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"And so in their effort to make billions now, Twitter is slashing and burning the same 3rd party developers that helped to make it the behemoth it is today." T

by natrius 14y ago

"And so in their effort to make billions now, Twitter is slashing and burning the same 3rd party developers that helped to make it the behemoth it is today." Third-party Twitter clients (that is, replacements for Twitter's site and official apps) had little impact on Twitter's success. It's a story that sounds good, but I don't see any evidence for it. Those are the only developers that are materially hurt by Twitter's new policies. "They spend the 6 months they could have used learning to code, trying to find a cofounder instead." Someone who thinks they might want to start a software business in the future should definitely learn how to program. Someone who's starting a software business right now should pay someone else in dollars or equity to get it done. It takes more than six months to become a competent programmer, let alone become familiar with the tools and practices needed to build a modern web application or mobile app. This just isn't very good advice at all.

danenania 14y ago
While it definitely would take a novice programmer much longer than 6 months to learn to build a production caliber web app, it's plenty of time to make a functioning prototype and get some perspective on the craft. This can focus and clarify the concept, get you taken more seriously, and make you about 1000% more effective at hiring and managing developers down the line. Unless you have piles of money or friends in high places, learning some programming is a great place to start if you want to build a tech startup and aren't already a developer. It isn't the be-all end-all, but I'd definitely agree that spending 6 months educating yourself and getting something created, even if it's sloppy, is better use of time than cruising around meetups and networking events trying to find someone to implement your idea for you. Ditto for hiring contractors who you can afford and won't leave you with a lemon when you have no basis for judging whether someone knows wtf they're talking about.
- natrius 14y ago
  If you don't have money and you don't know how to program, don't quit your day job.
AznHisoka 14y ago
I agree... People started developing Twitter clients BECAUSE of its popularity. Why hasn't as many people developed a client for MySpace, or Friendster, or Diaspora instead?

by natrius 14y ago

danenania 14y ago

While it definitely would take a novice programmer much longer than 6 months to learn to build a production caliber web app, it's plenty of time to make a functioning prototype and get some perspective on the craft. This can focus and clarify the concept, get you taken more seriously, and make you about 1000% more effective at hiring and managing developers down the line. Unless you have piles of money or friends in high places, learning some programming is a great place to start if you want to build a tech startup and aren't already a developer. It isn't the be-all end-all, but I'd definitely agree that spending 6 months educating yourself and getting something created, even if it's sloppy, is better use of time than cruising around meetups and networking events trying to find someone to implement your idea for you. Ditto for hiring contractors who you can afford and won't leave you with a lemon when you have no basis for judging whether someone knows wtf they're talking about.

natrius 14y ago
If you don't have money and you don't know how to program, don't quit your day job.

AznHisoka 14y ago

I agree... People started developing Twitter clients BECAUSE of its popularity. Why hasn't as many people developed a client for MySpace, or Friendster, or Diaspora instead?