Any developer will tell you that no application can remain simple for very long. This is good as further development of the application through ideas and requests means that the application can grow with a receptive audience. The difficult part is determining how.

Some applications suffer this problem more than others. The most dangerous aspect of this for a developer is to introduce something that becomes a problem, and in the worst case, a millstone around their neck. It’s not easy to remove features, even if they are problematic. Likewise, insufficiently implemented features will generate more work in support requests than they took to add in the first place. The key to keeping this manageable is to work within the scope of the application.

My two applications are oceans apart in this respect. Both have grown in ways I could never have imagined, but none more than Feeder. It started as a fairly straightforward RSS reader, but then became involved in the anything-but-simple world of podcasting. Now it’s an RSS editor, an audio / video file tagger and FTP client all wrapped up in one package.

And yet, on the surface, Feeder hasn’t changed much at all. Someone who bought the 1.0 version for creating a standard RSS feed won’t feel like the app has become something different or unsuitable. The features have integrated seamlessly because they are right for the application. There are many requested features that didn’t make the cut, and I’m satisfied that those decisions proved correct over time.

Together’s potential scope is much broader than Feeder’s to the point that I am still implementing features I thought of four years ago. On seeing the app, people have many ideas about what it should do or be. In the two months since Together’s 2.0 release I have done little more than answer emails and during that time have collected over 100 valid feature requests, filtered through what I see as the scope of the application.

Together’s scope is no different to version 1.0 and that is to store, organize, preview and search files as elegantly and efficiently as possible. In time, the scope might expand without detracting from the fundamental nature of the application, but for now, with strong demand for features that will likely take years to fully realise, there is far too much to be done. Of course, these features cannot be added all at once. People expect regular updates, so each release will prioritise the most needed requests.

Interest in Together has been so great as to be overwhelming. Even with all the work put into the 2.0 version, the potential for the application is huge and some people will be happier with its progress than others. Thankfully, there are lots of options out there, so there should be something for everyone. Obviously, I can’t keep sprinting on the support treadmill, so I’ve set up the forums and placed much more emphasis on the FAQs to try and bring the situation back under control.

As I mentioned when I announced the application, version 2.0 sets the platform from which the app will grow over the next few years. Some things are going to take time, but the future for Together looks very promising, not least thanks to everyone who has supported and contributed to Together and KIT so far. The 2.x series is shaping up to be very exciting indeed.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 10:59 pm by Steve Harris and is filed under Feeder, Software Development, Together. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.