4 ms·

If you're selling a devtool, and all I'm seeing is features OR benefits in your pitch, and I can't get limitations, tradeoffs, restrictions, drawbacks or any so

If you're selling a devtool, and all I'm seeing is features OR benefits in your pitch, and I can't get limitations, tradeoffs, restrictions, drawbacks or any sort of information about the downsides of using that tool... Then it's still a marketing pitch. If it only lists positives and it's not honest about negatives, it's just marketing. Show me your drawbacks and I might consider you are a serious vendor.

siquick 3y ago
> Show me your drawbacks and I might consider you are a serious vendor. Can’t remember any other product from any market openly showing what it can’t do, why are devtools any different?
- swyx 3y ago
  in my original landing page for temporal i was very proud to add "what do we NOT do": https://temporaldotio-a0ktr49oc-temporal.vercel.app/#headlessui-disclosure-button-5 https://temporaldotio-a0ktr49oc-temporal.vercel.app/#headles... most founders refuse to admit that they're not fit for purpose for some things. yes need to promise the world to VCs but also it makes it harder for the developer to assess how much to trust you if you are in denial about TAM
- laserbeam 3y ago
  To be fair, my argument has nothing to do with devtools, just that the distinction between features and benefits is pointless or is itself a marketing gimmick. I'll only get to drawbacks/limitations once I get to documentation. And once I spend a significant amount of time researching a product. And when I don't I feel like I'm buying the marketing.
- CJefferson 3y ago
  SQLite has both when to use it, and when to consider something else: https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html
- ben_w 3y ago
  > any other product from any market openly showing what it can’t do ChatGPT, ironically enough given how many times I see people insisting that them saying “we can be dangerously wrong don’t rely on us” is some kind of marketing scheme.

siquick 3y ago

> Show me your drawbacks and I might consider you are a serious vendor. Can’t remember any other product from any market openly showing what it can’t do, why are devtools any different?

swyx 3y ago
in my original landing page for temporal i was very proud to add "what do we NOT do": https://temporaldotio-a0ktr49oc-temporal.vercel.app/#headlessui-disclosure-button-5 https://temporaldotio-a0ktr49oc-temporal.vercel.app/#headles... most founders refuse to admit that they're not fit for purpose for some things. yes need to promise the world to VCs but also it makes it harder for the developer to assess how much to trust you if you are in denial about TAM
laserbeam 3y ago
To be fair, my argument has nothing to do with devtools, just that the distinction between features and benefits is pointless or is itself a marketing gimmick. I'll only get to drawbacks/limitations once I get to documentation. And once I spend a significant amount of time researching a product. And when I don't I feel like I'm buying the marketing.
CJefferson 3y ago
SQLite has both when to use it, and when to consider something else: https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html
ben_w 3y ago
> any other product from any market openly showing what it can’t do ChatGPT, ironically enough given how many times I see people insisting that them saying “we can be dangerously wrong don’t rely on us” is some kind of marketing scheme.