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Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

daltoncaldwell.com

41–50 of 130 posts

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#41
The only reason I didn't sign up was that I felt that I'm paying for the cause and not the product. Not that I support the reason behind app.net but it just makes me hesitate. If it's simple as "pay for this great product", I might have. Good luck on meeting your funding goal!!

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#43
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it solves one, I think its providing a way for developers to stick it to the man. In this case, Twitter, Craigslist, and Facebook.

If by "sticking it to the man" you mean "creating a business model based on an open api and not the content in the platform the API uses," then I agree. The problem with Twitter and Facebook is that they've moved away from supporting external developers into media companies (so the argument goes). If that's true, then Twitter and Facebook are looking for the best interests of it's advertising partners like every medi…

So what's the business model? Are there enough developers willing to pay real money for access to an API? It seems hard enough to get developers to actually buy a license for Sublime or TextMate (or even pay $0.99 for a song on iTunes.)

I could see some potential in the enterprise space to license out the API for companies to then build their own information services atop of.. but that seems to get away from the "power to the people" idea this project seems to be capitalizing on.

>App.net focuses on the API and let's the developers build the robust applications.

Robust applications that do what? I'm not sure what the value of the API is, isn't the point of a Twitter-like API to allow people to use Twitter data. The API side of the equation isn't that hard to do.. it's the content accessed with the API that would be useful. I can see and appreciate the tech in this project, but I'm not sure why a developer would build an application to consume an API without much data..

I'm confused. I don't mean any disrespect to the folks involved or their supporters, but I'm not sure what this project will accomplish -- is it a technology platform or a content platform? And is the technology that "hard" -- it seems to me that getting the content would be the hard part.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#44
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If by "sticking it to the man" you mean "creating a business model based on an open api and not the content in the platform the API uses," then I agree. The problem with Twitter and Facebook is that they've moved away from supporting external developers into media companies (so the argument goes). If that's true, then Twitter and Facebook are looking for the best interests of it's advertising partners like every medi…

If you took Facebook and Twitter making a few people mad lately out of the equation, this is a mediocre idea at best. I think its feeding off of people's temporary anger at the situation. I think it will pass.

The economics behind the app.net idea are way beyond mediocre. Charging users for a platform capable of hosting a wide range of apps and compensating developers with revenue share based on usage aligns everyone's interests with the users. The platform provides the best infrastructure and the app developers are incentivised to create lasting value for users, since they keep getting paid for as long as people keep using their apps.

Besides, if it's such a mediocre idea why are some of the smartest folks in tech backing it already? Check out the gallery of community members on the signup page.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#45
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If by "sticking it to the man" you mean "creating a business model based on an open api and not the content in the platform the API uses," then I agree. The problem with Twitter and Facebook is that they've moved away from supporting external developers into media companies (so the argument goes). If that's true, then Twitter and Facebook are looking for the best interests of it's advertising partners like every medi…

If you took Facebook and Twitter making a few people mad lately out of the equation, this is a mediocre idea at best. I think its feeding off of people's temporary anger at the situation. I think it will pass.

It would be mediocre if it was simply an "open api" twitter/facebook but, given the chatter on the Alpha site and the look of the API on git (https://github.com/appdotnet/api-spec), I think there is something bigger going on here.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#46

SERIOUSLY, FUCK YOU DALTON. Now that I've got that out of my system... Learn yourself some fucking statistics. Considering that you're a programmer/hacker (well, maybe by some loose definition of the word, but at least you like to think you are) you should at least know SOME math. Statistics isn't that hard. Have you figured out why you're a miserable piece of shit yet? That's right, it's because you got the statisti…

Good lord. There really are some strange angry people out there.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#47

I would have worded a message like this much differently - I would keep it positive. I would not mention my app name and the word vaporware in the same article, I would just include the bit where I demonstrate who is using app.net, and link the code. I would also not give lip service to doubters who say the funding goal won't be reached. This message may feel nuanced to the author, but it's tone is negative and defen…

I think it works for this sort of audience. We're skeptics. I was skeptical that their Kickstarter would be successful. This has convinced me otherwise.

I'm still not convinced that the project itself will be successful, but time will tell.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#48

SERIOUSLY, FUCK YOU DALTON. Now that I've got that out of my system... Learn yourself some fucking statistics. Considering that you're a programmer/hacker (well, maybe by some loose definition of the word, but at least you like to think you are) you should at least know SOME math. Statistics isn't that hard. Have you figured out why you're a miserable piece of shit yet? That's right, it's because you got the statisti…

The fact you had to hide under a pseudonym to air your views should tell you that EVEN YOU are not comfortable with your views especially how you have stated them.

Think about it.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#49
post #4

I think it's going to be very hard to pull this off. I feel like Dalton is living in a bubble of people who are willing to pay to avoid ads. But for most everyone else, a social network with ads (that are not TOO annoying) is much better than one that ask for your money. He might be able to find enough people to pay to become a profitable business but I doubt he will ever reach facebook or twitter like scale. And if…

I agree with your analysis, but it's worth noting that size/scale aren't everything. Hacker News isn't the size of Reddit (or Digg at its height) and I'm kind of glad about that. If App.Net ends up being the 'Hacker News Twitterlike' service, is that a success or failure?

The difference is that Hacker News doesn't need to turn a profit. app.net has a number of running costs that need to be serviced and, to do that, people have to want to pay. There is a minimum threshold that is required to keep users with the service, otherwise it feels empty.

Examples are Google Wave vs Google+. The former felt empty and pointless, while the latter can be interesting because of the number of users, albeit they may not be people you know.

Re: Dalton Caldwell: App.net is not Vaporware

#50

SERIOUSLY, FUCK YOU DALTON. Now that I've got that out of my system... Learn yourself some fucking statistics. Considering that you're a programmer/hacker (well, maybe by some loose definition of the word, but at least you like to think you are) you should at least know SOME math. Statistics isn't that hard. Have you figured out why you're a miserable piece of shit yet? That's right, it's because you got the statisti…

To be honest, I actually agree with your points, which is exactly what I've been thinking too. Unfortunately the tone of this post would definitely put some bad image to people outside the app.net circle.

This app.net might not be a nightly success, but what IF (yup, a big if) it succeeds in a long run? At that time people would remember dalton as the savior and YOU as the biggest jerk.

Anyway, fuckyoudalton can refer to anyone. I mean, are you referring to Andy Dalton?

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