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Twitter “Screwed Up” With Developers, Founder Says

50 points by abraham 16y ago

aaronbrethorst 16y ago
To quote BSG: "all of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again." http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Watson_Developer_Speaks_Out_Against_Apple_Plans_Port_To_Windows/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Watson_Developer_Spea...
- pyre 16y ago
  Also: * Apple 'Spotlight' vs. LaunchBar/Butler (don't remember of QuickSilver existed at the time, but it's largely surpassed Spotlight's functionality) * Apple 'Dashboard' vs. Confabulator (aka Yahoo! Widgets)
  - danilocampos 16y ago
    Oh yeah, Quicksilver's heyday was back then. I ditched QS for a day once Spotlight came out. Spotlight was pig slow, so I went back to Quicksilver until Leopard, years later.
Multiplayer 16y ago
Who here is developing products relying on Twitter for their primary data stream today? They had the world by the tail.
- irons 16y ago
  Who keeps the world by the tail for longer than that? One or two companies a decade?
adrianwaj 16y ago
Twitter has now realized it's a platform company. Wow. Dick C - here's what Twitter should do: - give users the choice to use any number of third-party interfaces, but implemented into the main site. - give users the choice to install add-ons into any or all of these interfaces on the main site: like with the Facebook. - have a pool of funds allocated to be distributed to developers based on the popularity of their apps and interfaces. - If Twitter doesn't do this, a third party could come and create a platform on a platform. If they're too successful they'll either be acquired, copied or choked by Twitter. For the latter two, they can split entirely with Twitter and compete in this micro-messaging space, and aim to make it useful for inter-machine messaging too.
- yu549 16y ago
  Not really. Aside from a few simple applications (e.g. photos like TwitPic, etc.), the normal user doesn't really use any other third-party app. Have you seen oneforty? It's dying.
  - adrianwaj 16y ago
    No one has time for it. Why not take something like oneforty and embed it into twitter.com, and make the apps more like plugins. I'd straight away install anti-spam. They could even model this system after a combination of wordpress.com and its large userbase with customization options, and wordpress.org self-installations, with a new nicely integrated plugin directory and manager. I'd go far as to say, if I could start a startup tomorrow with many resources at my fingertips, I'd compete with Twitter in this way. (well I'd hold onto Twitter at first, but then let go once I have enough momentum. I'd also try and ride FB.) It's a no-brainer (at least to me). If they want to make Twitter ubiquitous (as was envisioned by Ev or Biz), it will need to improve in many areas, one even being a possible network layer.
code_duck 16y ago
Fred Wilson wrote an article at one point about how fantastic he thought it was that Twitter was screwing over their development community, and how the things were moving to the next stage for third party Twitter developers. Has he re-evaluated his stance on that? Are FW and WE in agreement? I can't even really tell what this article is saying.

50 points by abraham 16y ago

To quote BSG: "all of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again." http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Watson_Developer_Speaks_Out_Against_Apple_Plans_Port_To_Windows/ http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/Watson_Developer_Spea...

pyre 16y ago
Also: * Apple 'Spotlight' vs. LaunchBar/Butler (don't remember of QuickSilver existed at the time, but it's largely surpassed Spotlight's functionality) * Apple 'Dashboard' vs. Confabulator (aka Yahoo! Widgets)
- danilocampos 16y ago
  Oh yeah, Quicksilver's heyday was back then. I ditched QS for a day once Spotlight came out. Spotlight was pig slow, so I went back to Quicksilver until Leopard, years later.

Multiplayer 16y ago

Who here is developing products relying on Twitter for their primary data stream today? They had the world by the tail.

irons 16y ago
Who keeps the world by the tail for longer than that? One or two companies a decade?

adrianwaj 16y ago

Twitter has now realized it's a platform company. Wow. Dick C - here's what Twitter should do: - give users the choice to use any number of third-party interfaces, but implemented into the main site. - give users the choice to install add-ons into any or all of these interfaces on the main site: like with the Facebook. - have a pool of funds allocated to be distributed to developers based on the popularity of their apps and interfaces. - If Twitter doesn't do this, a third party could come and create a platform on a platform. If they're too successful they'll either be acquired, copied or choked by Twitter. For the latter two, they can split entirely with Twitter and compete in this micro-messaging space, and aim to make it useful for inter-machine messaging too.

yu549 16y ago
Not really. Aside from a few simple applications (e.g. photos like TwitPic, etc.), the normal user doesn't really use any other third-party app. Have you seen oneforty? It's dying.
- adrianwaj 16y ago
  No one has time for it. Why not take something like oneforty and embed it into twitter.com, and make the apps more like plugins. I'd straight away install anti-spam. They could even model this system after a combination of wordpress.com and its large userbase with customization options, and wordpress.org self-installations, with a new nicely integrated plugin directory and manager. I'd go far as to say, if I could start a startup tomorrow with many resources at my fingertips, I'd compete with Twitter in this way. (well I'd hold onto Twitter at first, but then let go once I have enough momentum. I'd also try and ride FB.) It's a no-brainer (at least to me). If they want to make Twitter ubiquitous (as was envisioned by Ev or Biz), it will need to improve in many areas, one even being a possible network layer.

code_duck 16y ago

Fred Wilson wrote an article at one point about how fantastic he thought it was that Twitter was screwing over their development community, and how the things were moving to the next stage for third party Twitter developers. Has he re-evaluated his stance on that? Are FW and WE in agreement? I can't even really tell what this article is saying.