Damn. I'm more saddened by this than any other acquisition. Readmill is (was?) just so much better than the alternatives.
Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
11–20 of 51 posts
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#12Readmill was without a doubt one of my favorite apps. It did one thing, and it did it very well. Like many others, I wish it was going to be absorbed into Dropbox (like Mailbox was last year) and remain operational. Perhaps there will be some level of ebook integration in the Dropbox app in the future.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#13This feels like a huge loss. Readmill stood head and shoulders above other reading apps like Kindle and iBooks in terms of design. It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device. "Now cracks a noble heart.—Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" I wish the team all the best at…
> It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device. Or you could just toss it in your Dropbox... assuming they integrate Readmill into the mobile app, I fail to see why everyone doesn't win.
That would be better than nothing, but there's still a long road between here and there! This also sounds like more of a soft landing or "acqui-hire" for a company that was running out of money rather than a concerted effort by Dropbox to push hard into the reading app space. I hope it is, but so far Dropbox hasn't even issued a press release about the acquisition, have they?
And Readmill's design is just sexy as hell. It's sad to lose the experience of using their software.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#14What? Another service I start to use and shutdowns just a few days later...sad! That's a problem with free services, and sometimes even with some paid services.
I think it's a general problem with services. I much prefer using desktop software, even when it's discontinued, it still works. I think the next big thing could be bringing App Stores to servers. 1 click install, zero config, etc. I recently set up my own webmail, it was a pain in the ass. It could be made a lot easier, and I think people would pay for the convenience.
Something like http://sandstorm.io/? Not mine, but it looks pretty cool.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#15This feels like a huge loss. Readmill stood head and shoulders above other reading apps like Kindle and iBooks in terms of design. It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device. "Now cracks a noble heart.—Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" I wish the team all the best at…
> It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device.
Google Books does this now
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's a general problem with services. I much prefer using desktop software, even when it's discontinued, it still works. I think the next big thing could be bringing App Stores to servers. 1 click install, zero config, etc. I recently set up my own webmail, it was a pain in the ass. It could be made a lot easier, and I think people would pay for the convenience.
> I think the next big thing could be bringing App Stores to servers. It doesn't get much easier than "yum install" or "apt-get install".
I'm more thinking so the average person would have their own server for their family, rather than the people who have servers now.
Sure "apt-get install" installs the software, but configuring it to do anything useful is still anything but trivial. Installing Linux, creating a user accounts, setting up an SMTP, POP & IMAP server, installing a webmail app with spam filtering, making sure they all talk to each other, is hard. Installing WordPress is the easiest I've seen, and you still need to create a DB and copy the connection details.
I'm thinking of something as simple as you see a list of Apps (WordPress, PHPBB, etc). Just click 'install' and pick the directory you want it installed in. And you pay $.99 for the convince.
I think it would be good for the industry to move away from ad supported services, and to let users pay to host the services themselves.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's a general problem with services. I much prefer using desktop software, even when it's discontinued, it still works. I think the next big thing could be bringing App Stores to servers. 1 click install, zero config, etc. I recently set up my own webmail, it was a pain in the ass. It could be made a lot easier, and I think people would pay for the convenience.
Something like http://sandstorm.io/ ? Not mine, but it looks pretty cool.
Not a lot of details, but it sounds like what I'm thinking about.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device. Or you could just toss it in your Dropbox... assuming they integrate Readmill into the mobile app, I fail to see why everyone doesn't win.
That would be better than nothing, but there's still a long road between here and there! This also sounds like more of a soft landing or "acqui-hire" for a company that was running out of money rather than a concerted effort by Dropbox to push hard into the reading app space. I hope it is, but so far Dropbox hasn't even issued a press release about the acquisition, have they? And Readmill's design is just sexy as hel…
I agree. All these acquisitions just make me want to come up with self hosted versions that I can run on my own. I know there's ShuBook but the experience just isn't there.
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#19This feels like a huge loss. Readmill stood head and shoulders above other reading apps like Kindle and iBooks in terms of design. It was also one of the few services that would let you upload ePub books to your account through the website and then sync your library to your mobile device. "Now cracks a noble heart.—Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" I wish the team all the best at…
Pardon my unorthodox approach, would greatly appreciate your feedback on news.ycombinator.com/item?+748916
Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox
#20I'm a huge fan of Dropbox. Here is my long-term wishful thinking of their acquisitions:
- Audiogalaxy Dec 2012: online iTunes-like audio library, synced across/streamed to all of my devices
- Snapjoy Dec 2012: online iPhoto-like experience, synced...
- Mailbox Mar 2013: can Dropbox be the new Gmail? If Google search needs disruption, Gmail is no different
- Zulip Mar 2014: online chat and team collaboration with file/screenshot/text/etc sharing integrated to a whole new level. Maybe Droplr/CloudApp on steroids
- Readmill Mar 2014: online ezine/book library... maybe doc management?!
PS: from their Sold and Endorse acquisitions I can only speculate that they might have a(n) (e)commerce play in their mind.