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Indeed. It seems they treat every Mac/iOS app as "theirs", like the are the sole proprietors of the team/software/website and when someone other than Apple acqu

Indeed. It seems they treat every Mac/iOS app as "theirs", like the are the sole proprietors of the team/software/website and when someone other than Apple acquires/acquhires them they feel betrayed, as if the developers pledged allegiance to stay that way forever. Just take a look at Instagram's wave of complains when they released an Android app. EDIT: It looks like, to me, that there's almost some kind jealousy from high profile bloggers, but that's just me.

k-mcgrady 14y ago
I don't think anyone is annoyed they were acquired. I'm annoyed that I paid for their Mac and iOS apps and now development is discontinued. I also find it shady that they had a highly publicised half price sale last weekend just before they shut down development. This isn't a service we pay for month-to-month. It's something we paid a higher than average price for (based on App Store prices) and expected continued development. It sets a very bad precedent.
- ajross 14y ago
  I think all this is fair, actually. I was similarly peeved last week when Mozilla pulled the plug on Thunderbird. But the ire there, and yours, is aimed at the developers who killed it. And that sounds correct. What I find weird are the people who thing that somehow Google's behavior (hiring talented iOS developers with huge hiring bonuses -- the horror) is in bad faith, or that (per the OP) Apple should be responsible for "fixing" it.
  - Dylan16807 14y ago
    It's not that it's Apple's job to do anything about this app, it's about making their ecosystem more friendly to continued development.
- drewcrawford 14y ago
  > It's something we paid a higher than average price for (based on App Store prices) and expected continued development. I think the lesson here is that you buy a thing as it is today, not for how it could be in the future. If you are not happy with a thing as it is, do not buy it. See, for example: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbuchanan/it-never-gets-better http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbuchanan/it-never-gets-better
  - k-mcgrady 14y ago
    That's true but the developers did say they were working on bringing some features to the app (push notifications for example). I think it's easy for me and you to understand that they were acquired for their talent but to ordinary people it just looks like they've bought something, were promised updates, and they weren't delivered. That reflects badly on all developers and it's something that's been happening a lot in the last few years. Businesses need their customers to trust them and acquihires are making the entire community look bad.
    - dannyr 14y ago
      Would you rather have them go out of business than get acq-hired?
    - ryannielsen 14y ago
      I think it's easy for me and you to understand that they were acquired for their talent but to ordinary people it just looks like they've bought something, were promised updates, and they weren't delivered. That reflects badly on all developers and it's something that's been happening a lot in the last few years. Businesses need their customers to trust them and acquihires are making the entire community look bad. Acquihiring is irrelevant. If anything, what's making the app developer community look bad are developers making promises they don't or can't keep. It's simple: if you promise something, deliver it. Know why Apple doesn't pre-announce features? Because announcements are promises, and nothing can be promised until it's done. Heck, even being as careful as they are, they've announced features that never shipped. At my company, we're extremely wary of pre-announcing anything when we interact with our users and, when we do, we go to lengths to emphasize that we can't promise anything until it ships. To be clear, I'm not accusing Sparrow's team of willfully misleading, lying, or misrepresenting anything. I'm certain they were confident their promises were good. Nor do I fault their decision to join Google; I'd probably do the same given the right compensation and opportunities. This is just a great example of why promising features is risky and should be avoided – you never know what the future will bring.
mpd 14y ago
There as a similar reaction > 10 years when Hotline was released for Windows after being Mac-only for a number of years.
ralfn 14y ago
What is most shocking, is that this is happening here. You would think this crowd would be more immunine to Steve's reality distortion field. But appearanty, their perspective is that of a sports team supporter. Not the perspective, of critically thinking adult, let alone that of a professional. They are consumed with tribal emotions, yet fail to see how its clouding their judgement. Trying to rationalize what they feel, when they would have never done the same, if did not concern the apple ecosystem.
- dhugiaskmak 14y ago
  So the HN crowd is... human? How disgusting.
  - ralfn 14y ago
    "System of a down is cool, but people that listen to the spice girls are pathetic" The correct phrase is not "human" as you put it, but "immature". Replace apple/google with band names and hear 14 years olds being as pathetic, and manipulated, as they could be. Considering the audience, you would think they would be just a tad bit more mature. I sure wouldnt invest in any person that needs specific products to establish their idenity. I would have, like this rule, where i would expect people to be an adult.
    - dvhh 14y ago
      Unfortunately it seems that the Apple product users seems the loudest/harshest about it. First it was Microsoft and the ilk of x86 compatible when the powerPC was "clearly" superior, then Google with android. While I admit that we have a different generation here, the pattern seems to repeat. While I admit I am certainly jealous of Apple designed products, I prefer the customization that product from other sources provide.

k-mcgrady 14y ago

I don't think anyone is annoyed they were acquired. I'm annoyed that I paid for their Mac and iOS apps and now development is discontinued. I also find it shady that they had a highly publicised half price sale last weekend just before they shut down development. This isn't a service we pay for month-to-month. It's something we paid a higher than average price for (based on App Store prices) and expected continued development. It sets a very bad precedent.

ajross 14y ago
I think all this is fair, actually. I was similarly peeved last week when Mozilla pulled the plug on Thunderbird. But the ire there, and yours, is aimed at the developers who killed it. And that sounds correct. What I find weird are the people who thing that somehow Google's behavior (hiring talented iOS developers with huge hiring bonuses -- the horror) is in bad faith, or that (per the OP) Apple should be responsible for "fixing" it.
- Dylan16807 14y ago
  It's not that it's Apple's job to do anything about this app, it's about making their ecosystem more friendly to continued development.
drewcrawford 14y ago
> It's something we paid a higher than average price for (based on App Store prices) and expected continued development. I think the lesson here is that you buy a thing as it is today, not for how it could be in the future. If you are not happy with a thing as it is, do not buy it. See, for example: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbuchanan/it-never-gets-better http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbuchanan/it-never-gets-better
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  That's true but the developers did say they were working on bringing some features to the app (push notifications for example). I think it's easy for me and you to understand that they were acquired for their talent but to ordinary people it just looks like they've bought something, were promised updates, and they weren't delivered. That reflects badly on all developers and it's something that's been happening a lot in the last few years. Businesses need their customers to trust them and acquihires are making the entire community look bad.
  - dannyr 14y ago
    Would you rather have them go out of business than get acq-hired?
  - ryannielsen 14y ago
    I think it's easy for me and you to understand that they were acquired for their talent but to ordinary people it just looks like they've bought something, were promised updates, and they weren't delivered. That reflects badly on all developers and it's something that's been happening a lot in the last few years. Businesses need their customers to trust them and acquihires are making the entire community look bad. Acquihiring is irrelevant. If anything, what's making the app developer community look bad are developers making promises they don't or can't keep. It's simple: if you promise something, deliver it. Know why Apple doesn't pre-announce features? Because announcements are promises, and nothing can be promised until it's done. Heck, even being as careful as they are, they've announced features that never shipped. At my company, we're extremely wary of pre-announcing anything when we interact with our users and, when we do, we go to lengths to emphasize that we can't promise anything until it ships. To be clear, I'm not accusing Sparrow's team of willfully misleading, lying, or misrepresenting anything. I'm certain they were confident their promises were good. Nor do I fault their decision to join Google; I'd probably do the same given the right compensation and opportunities. This is just a great example of why promising features is risky and should be avoided – you never know what the future will bring.

mpd 14y ago

There as a similar reaction > 10 years when Hotline was released for Windows after being Mac-only for a number of years.

ralfn 14y ago

What is most shocking, is that this is happening here. You would think this crowd would be more immunine to Steve's reality distortion field. But appearanty, their perspective is that of a sports team supporter. Not the perspective, of critically thinking adult, let alone that of a professional. They are consumed with tribal emotions, yet fail to see how its clouding their judgement. Trying to rationalize what they feel, when they would have never done the same, if did not concern the apple ecosystem.

dhugiaskmak 14y ago
So the HN crowd is... human? How disgusting.
- ralfn 14y ago
  "System of a down is cool, but people that listen to the spice girls are pathetic" The correct phrase is not "human" as you put it, but "immature". Replace apple/google with band names and hear 14 years olds being as pathetic, and manipulated, as they could be. Considering the audience, you would think they would be just a tad bit more mature. I sure wouldnt invest in any person that needs specific products to establish their idenity. I would have, like this rule, where i would expect people to be an adult.
  - dvhh 14y ago
    Unfortunately it seems that the Apple product users seems the loudest/harshest about it. First it was Microsoft and the ilk of x86 compatible when the powerPC was "clearly" superior, then Google with android. While I admit that we have a different generation here, the pattern seems to repeat. While I admit I am certainly jealous of Apple designed products, I prefer the customization that product from other sources provide.