Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App • Hacker News Board

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#71

Post by chengas123 » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 1:50 AM UTC

pasbesoin wrote: post #27

e4m wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It calculates trajectory, drop, etc of a bullet depending upon caliber, grain, powder, etc. It's command line only. It's windows only. No GUI, but it's very simple to use and accurate. Very useful for folks who reload their own ammunition. Covers all calibers from smallest to largest.

What about making it an iPhone/Android/similar application? I envision people using it not just when reloading, but at the range, when buying ammo at the store, etc. I may be completely off in my opinion, but it seems the kind of thing that aficionados would drop a few bucks on. Some for making actual decisions; others to use as an adjunct/reference in conversation. And those phones are becoming a vast marketplace. F…

If going with the iPhone/Android app what would your pricing strategy be? Charge more seemed to be a popular answer for a desktop app. Does this still hold with the online market place that allows users to more easily comparison shop?

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#72

Post by sireat » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 8:25 AM UTC

Oldie but goodie: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CamelsandRubberDuckie...

In my startup one of the mistakes we made early was pricing things too low.

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#73

Post by CyberFonic » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 9:51 AM UTC

e4m wrote: post #6

mahmud wrote: post #2

What does it do? What other software does the same thing and why is yours better?

It calculates trajectory, drop, etc of a bullet depending upon caliber, grain, powder, etc. It's command line only. It's windows only. No GUI, but it's very simple to use and accurate. Very useful for folks who reload their own ammunition. Covers all calibers from smallest to largest.

A friend of mine once wrote a shooting match scoring / ranking program for Palm PDAs. He had a hard time getting people to actually pay for it. But then again, he wasn't selling on the web.

Amen on the GUI comments. Other than that, how would the program go as a value-add to manufacturers of specific supplies and/or equipment? If it helps increase sales and/or help people achieve increased accuracy and/or grouping then maybe some such suppliers might be prepared to have you brand the program for them to sell at gun shops.

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#74

Post by CyberFonic » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 9:52 AM UTC

khangtoh wrote: post #33

This is a great indication of the potential of a desktop "appstore". If it works for the iPhone, why not desktop?

If you could make it run on iPhone / iPod Touch then you have the GUI handled as well as an outlet for sales.

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#75

Post by CyberFonic » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 9:53 AM UTC

$19.95 ? or $24.95 ??

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#76

Post by huhtenberg » Fri, Jun 05, 2009, 3:08 PM UTC

Rob15283 wrote: post #66

davidw wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you could try both... limit the web version some, and sell the desktop one.

It sounds to me like this would be a good candidate for an iPhone and BlackBerry app. How many people shoot guns when they're sitting in front of the computer (other than us developers)? ;)

How many people who make their own ammunition also own an iPhone ? Perhaps a dozen, and that's optimistically :-)

Re: Pricing a Simple, Useful Desktop App

#77

Post by petercooper » Thu, Jun 11, 2009, 5:21 PM UTC

xenophanes wrote: post #62

jamesbritt wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"This guy has written an app for people who are into guns." How many gun owners do you know? I know a bunch. They're an odd group, insomuch as they are not as simple to peg as some might think. Sure, some are Dukes of Hazzard beer swilln' hicks, but others are top-grade software developers, teachers, and engineers. I'm skeptical about selling CLI apps in general, but I don't think it's made any better or worse when t…

Quit being offended. If we take "gun owners" to mean "people completely at random" (i.e. no prejudice) then what he said is true. Random people don't like CLIs. Random people are completely different than people who want to write database archiving scripts. Script writers like CLIs better.

You're right, but to be fair, James read my implication quite well. I was having a tiny dig at gun nuts - not from any realistic experience but mostly because I'm European and I'm culturally supposed to look at gun-toters with disdain ;-)