Developing Perspective

Latest Episodes:

#207: Irresistible Complexity Jan 10, 2015

Show notes

Rather than wading into the hullabaloo regarding Apple’s software quality directly I instead decided to take a step backwards and consider the forces that have driven us to this situation in the first place. My goal is to consider the forces that make keeping software stable over time difficult. The result can apply to small projects as well as to a company as large as Apple.

Marketing Complexity: The pressure to keep adding features in order to keep software relevant in a marketplace.
Intrinsic Complexity: The unfortunate reality that any added feature doesn’t just linearly increase complexity, instead it increases radically.
Personnel/Personal Complexity: The tension and struggle around keeping sharp, talented engineers focused on stability when the promise of working on something else, newer and more exciting looms.

These are the concerns we need to stay conscious of in order to manage our software over time.

Handshake Problem

#206: Can the App Store be Full? Dec 12, 2014

Show notes

Today I think out loud about the implications of an App Store that is functionally full. Where applications cannot realistically thrive simply because of novelty or freshness. Whatever you do now you are facing up against a hyper-competitive marketplace. I think this changes significantly how we need to pursue things from a business perspective as well as helps us be realistic about what to expect.

As an experiment I also recorded this episode as a video. I’m not really sure how valuable this is but I’ll never know unless I try. I’m thoroughly enjoying trying out video recently as a medium for sharing within our community.

As a result of how my recording was setup the audio for this episode as a bit more echo than I would have liked, I’ll get that buttoned down if I try this again.

YouTube version of this Episode

#205: AILW - Economics of WatchKit Apps. Dec 05, 2014

Show notes

Thinking out loud about why I recently starting my series called As I Learn WatchKit. I’ve learned a lot about the creative process by giving myself permission to put unpolished things into the world.

My first attempt at Youtube

Then, I dive into the economics of building WatchKit apps. In general I think that the economic realities of building apps for it are consistent with any other app endeavor. If it was a good idea before it is likely doubly so to add a Watch extension. If it is a new idea you have a great opportunity to be an early adopter.

#204: Delightfully Pragmatic. Nov 20, 2014

Show notes

My first reactions to WatchKit. I’m really glad Apple has given is some genuinely powerful capabilities with this first generation of APIs.

#203: Divided by One. Nov 14, 2014

Show notes

For a while now I’ve had an episode idea discussing some of the ‘interesting math’ about working on a project by yourself. I discuss how working on something by yourself is so very different than in working on any other sized team.

#201: On Expedition. Oct 31, 2014

Show notes

With the impending arrival of the AppleWatch next year and the WatchKit SDK next month I’m starting to shift my focus towards ‘wearables’. They present a few challenges to me as a developer, not the least of which is that I have almost no experience with that type of device. I used to wear a watch years ago but haven’t consistently for a long time. I saw the Pebble when it first came out and it looked kinda janky. But now it is clear this is an area that the larger companies that I piggyback my business on are heading so I’m trying hard to make sure I don’t fall off.

To help me get up to speed I’ve been purchasing a variety of devices to start getting my feet at least slightly damp, if not actually wet. I started with the Jawbone UP and just got the Microsft Band. These are my initial reactions and thoughts.