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Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

readmill.com

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Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#21

Post by toomuchtodo »

FigBug wrote: post #16
toomuchtodo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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, i…

> 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.

I somewhat agree with your perspective, but think its going to be a hard sell. People buy apps because you don't have to think about it. Configuring a service is in direct opposition of that convenience, and I don't think you'll ever have enough training wheels in the interface to fix that.

I could be wrong.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#23

Post by untog »

antr wrote: post #20

I'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…

It's a nice thought. But as you state, they acquired Mailbox a year ago. As far as I can tell there isn't anything to show for it in terms of an e-mail product.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#24

Post by untog »

FigBug wrote: post #16
toomuchtodo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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, i…

I bought a Synology box to use as a NAS, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has its own package manager, complete with web server, e-mail server, torrent downloader, etc. etc.

It's got a long way to go before everyone can use it, but I'm finding more and more uses for it.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#25

Post by gaelenh »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #6

Well, at least they're not pitching it as a grand success for all, and won't end up on http://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com/

Tip to engineers new to the startup world: If the startup you work for has any success or traction, but runs out of money, you will be sold off as a team like cattle. When startups shutdown, all assets -- servers, client contracts, software, furniture, and teams -- will be sold off to recoup losses. You won't have much say in it and it kind of sucks.

In fairness to the CEO's that broker these deals, they are probably trying to make sure that their workers land on their feet. But it still sucks to realize you and your friends are considered saleable assets.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#26

Post by ianstormtaylor »

This is an incredibly, incredibly well done shutdown statement.

It explains clearly what happened; it isn't overly congratulatory to themselves; it puts a clear emphasis on how their users can export their data; it thanks those who helped them on the journey; it beautifully summarizes everything they built and stood for, from the solid typography, to the interactive timeline, to the team photos, to the simple, clean choice of a "Epilogue" as the title. And it'll be the perfect homepage come July 1st too.

Sad to see such a high-quality product shut down. I've looked to Readmill for design inspiration a lot over the past year.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#27

Post by FigBug »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #21
FigBug wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, i…

> 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. I somewhat agree with your perspective, but think its going to be a hard sell. People buy apps because you don't have to think about it. Configuring a service is in direct opposition of that convenience, and I don't think you'll ever have enough training wheels in the interface to…

I said it 'could be' the next big thing, not it will be. I agree it's a long shot.

Web Apps have been very good to developers. Zero piracy, no installation issues, low support costs. Users like them because it's simple to get started, they aren't tied to one computer. The downsides are all long term -- and it's hard to get people to think about the future, or things like privacy.

I'm not sure where the drive would come from to make it happen. I don't see which company would put in the investment to get it started.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#28

Post by schwuk »

briandh wrote: post #15
markerdmann wrote: post #3

This 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

Google Books is my preferred reading app for just this reason.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#29

Post by TylerE »

FigBug wrote: post #5
jipiboily wrote: post #2

What? 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.

> I much prefer using desktop software, even when it's discontinued, it still works.

So much this. I still fire up xvi32 to look at a binary file once or twice a month... while the latest minor version release was about 2 years ago, it haven't seen any serious changes since circa 2001.

Re: Readmill shuts down, team joins Dropbox

#30

Post by mandlar »

markerdmann wrote: post #3

This 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…

You can upload your own books into Google Books and syncs across devices (mobile/web).

https://play.google.com/books/uploads

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