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/... Cache has you covered, assuming that by "answer," you mean "compose responses to," because if your software actually lets you respond in those situations then hot damn, I'm totally sold on it, hook us up with a link.

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#228

Post by crag »

rglover wrote: post #46

This is getting extremely frustrating. Sparrow is a fabulous email client both for iOS and Mac. I love and use both daily and this is fairly devastating. I was really looking forward to the products development, growth, and future releases. To read this announcement and hear that they won't be working on their apps but on Google projects is sad. To bigger companies: chill out with the "acquihires." If anything, do wh…

Yeah we got screwed. They just dropped the app. They are promising "big fixes" but that's about it. Lovely.

This is the bad side of "trusting" startups and their apps. Pisses me off. I mean (to all you startup guys out there), if you have no intention of continuing your work, AT LEAST OPEN SOURCE THE CODE so some of us can jump in and maintain it!

Re: Sparrow acquired by Google

#229

Post by ralfn »

samstave wrote: post #215
rglover wrote: post #46

This is getting extremely frustrating. Sparrow is a fabulous email client both for iOS and Mac. I love and use both daily and this is fairly devastating. I was really looking forward to the products development, growth, and future releases. To read this announcement and hear that they won't be working on their apps but on Google projects is sad. To bigger companies: chill out with the "acquihires." If anything, do wh…

All these aquisitions are more insidious, they are being done by the big players to stifle diversity in the market and continue to solidify their leads on online services under the guise of talent acquisition to better their companies - rather its an effort to prevent that talent from building something that would be a detriment to their positions.

It baffles my mind, anyone would actually believe this.

This whole, Google, is evil for hiring the authors of an app you like. Either they will put them to good use, or make less money.

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