Cool. Gruber just invented Google Keep.
John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
51–60 of 116 posts
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#52Features: I'm all for simplicity, in the right circumstances. I use Clear from Realmac Software because when I'm creating to-do lists, speed is the most important thing to me. However, when I'm writing notes, accessibility is probably the most important thing for me and that means sync, I'd also bet this is the case for many people, hence the popularity of things like Evernote and Google Keep. The absence of sync fro…
"...sidenote, what's the correct terminology for the opposite of 'flat design'? It's certainly not skeumorphic..." Well, we're talking about GUI design, and beveled buttons/menus etc. have pretty much been the norm for the GUI's entire history. So how about just using "traditional"?
Maybe, although some much older interfaces were 'flatter' than the more recent UIs of OS X and Windows (pre-8) for example. 'Traditional' attaches too much relation to time-span to it for me.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm saying it's not a coincidence he linked to that two month old article the day before he released a $5 app. Prime the pump, in a sense.
In that sense, he's been priming the pump since 2008. http://daringfireball.net/linked/2008/11/16/finnell-app-stor...
Nice catch. My cynic alarm was squawking but its simmered down now.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#54Thinking that sync is optional is a really weird thing that seems to linger in the Apple world.
You know the old William Gibson line that cyberspace is the place where telephone conversations happen? Not in the hardware at either end, but in the "space between"? Computing has moved there too.
Work used to happen on a device and then was transferred to other devices, either manually (floppies, email) or later automatically (sync, dropbox). Thanks to the web, mobile devices and lots of data, that's changed: Google Apps led the way, but Evernote etc all let you do your work in the space between devices.
Nowadays, putting the device first over the data (or ignoring other devices entirely, like this app does) is like putting the phone first over the call: beautiful, elegant hardware, refined way to dial, custom typeface for the numbers ... but you can't call anyone with it.
Apple in particular makes this mistake repeatedly. Photostream is device-first, so you have to work out what the hell is where and work out what you want to download to which machine. iTunes Match is device-first, so you're forever downloading and deleting tracks to make space on a particular device. Me.com tries to keep the sync truth on one of your devices, so conflicts abound. Notifications appear on all devices and often have to be dismissed individually on each of them. They see the world through the device first.
I suppose it's obvious why it happens -- they're a hardware company, and they grew up in a pre-networked world -- but I think misunderstanding this is one key reason they're seen as "bad at services" in comparison to Google, which is instinctively and entirely in "the space between devices".
As for this app, why would I ever want to be trapped in a single place again? They might as well have made it for an SE/30.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#55Cool. Gruber just invented Google Keep.
Removing the Google from that probably gets a few sales. Especially with his audience.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#56Features: I'm all for simplicity, in the right circumstances. I use Clear from Realmac Software because when I'm creating to-do lists, speed is the most important thing to me. However, when I'm writing notes, accessibility is probably the most important thing for me and that means sync, I'd also bet this is the case for many people, hence the popularity of things like Evernote and Google Keep. The absence of sync fro…
To attempt to answer your question of what is the opposite of flat design: I refer to it simply as detailed and minimalist. Therefore, skeumorphism would be a specific type of detailed design. Flat and minimalist are far more similar but I think flat has a more restrictive meaning. This also allows for the middle grounds of semi-detailed and semi-minimalist.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#57Features: I'm all for simplicity, in the right circumstances. I use Clear from Realmac Software because when I'm creating to-do lists, speed is the most important thing to me. However, when I'm writing notes, accessibility is probably the most important thing for me and that means sync, I'd also bet this is the case for many people, hence the popularity of things like Evernote and Google Keep. The absence of sync fro…
Concerning the sync I think they're waiting to see if Apple plans to fix iCloud (with CoreData) in iOS 7 or if they must look for another way to do the sync. At least this is what I would do, we're very near WWDC I think it was wise to wait to see how it goes. Although I think what's more debatable was the decision to release the app now and not to wait few weeks or even september. Personally I would have tried (if as I think it's for them a side project) to wait the release of iOS 7 (and maybe require iOS 7) and add the sync functionality in version 1.0.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#58It looks nice. I will give it that, but $5 bucks seems a little much for a notes app that can't sync across platforms as far as I can tell... not even iCloud. Evernote, Springpad, Simplenote, and even Google Keep for iOS (when it is finally release) have syncing from the get go.
I certainly don't see much reason to buy v1.0 for full price. Wait a month and see if the features improve or the price drops.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#59I'm not sure I'm understanding the point of this tool. It looks trendy, but it takes notes. No syncing. I mean, this is the guy that wrote NetNewsWire. Wouldn't an app like this be doable in a weekend? I honestly want to find something new that the app does that is supposed to change my workflow, but there is just nothing. A cynical part of me feels like this exists (especially with the $5 price tag) just to ride the…
I feel your pain. The truth about getting publicity for apps on major blogs is: you wont get publicity for your app, unless... - it is visually novel or has some cute gimmick - there is some story about the people behind the app (already have an audience) - there is some story/narrative that is only tangentially related to the actual quality of the app - a massive game changer (incremental improvements aren't going t…
I've come to the conclusion, after my latest release, to just make apps that I will use everyday (aka quit dogfooding), not spend a dime on marketing, and release them for $3-5. I just want to make things that people will actually get some benefit from.
Re: John Gruber and friends launch Vesper note capture app
#60Cool. Gruber just invented Google Keep.
For reference, here were his thoughts on Google Keep a few months ago: