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This type of progression in software development is inevitable. Groups of people writing individual lines of code for bespoke apps will one day go the same way

This type of progression in software development is inevitable. Groups of people writing individual lines of code for bespoke apps will one day go the same way looms in factories went after the industrial revolution. I run a software company, and we've actually moved away from fixed price projects and only provide development on a day rate. Fixed price/scope/timescale projects are incredibly risky, require massive amounts of project management resource, and can be insanely unprofitable if the specifications for the work are not watertight and the client isn't managed well. Knowing the industry very well, and having completed hundreds of bespoke projects for all sizes and types of clients I have so many questions about how the Gigster model works. Off the top of my head: * What language are the apps built in? This is important to me if I want to hire my own people to continue to build out and support the app going forward. I presume the mobile apps are native, so this question is probably more specific to the web development. * Do I own the intellectual property on the finished app? * What does the support and maintenance agreement look like and provide? And at what cost? * What does the contract for development look like? The devil will be in the detail here. For example, I'd be interested to know what happens if my project overruns and deadlines are missed. * What if I want something built that doesn't fit one of their various examples here https://gigster.com/pricing https://gigster.com/pricing? * Who writes the specification? Who creates the wireframes for the app? * Who performs quality assurance testing? What happens if the work I receive is excessively buggy? Bespoke development of software is hard and it's great to see somebody take this on. I wish Gigster luck but I fear for their sanity as they attempt to scale.

cheez 11y ago
> This type of progression in software development is inevitable. Groups of people writing individual lines of code for bespoke apps will one day go the same way looms in factories went after the industrial revolution. > I run a software company, and we've actually moved away from fixed price projects and only provide development on a day rate. Fixed price/scope/timescale projects are incredibly risky, require massive amounts of project management resource, and can be insanely unprofitable if the specifications for the work are not watertight and the client isn't managed well. These two sentences don't seem to make sense. On the one hand, you say it's inevitable. On the other hand, as someone who has RUN a software company, you say you couldn't figure it out. Is that correct?
- simonswords82 11y ago
  It is of course inevitable that somebody more intelligent than me is going to automate the development of bespoke software. We don't automate software development, we still do it the old fashioned way. As such rather than attempt to tackle the problems associated with fixed price projects, we changed our business model to charge a day rate and reduce risk that way. We took this approach because we don't have millions of dollars of investors money in the bank to allow us to trial and error other solutions.
  - cheez 11y ago
    Perhaps. A lot of meatspace architecture has been automated as well so you may be right in your prediction, but I think it will come about more organically through the use of specialized software tools. Eventually developers/engineers will be just like plumbers.

cheez 11y ago

> This type of progression in software development is inevitable. Groups of people writing individual lines of code for bespoke apps will one day go the same way looms in factories went after the industrial revolution. > I run a software company, and we've actually moved away from fixed price projects and only provide development on a day rate. Fixed price/scope/timescale projects are incredibly risky, require massive amounts of project management resource, and can be insanely unprofitable if the specifications for the work are not watertight and the client isn't managed well. These two sentences don't seem to make sense. On the one hand, you say it's inevitable. On the other hand, as someone who has RUN a software company, you say you couldn't figure it out. Is that correct?

simonswords82 11y ago
It is of course inevitable that somebody more intelligent than me is going to automate the development of bespoke software. We don't automate software development, we still do it the old fashioned way. As such rather than attempt to tackle the problems associated with fixed price projects, we changed our business model to charge a day rate and reduce risk that way. We took this approach because we don't have millions of dollars of investors money in the bank to allow us to trial and error other solutions.
- cheez 11y ago
  Perhaps. A lot of meatspace architecture has been automated as well so you may be right in your prediction, but I think it will come about more organically through the use of specialized software tools. Eventually developers/engineers will be just like plumbers.