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The problem with closed source and hosted options like Trello (even if free) is that couple of years later the company could close down the product. You have se

by nmridul 14y ago

The problem with closed source and hosted options like Trello (even if free) is that couple of years later the company could close down the product. You have seen it with Google and Google is even larger and more reputed than Fogcreek. And the reason you always hear is that they want to focus on core areas. You will now be left with an XML dump of you data (if the provider even gives you access to your data) and the burden to code a half decent alternative for you to use the data. That is why I would normally prefer services that has their code open sourced like teambox. It gives you the comfort that if you can get hold of your data, you could run with it from the very next day since you have all the tools already with you. https://github.com/teambox/teambox https://github.com/teambox/teambox

fdr 14y ago
That's pretty neat. I use Trello quite a bit but have some of these these reservations, so I just gave Teambox a look. My initial impression is that it does way too much. There are a plethora of options and I just don't know what to do or what things are good for. Trello has more or less the right things in the right places and presents the right information. The learning curve is low and the usefulness high. There are some things it does that I hypothetically like: for example, I think finding a way to cram ephemeral (not taking a burdensome place in the UI) but archived (for completeness) IRC-style conversations into Trello would be quite useful: sometimes the "activity" field is too heavy. I dislike the monolithic nature of Campfire rooms as well, so I think organizing chats around Trello cards is an intriguing concept. All in all, I don't have a super complex and well-enriched bug database (that's elsewhere, and not really Trello's strength) in Trello, so if I had to move off, I'd take an afternoon or two or two and do it, although the upheaval to my planning would be annoying. The usability gains trump my leeriness of lock-in, but as a result I will probably never use particularly exotic features of Trello and constantly be looking for an open source replacement, even though I'm totally willing to fork over some dough for a hosted service. My ideal would be if Trello.com made money hosting an open source Trello-the-project.

by nmridul 14y ago

fdr 14y ago

That's pretty neat. I use Trello quite a bit but have some of these these reservations, so I just gave Teambox a look. My initial impression is that it does way too much. There are a plethora of options and I just don't know what to do or what things are good for. Trello has more or less the right things in the right places and presents the right information. The learning curve is low and the usefulness high. There are some things it does that I hypothetically like: for example, I think finding a way to cram ephemeral (not taking a burdensome place in the UI) but archived (for completeness) IRC-style conversations into Trello would be quite useful: sometimes the "activity" field is too heavy. I dislike the monolithic nature of Campfire rooms as well, so I think organizing chats around Trello cards is an intriguing concept. All in all, I don't have a super complex and well-enriched bug database (that's elsewhere, and not really Trello's strength) in Trello, so if I had to move off, I'd take an afternoon or two or two and do it, although the upheaval to my planning would be annoying. The usability gains trump my leeriness of lock-in, but as a result I will probably never use particularly exotic features of Trello and constantly be looking for an open source replacement, even though I'm totally willing to fork over some dough for a hosted service. My ideal would be if Trello.com made money hosting an open source Trello-the-project.