Not really keen on this post. The "minimalism" that 37signals preaches has to do with feature creep–NOT the difficulty of the core problem you're app is solving

Not really keen on this post. The "minimalism" that 37signals preaches has to do with feature creep–NOT the difficulty of the core problem you're app is solving. If you choose to build an app that is a "simple solution to an obvious problem" then, yes, obviously it will be easy for competitors to emerge. The author starts on the right track, but ended with an extremely weak conclusion. Of course developing RoR has helped them. That doesn't mean another developer can't reap similar benefits from releasing open source software. Heck, I bet there are developers who have benefited from releasing rails plugins. IMO, 37s hit home run by (a) building and releasing rails and (b) initially creating products that are targeted at many of the people who use rails (basecamp & campfire are for developers/freelancers). If they built rails and then came out with an app for insurance agents, well ... there obviously wouldn't be the same amount of overlap Instead of articles like this, I'd like to see someone say "here's how to translate Getting Real methodologies" into X industry.