I very much enjoyed the answers to this very question on Digg (oops sorry I mean Reddit): http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8f4dk/any_progr...
digg==reddit?
Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
21–30 of 59 posts
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#22I'm making a living with Brushes, a painting app for the iPhone (http://brushesapp.com). I started developing it about a year ago, and it's been on sale since August 2008. Sales didn't really take off until January, when the work of one of my artists got picked up by a lot of blogs (and eventually Gizmodo). It was subsequently featured on the front page of the iTunes App Store and that was certainly helpful.
At this point, I'm somewhat reluctant to work on new iPhone apps. There are so many apps on the store that it's far too easy to get lost in the noise. An iPhone game that some friends and I released back in December was DOA. I will admit that I haven't fully cracked the marketing nut yet though.
I'm actually looking for an exceptional graphic designer in the SF Bay area with whom to collaborate on some iPhone/Mac OS X projects if anyone is interested.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#23I'm trying. I wrote AutoScreen ( http://www.16software.com/autoscreen ) about a year ago, and I'm getting 2-3 sales a month -- the majority of those sales seem to come from small businesses -- with $0 in advertising (can't afford it, to be honest). I've been kept fairly busy adding new features for my users, but it's time to focus on another app, because 2-3 sales/month is definitely not enough to survive on. For me,…
@16software: I took a look at your site. A couple of things are broken and you should fix them to improve your sales. From your home page, the link to "our products" doesn't work, it stays on the same page. So I'll never know what products you have! Your CSS template needs a refresh. The single-column layout looks like it's from the 90s. Just add some kind of right column, a few frames with light-colored backgrounds,…
From your home page, the link to "our products" doesn't work, it stays on the same page. So I'll never know what products you have!
I can see where that might be confusing. Thanks for pointing that out -- a separate page probably would be better.
The single-column layout looks like it's from the 90s. Just add some kind of right column, a few frames with light-colored backgrounds, and it will look much better.
Okay. To me, it looks elegant and simple, which is what I love, but I have noticed that most websites don't have just one column. I'll see if I can't come up with a better design with multiple columns. After reading some of the other comments here, I'll probably want to drastically change the content on my product page, too.
First, those who use pirated software would most likely not have paid for it in the first place.
I agree with you here.
Thanks for all of the advice, I'll definitely mull over it and see if I can't make some changes. I'll be sure to read your blog posting, too.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#24I know its a bit trendy, but I am making a living off of iPhone apps. I don't have any smash hits but have been maintaining a fairly consistent income since I published my first app last December. Right now I am trying to ramp up the number of apps I have and my goal is to match my previous salary at a "hot, young internet startup" in the valley (which is in the throws of death, i think) This was my first experience…
I'd love to write an iPhone app, but I don't have a Mac. I really wish Apple would open up development for *nix/Windows users.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's what I gather. I think for the consumer, they want most things to be free -- and if they're not free, there's always going to be a crack/keygen available for download.
Sell service instead. Like, if you develop a game, sell online access to maps which cannot be downloaded, but can be used once connected. Maintaining accounts is much easier than maintaining keys which can be cracked.
"SaaS" seems to be the buzzword. Thanks for reminding me about it, I'll consider some possible implementations.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#26I've been selling Jamroom online for almost 6 years - supports me full time + 2 part time developers, and a handful of designers as well.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#27I've been making a living from selling my shareware app EarthBrowser ( http://earthbrowser.com ) for over 10 years now. It isn't easy competing with Google Earth, but it's possible to do a one man shop if you work smart.
Just took a look at EarthBrowser. Very cool indeed. I didn't expect Adobe AIR and would prefer it didn't default to a desktop icon but overall I like it quite a lot. Can I remove the drop shadow from the default font?
An unexpected side effect is that I can finally tell what time it is in England (for football / soccer matches. Go Arsenal!)
Edit - registered my copy. Really enjoying it!
Edit 2 - The included version 1.0 of Adobe Air raised an alert ("very dangerous") in Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009. I went ahead and upgraded to version 1.5.1 of Air, as was suggested by Kaspersky.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#28I know its a bit trendy, but I am making a living off of iPhone apps. I don't have any smash hits but have been maintaining a fairly consistent income since I published my first app last December. Right now I am trying to ramp up the number of apps I have and my goal is to match my previous salary at a "hot, young internet startup" in the valley (which is in the throws of death, i think) This was my first experience…
I'd love to write an iPhone app, but I don't have a Mac. I really wish Apple would open up development for *nix/Windows users.
If you're going to undergo the effort of writing an app, it seems that the cost of getting a Mac Mini is peanuts compared to that.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#29Before I was making my living from a Facebook app, which I sold for a sum which combined with my savings from the ad revenue is enough to support me for about 5 years. I figured it might take some time until I find the next thing, but just a few weeks after it my MySpace app Coolest Friends started to catch on and now I'm living off that.
I've had tons of little things and experiments I've done, but of course I selectively mention only those few that worked. I think it's important to just push stuff out there fast and see what happens.
Re: Ask HN: Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's what I gather. I think for the consumer, they want most things to be free -- and if they're not free, there's always going to be a crack/keygen available for download.
Sell service instead. Like, if you develop a game, sell online access to maps which cannot be downloaded, but can be used once connected. Maintaining accounts is much easier than maintaining keys which can be cracked.
Well, since the question is, "Any programmers here that are able to make a living selling their own programs?", I thought this approach would be excluded... But it's true that selling services is pretty much the absolute anti-piracy tactic.