To clarify, I already have ideas -- some of which are in progress. My question has more to do with what qualities in a piece of software makes it a good candidate for just one man to develop & maintain it. And what are some examples of successful software applications that were developed by just one man (or woman)?
+5
A:
Isn't this basically asking, in more words, "Give me ideas to make money that are simple and don't require maintenance"?
It'll help if you give some some more bounds:
- What are your skills?
- What are your interests in technology?
thedz
2009-07-24 21:04:51
Steve Wortham
2009-07-24 21:08:38
Kind of funny that the top-voted answer doesn't give any ideas.
Robert S.
2009-07-24 21:10:31
@TheSteve: Please update the question with this additional information.
S.Lott
2009-07-24 21:10:37
+14
A:
Well, for starters, they could make awesome applications for Mac OS X like Scrivener or MarsEdit, as well as TextMate. If they're inclined toward ASP.NET, they could create PlentyOfFish. A Windows developer might create HomeSite.
All of those applications were written by individuals. In each case, the developer makes (or made) a living off those apps.
Robert S.
2009-07-24 21:05:43
Uh, what are you smoking? MarsEdit, TextMate, and Scrivener are not open source. They're all commercial applications.
Robert S.
2009-07-24 21:09:28
I don't mind downvotes, but for a correct answer? That's just ridiculous.
Robert S.
2009-07-24 21:11:01
Viet
2010-04-24 12:24:47
I relent. Everyone was right and I was wrong.. again. Don't even remember posting.
John Nolan
2010-04-24 14:19:26
@viet thanks for commenting. I've undone my some of my wrong work. Think I was very grumpy that day.
John Nolan
2010-04-24 14:24:16
+2
A:
Birth announcement web service with a tie into the postal service. Upload addresses and do physical mailings. You could also do email's / pages that host the info.
You now how pingg.com is a slick evite. you need a slick birth announcement. People are always having baby so the market would be cool.
You could charge for the mailings as well as get referrer revenue for ads for baby items.
easement
2009-07-24 21:07:01
A:
Well if you've just started fresh the world is your oyster (but probably a difficult one to master). If you've work with any corporate company and got to know their domain you can probably write a product that will satisfy that niche.
Lets face it the corporate world is used to any old crud application and inhousers do not get the funds to write software properly.
My advice, contract within a particular channel of industry know it and write your own. You won't make millions but you will be probably better that the corporate crap that the inhouser's have got the resources to churn out.
John Nolan
2009-07-24 21:07:08
A:
Starting up out of the blue without a market in mind seems like an unlikely recipe for success. Your business model will probably be the biggest factor in your choice of product type.
With that in mind, go for something you're interested in and have a reasonably good understanding of.
Darryl
2009-07-24 21:07:36
+4
A:
Write software for something you can use yourself so you get the maximum dogfooding effect and are knowledgable without a lot of market research.
Then once you have it to a workable level, sell it.
JohnFx
2009-07-24 21:08:47
+2
A:
Pick your target market, then ponder upon a niche product or need that everyone else has overlooked.
If you ever find yourself (or others) saying "I wish really wish somebody would come up with..." pay close attention.
Edit - The most obvious quality is this: It has to be something small enough that you can write it and release it in a year or less (imho). If it's wildly successful, you can then worry about enhancing, expanding, and hiring as necessary.
hythlodayr
2009-07-24 21:09:34
So far, every single product idea I've had is something I'd use myself. The one distinct advantage this has is that my own requirements mirror my target audiences requirements for the most part.
Steve Wortham
2009-07-24 21:53:21
As simple as this answer is. It's actually a good idea, and perfect for one developer to handle.
Steve Wortham
2009-07-24 21:11:41
+1 LOL. I dream of making a killer dumb iPhone app, just wish I could get some time off, and come up with a dumb enough idea (iFart?)
karim79
2009-07-24 21:15:36
@Peter - I'm not surprised. And the authors are probably sipping margaritas from their aircraft carriers as we speak.
karim79
2009-07-24 21:19:28
+4
A:
It's a bad idea to make lots of small applications. The projects you make come with maintenance and it tends to add up. After a while, all your time will be spend switching between projects (relearning them) and doing bug fixes.
It's also a good idea to pick something which is hype-able. I.e. getting a good early-adopter group going is absolutely vital. This means making something which is fun to use, in addition to being genuinely useful.
It helps if you can find a gap in the market, but the problem is that your areas of expertise will limit the markets you can penetrate.
Don't try and make everything from scratch. Use 3rd party libraries if it speeds up development or even make a plug-in instead of a stand-alone. If your project is successful you can always invest the effort to rewrite licensed parts.
ps. everybody loves puppies.
David Rutten
2009-07-24 21:12:00
I'm in the middle of developing 3 products right now simultaneously. And I'm still entertaining the idea of doing one more. The reason I'm doing this many is that I never really know for sure which product will be successful. But you bring up a point that I've thought about myself. If more than one becomes successful, will I be able to support all of them? It's something I need to judge carefully, for sure.
Steve Wortham
2009-07-24 21:41:52
Not to mention that your chances of success might actually increase if you don't spread your efforts too much.I've been working on a single plugin for a well-known CAD application for the past 2 years. I'm an actual employee of the CAD company so I don't have to worry about income, but I still need to do this thing by myself and I have to keep it successful. At this point I have been very lucky with my early-adopters, but the work is growing out of control. A successful app will eventually require more developers.
David Rutten
2009-07-24 22:34:25
+2
A:
Well, having worked for a software company that was almost a one man company, I can tell you that you'll need to truly be passionate about whatever you do. Why? Because there won't be anyone there to kick your butt to get moving on development or marketing or whatever the need of the day is. So if you've already got ideas you'd like to develop, then examine each and figure out which one interests you the most and is likely to get you fired up and excited. If any of the ideas don't do that, pitch them because they aren't going to help you.
Obviously if you intend to support yourself from this you need to make sure that your exciting idea is actually useful to other people and that they are willing to pay money for.
Corin
2009-07-24 21:16:35
Good point -- I totally agree. All of my products are in their free-phase right now. But that's always been one of my requirements. I'm not about to start developing a new product if I'm not interested and passionate about doing it well.
Steve Wortham
2009-07-24 21:34:40
A:
In order of importance, some points your software should satisfy:
1. Resolve your problem
2. Fun to program
3. Easy to maintain
4. Useful
5. Fun to use
6. Plugin architecture for community
One great example: Balsamiq Mockups
Good luck!
systempuntoout
2010-04-24 11:32:31