I knew a guy years ago who began every other sentence with the phrase: “As the man said.” I kept asking him who this man was, because for a stranger nobody had ever met he certainly had a lot to say for himself. Blind advice is easy to come by, but when you actually break down these words of wisdom and ask yourself are they true? the answer is often no.
They say love is blind. They also say you should work on something you’re passionate about. They can’t all be right.
Most software startups fail, and it seems to me they fail because they design the wrong product. They design products they’re passionate about, not products anybody else is passionate about. These one man shops work on pet projects out of love, and often turn their feelings into crazy market projections and dreams of wild commercial success. For over a year now I’ve been hanging out with the multitude of startup owners who frequent the Joel on Software message boards, where everybody offers advice and blunt criticism to their fellow passionate software designers. Most of the readers of this forum are working on failed or failing projects out of love.
Should you be passionate about a commercial product you’ve just started working on?
I don’t believe so. Anyone who’s been in love knows it makes us do crazy things. Our thoughts turn irrational. We make assumptions about the person we love that a sane man would call insane. We make allowances for defects and character failings. The same is true of software design. Passionate programmers assume everyone else will be just as passionate about their product. How could they not love it just as you do? It’s so cool it leaves Microsoft in the shade. It’s sure to be the next big thing, because in your own mind it already is the biggest thing.
Over the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that when designing new software, it’s far better to go for an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages often succeed because the two parties involved are compatible beyond the lingering gaze across a crowded room, because the passion often comes later when the relationship is established and has proven itself. If you fall in love with your wife or husband a year down the road, you know their failings just as well as their strengths. You’re not blinded by passion.
I designed PageFour because I wanted to. Commercial considerations were pushed to one side as I stumbled on in blissful ignorance, convinced that my own love of the product would be reflected in the market as a whole. I made the fatal and all too common mistake of working on something I was passionate about. The response was lukewarm. Feedback was encouraging, but rarely translated into a love to match my own, and only very rarely into sales. No matter how good the product, it’s difficult to compete in a crowded market where many of your competitors are free. The incentive to try something new is simply not there. A more commercially aware mind would have seen this straight away and considered the wisdom of designing yet another word processor, however unique and different some of its features may be.
Over the past couple of months I’ve been researching product number two. Note the use of the word researching. It’s a novel concept for me that has nothing to do with passion and love. I’ve learned my lesson, and it was a lesson worth learning.
The question in my mind now is what to do with PageFour. Should I let it carry on, earning a small amount each month and building up an equally small user base? Or should I release it as freeware, the place most passionate software truly belongs, and build up a much larger user base?
May 3rd, 2006 at 8:59 pm
I’ve only recently stumbled upon PageFour. I had never heard of this product before, which makes me feel somewhat foolish since it’s so great. I’ve been using the trial version for a couple of days now and I can honestly say that I love it. Finances are a little tight for me at the moment, but I’m probably going to take the plunge and purchase it from your website.
There are lots of writing tools out there — most of them nearly identical. I have never been overly impressed with the “look-n-feel” any of ‘em. They all seemed to feel like a glorified Notepad clone, or a programming editor. Granted, I would love to learn programming, but I haven’t the talent (my math ability is dismal) nor the time — what I want to do is write that novel that’s been screaming to come out — not play with settings and configurations for six hours only to see that I don’t have what I want in the end anyway.
I can tell that you have passion for this product. I could tell the moment I visited the website, saw the clean and elegant design (I’m a sucker for that sort of look). I downloaded the trial right away, reading every page of the site, looking at all the pretty screenshots, nodding eagerly at the step-by-step help section …
Starting PageFour for the first time was a pleasure. I love software, love installing things, love technology — but PageFour was something unusual and different. I loved the organization put into the software, the clean interface, the simplicity, the functionality … I knew I would love it.
I imported my novel-in-progress (only a few dozen pages thus far) from Word, and was thrilled that the little red lines weren’t attacking my choice of character names right off the bat. I love that option — for me, the spell-check causes the momentum to stumble. I simply cannot keep writing when the program keeps pointing out my technical errors in that fashion. Grinds me to a halt, it does. Then it leaves me feeling derailed.
I looked over the potential updates you had listed, and decided that I would LOVE to see them included (especially if you could toggle the automated editing feature on and off). I like editing features, they will make things so lovely when doing the first revision. I’m sick of Word for that. I use Word too much for my job — using your program is like Zen meditation for writers.
Bah. I’m going to purchase it right now. You deserve it. Don’t give up on it just yet. If other writers give this program a shot, I think they’ll find it just as lovely as I do. You should make mention of it on some of the writing forums — just offer the trial and ask for feedback, if you haven’t already. I’m going to see if I can talk my fiancee into this program as well, since she is finally starting to write a novel (she’s an English teacher, I am a Copywriter). I think it’s the best writing tool around.
By the way, what is this second product you are considering? Can we get a hint? Is it related to writing?
Best of luck!
May 4th, 2006 at 5:24 am
Thanks for your comments Seth. It’s always great to hear that PageFour is meeting the needs of the people it was created for, and it’s very uplifting to receive positive feedback.
Product number 2 is a long, long way off yet, and I’m sorry to say has little to do with writing - it’s leaning more towards on Big Business. That rent insists on being paid. Whatever happens in the future though, PageFour will continue to be improved, so any ideas or comments you have as your novel progresses, do drop me an email.
May 4th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
You deserve all the positive feedback you get — and more.
I’m sure that you’ll find great success with your next product. Business software, when it sells, sells a LOT (from what little I know of it). Since businesses are always looking for ways to save money and increase productivity, you just might find a warm reception for your new program.
I also dearly love developers that care about customer feedback. Too many large firms ignore the little guy, but I know you are aware of that.
If I can think of anything to add to PageFour, I’ll let you know — the features you’ve put into it already are perfect for my needs so far, so I don’t think I’ll have a big list of additions anytime soon.
Good luck in your next project; and I certainly hope that more people discover PageFour in the meantime!
May 10th, 2006 at 3:54 am
My heart sank as I read this post because I thought the “punch line” was going to be an announcement that development of PageFour was coming to an end. I was relieved to hear that wasn’t the case. PageFour is the BEST money I have ever spent on Software. I absolutely love it. No question, it is a niche product, but an important niche. It may not ever be the BIG PROJECT that earns you glory, fortune, and fame, but it is your baby so to speak. I know there is love there–a fatherly kind of love I think.
Anyway, I am putting in my vote for not releasing it as freeware quite yet.
Thanks so much for creating it!
May 10th, 2006 at 5:52 am
You can rest assured Mike that the end of the road has not yet been reached. I woke up at 2 o’clock this morning with the solution to a particular problem for the next release fresh in my mind, and had to jump out of bed to write it down.
The day I say to myself: ‘I’ll remember it in the morning,’ will be the day to call a halt.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Passion is never overrated. In fact, without it, nothing of merit or lasting quality would ever be produced, let alone embraced, in this world. Take your own audience for this product for example. Writers write the best stuff only when there is passion for it. The greatest authors of all time wrote because they were driven, compelled, and passionate about their message - Not because they were going to make lots of money at it. Most barely made a living at writing. I’ve just recently tried your program and find it to be very well thought out. The web-site is great. You obviously are passionate about what you do and it is reflected in the product. I plan to purchase soon and I have several suggestions that I will post in the appropriate forum. Thanks for your hard work and dedication on Page Four - don’t give up on it!
October 11th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Thanks Mel.
It’s been over a year since I wrote this post, and quite a bit has changed since them. Designing and releasing the software was really only the first step in a process that involved putting on many different hats. I’d say that when I wrote the post, I was a little like an author who’d finished a first draft, put it in a drawer, and then wondered why it hadn’t been published.
It’s been a good year though, and PageFour is growing from strength to strength. And I’d have to say that passion for the product has played its part. Without that passion, I might have given up, instead of taking the time to learn the sales and marketing side, improve the website, and so on.