Dear Loren,
Let me state this straight up: I don’t want to sound like one of those creepy fanboys that daily knock at your door asking for a “BETA VERZION PLZZ”. These are just my thoughts, hoping that you won’t be disappointed by my position.
I understand that making a good app requires time. A lot of time. Guess how much time an high-quality app such as Tweetie would require. But the situation is getting a little bit awkward.I’m talking about Tweetie for Mac and the long-awaited 2.0 version which, in your words, was due to be released after Tweetie 2 for iPhone. You said Tweetie for Mac was upcoming back in September. It’s four months ago.
Now, please define “upcoming” Loren, because I don’t get it.
Really, I do understand that you don’t have a 30+ people working team and that you’re an independent developer, but you can’t treat the people who purchased Tweetie for Mac like this. They believed in your product, I still believe in it and I’m sure many other people do, but this is just wrong. Promising an upcoming huge update and then not giving a single hint about it. No news about the development, no replies to the users who daily ask you on Twitter about it – nothing.
I agree with the “don’t promise. just ship” policy, but the problem is you actually promised something months ago and never shipped anything. Not a single blog post about it. To me, it seems like you just don’t care about the situation and prefer to cover this buzz with silence. This is wrong.
And you know why? Because customers want to trust the person they’re paying. It’s not about “I give you money, you give me updates“, it’s about believing that the person you gave part of your money to will care about you and your trust in the future. I strongly believe that an application isn’t just some lines of code thrown up together, it’s so much more. A good application can change a life, I dare to say so. I would have never been able to achieve 10k Twitter followers if it wasn’t for Tweetie. It’s become part of my workflow, so seamlessly integrated that I just can’t imagine how can I work without it now.
But you’re making that fantasy a real thing, Loren. I’m finding myself looking for a new Twitter client for Mac everyday – I still haven’t found a good one. That’s because I still trust you, man. It’s just that I don’t understand this way of acting.
Glad to be proven wrong.
Your truly,
Federico Viticci
#1
That's what Mathias Bynens said 7 months ago:
TL;DR @atebits MOAR INFO PLX
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#2
That's what David Lampe said 7 months ago:
No discussion, it is so right!
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#3
That's what Niels said 7 months ago:
This has to be the best post I’ve read all week on any site. Come on Loren, please release an update on the situation.
You see, I really want to use Tweetie but right now I’m getting forced to look for alternatives. So last week I started looking for other Twitter clients, and I’ve started using Twitterriffic. It’s not nearly as good as Tweetie, but at least I can now see the new style retweets. You’re losing customers Loren, and fast! Do something about it.
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#4
That's what mangochutney said 7 months ago:
I wonder if something bad happened in his life.
Apart from that I agree with you, an update to Tweetie for the Mac is overdue.
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#5
That's what Paul Davis said 7 months ago:
Or… He’s taking his sweet time and it’ll change the world, much like the iPhone app did!
Tweetie 1 for Mac isn’t broken, quit complaining. =]
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redwall_hp Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Paul Davis, Tweetie 1 for Mac is seriously broken. I can’t see 70%+ of retweets, and I can’t create them either. Twitter changed something major, and Tweetie still doesn’t support it.
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#6
That's what Link said 7 months ago:
Agreed. I love Tweetie 2 for iPhone, and am hoping for a new Mac version. I do hope that if something is up in his RL, he’d tell the community that (nothing specific, just a "hey guys, I’ve got some RL issues I need to deal with so I’ll be AFK for a few months" or something.
Loren! We miss you!
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#7
That's what chrismorty said 7 months ago:
True. I been switched to Echofon 3 days ago and never open Tweetie for Mac again! Loren, you see, now people want to support you but you denied. I know you just solo developer but that just an excuses. We at least need a Tweetie 2 for Mac similar to the iPhone version. I don’t think it’s hard to ‘port’ the iPhone to Mac, as hard as till now still no news at all.
Loren, I wish you ‘wake up before it’s too late’! At least start 1 single post at your blog about Tweetie 2 for Mac.
Wish you see this!
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#8
That's what cesarerasini said 7 months ago:
Pienamente d’accordo. Totally agree.
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#9
That's what Jordan said 7 months ago:
Have you tried Socialite? By far the best Twitter client on the Mac.
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mangochutney Reply:
February 3rd, 2010
@Jordan, you’re joking, right? While it might be good, the interface is not as intuitive in my opinion. It is great if you need an all-round application for twitter and RSS.
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#10
That's what Lenny Terenzi said 7 months ago:
Seriously? Sorry but Tweetie is not broken at all. I don’t think he is losing customers at all.
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Will Reply:
February 3rd, 2010
@Lenny Terenzi,
It’s not broken if you’re fine with not using retweets of lists… like in 2009…
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Will Reply:
February 3rd, 2010
@Lenny Terenzi,
It’s not broken if you’re fine with not using retweets or lists… like in 2009…
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Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Lenny Terenzi, Tweetie it’s not broken. It just lacks updates.
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#11
That's what Kevin said 7 months ago:
A bit harsh, but true
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#12
That's what Belinda said 7 months ago:
This reminds me of how Valve Software has been tight-lipped about the development of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 for 2+ years.
And yeah, I don’t even have a Twitter right now, but I agree with you.
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#13
That's what rfore said 7 months ago:
I agree, I love Tweetie and have been waiting for it forever. Loren could at least give us some updates on his Twitter account or make a blog post. Anything!
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rfore Reply:
February 3rd, 2010
@rfore, Also I remember him tweeting that he could not release Tweetie 2 until he got his Magic Mouse because he needed to test it with Tweetie 2. I believe that is the last thing that I heard from him.
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#14
That's what Xavi said 7 months ago:
Very good letter, Federico
I’ve been waiting for updates for a long time, but now I’ve moved to Echofon for Mac and it’s really good.
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#15
That's what Erica S. said 7 months ago:
I love Tweetie.
Wish it could support lists though.
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#16
That's what dorian_grey said 7 months ago:
Don’t quite get it, that there are people like Loren, who know (not to say "live") Web2.0 and still act like this. I experience this behaviour during work when dealing with large companies, which are still not used to this whole social media thing. They are afraid giving away too much information and therefore just remain silent and say nothing. This, however, is the absolutely WORST thing you can do when it comes to customer interaction. I understand, that this is difficult to get used to, especially if you already have a lot of experience in terms of leading a company and you think that remaining silent has worked the last 30 years, wo why shouldn’t it work now and in the near future. I understand this when it comes to older people. But I really don’t get it (and don’t want to tolerate it) that there are young people, digital natives, experienced with web and social media … and then they act like this.
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#17
That's what Mike Rundle said 7 months ago:
This argument is stupid.
You paid for software and you got the software. What’s the problem?
That’s like paying for a meal, then eating it, then you’re hungry again, and expecting more food since you already paid for some food.
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Harry Marks Reply:
February 3rd, 2010
@Mike Rundle, The argument is not stupid. This isn’t just about some minor update – there are 2 key problems with the way the Tweetie 2 unicorn is being handled:
1) This update will/should implement the new features Twitter has incorporated into its site (lists, new retweets, etc…).
2) The man has created what was arguably the best Twitter client on the Mac – a client for a service dedicated to communication and we have not heard a word from him.
I, as well as many others, have asked him several times via Twitter and email for any semblance of news about Tweetie 2 on the Mac and we’ve gotten no responses. I understand people get busy, I understand (now) that he got engaged and moved across the country. Great – but how hard is it, when I’m sure he owns an iPhone, to send a simple tweet stating, "Great news – I’m engaged! Moving across the country soon – Tweetie 2 pushed back for a bit!"
Again, this is not simply about the update and it’s even less about the money. When you build a tool for the ultimate communication service and you can’t be bothered to use it, therein lies the issue.
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DreadedKilla Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Mike Rundle, As much as I agree with the way Loren has dealt with this, I pretty much have to agree with you. You paid, you get your software. Version 2 isn’t out yet. And you’re probably going to have to pay for that as well. So you’re saving money by not buying Tweetie 2.
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Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@DreadedKilla, Or: you get a software that doesn’t support the latest Twitter features. Come on people, we all support Loren here (and that’s the point you don’t get get) but please – let’s be honest.
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DreadedKilla Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Federico Viticci, Well, just be patient, not everything works out as they always do. Look at Façade. Bowtie Beta 3. They were promised, but haven’t come out yet. And {13bold} is going to make an announcement, maybe Loren might too (sooner or later). There will always be room to improve, and maybe he’s trying to catch up with all that’s new with twitter.
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Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@DreadedKilla, There we agree. But at least a tweet saying "don’t worry guys, I’m here" would be really appreciated
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DreadedKilla Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Federico Viticci, Hate to make another argument out of our agreement, but I have a notion that he might be trying to keep a low profile and emerge with great force with Tweetie 2, like a surprise party at your house :S
Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
DreadedKilla, It could be, yeah. But that doesn’t mean a single "Don’t worry people" tweet isn’t necessary.
dorian_grey Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Mike Rundle,
Following your argument customers are never allowed to ask for app updates they already paid for. "Sure, the app may have some bugs and missing features, but you knew that when you bought it and all in all you can use it the way it was intended – so stop complaining!" – is that what you want to tell us?
Creating/selling software can by no means be compared to your restaurant situation:
When going to a new restaurant for the first time I don’t care about what happens aftewards. I hope and expect the food to be good, the service to be friendly and the chairs to be comfortable. If one of these criteria isn’t met I won’t go there anymore – I paid once, I wasn’t satisfied once, they won’t see me again.
When buying software, however, there are two types of criteria: the first ones have to be satisfied immediately, namely design/UI and function. You can compare those obvious ones to the restaurant situation. Beyond that there are criteria with future relevance – so instead of just buying the app for its actual features I already think about the time after the acquisition: Good customer support and constant improvements are definitely two criteria, which are as important for the buying decision as the actual features itself.
Updates are an as natural part of the software game as good food is part of a successful restaurant. I can and I do take both criteria for granted, of course only in their respective area.
If you consider it as unfair, that people make more demands on software than they do on restaurants, this is your right. If you choose not to let yourself be dictated by your customers and therefore not update your software, this is your right. You shouldn’t, however, wonder, if customers start complaining about this behaviour (as they would if they get bad food in a restaurant).
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Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Mike Rundle I’m really sorry Mike that you come here and say this "argument is stupid". Dorian has pretty much summed up my opinions, even on the weird restaurant thing you mentioned, so as far as I’m concerned I do hope you won’t do the same when the new Beak goes out.
Cheers.
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Elwë Telpërien Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Mike Rundle,
I get your argument Mike, I really do, but I think you’re being a bit drastic! As a paying customer, I can’t help but think that Tweetie for Mac is suffering from the same evil that affected Twitterific for Mac. The existence of a free, ad-supported version, which most users chose especially given the quality of the ads, hinders the motivation to develop and update it. Add to that the fact that he’s probably using his latest build and doesn’t feel the need for more yet it’s not ready for shipping, and you get a cocktail that explains what’s going on.
I think Loren is entitled to enjoy his life, but I think that at some point he needs to think that *paying* customers expect support. And if you’re product rests on a third-party service and you’re not keeping up with changes that that third-party implements, you’re hindering your brand/name and, ultimately, your paying customers. I’d pay another $5 to upgrade, even though 1.2.4 has been outdated since July or so, which was just a few months after release.
And please: drop the free version Loren. It kills your motivation to do more work. Make it $5 with ads, $15 without. Plus, I paid for it and keep (and click on) the ads anyway…
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Levi Figueira Reply:
February 4th, 2010
Frederico, please delete this comment and the comment from Elwë!
Thank you
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Levi Figueira Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Mike Rundle,
I get your argument Mike, I really do, but I think you’re being a bit drastic! As a paying customer, I can’t help but think that Tweetie for Mac is suffering from the same evil that affected Twitterific for Mac. The existence of a free, ad-supported version, which most users chose especially given the quality of the ads, hinders the motivation to develop and update it. Add to that the fact that he’s probably using his latest build and doesn’t feel the need for more yet it’s not ready for shipping, and you get a cocktail that explains what’s going on.
I think Loren is entitled to enjoy his life, but I think that at some point he needs to think that *paying* customers expect support. And if you’re product rests on a third-party service and you’re not keeping up with changes that that third-party implements, you’re hindering your brand/name and, ultimately, your paying customers. I’d pay another $5 to upgrade, even though 1.2.4 has been outdated since July or so, which was just a few months after release.
And please: drop the free version Loren. It kills your motivation to do more work. Make it $5 with ads, $15 without. Plus, I paid for it and keep (and click on) the ads anyway…
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#18
That's what Amit said 7 months ago:
As many before me who posted their comments, I switched to Echofon and ‘am happy about it. List was one big feature with nice interface. I get it with Echofon.
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#19
That's what Brad said 7 months ago:
Loren used to communicate a lot on twitter; so noticing his absence seems logical to me. I think many people are reacting to that more than a lack of updates to Tweetie for Mac.
Mike, I expect an analogy that makes more sense from you.
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redwall_hp Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Brad, I’m mainly irritated that there is the lack of native retweet support. I wouldn’t be anywhere near as worried if we got a small patch to bring that into Tweetie. It’s nearly crippling the software.
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#20
That's what Brad said 7 months ago:
@redwall_hp yikes, I didn’t realize basic retweeting wasn’t covered in the current version.
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#21
That's what @racco said 7 months ago:
Echofon has taken Tweeties spot on my Macs now.
I’ve been echofon/twitterfon on iPhone for a long time now & they finally brought their A game to the desktop. Plus good comunication & regular updates.
The Tweetie update would have to be something pretty dam special for
me to move back. If/when it comes.
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#22
That's what Cody Fink said 7 months ago:
@Patrick Mandia,
This isn’t an issue of money (I paid for the app, give me more), but rather one of a broken promise. The point of the article was that you risk losing the trust of your customers when not only fail to communicate what’s happening with your projects, but why they aren’t being updated when you said they would be. Loren is a great guy, no doubt about it, but you gotta stay in touch with the people who support you most.
As for why users continue to use Tweetie, quite frankly other Twitter applications don’t deliver the sheer quality or robust options that Tweetie provides. While it’s still the king of Twitter clients, Twitter continues to add features that makes Tweetie slighted dated. We use it because there is no other alternative that can handle DM’s and Replys so well. I would use Twitteriffic if I could manage these things easily, but I can’t.
I think this is an article should be considered for both concern and praise. I think a lot of us are wondering what Loren is up to in his spare time and why he isn’t (or perhaps he is) working on the people’s choice. This article and the comments show that a lot of people still care for him and his work – we’re really excited to have him as a developer, and we’re wondering what’s happened to him in the meantime, or what surprises he has for us. Yet, we’re somewhat confused (and worried) as to why we haven’t seen any updates for his projects.
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Federico Viticci Reply:
February 4th, 2010
@Cody Fink, You nailed it. Thanks Cody.
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#23
That's what dorian_grey said 7 months ago:
@Patrick Mandia, Again: It is NOT about guarantees but about what is a matter of course in the world of software!
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#24
That's what Gareth said 7 months ago:
I agree with the post, I paid my money too and now have an app that has failed to upgrade recently to support a number of new twitter features, in my case the most important being retweets and lists.
In addition to ignoring tweets it seems the get satisfaction forum has also been closed down, effectively halting any interaction.
That said I guess theres been no updates to Tweetie 1 because he’s working on Tweetie 2, although I wish we currently had the support for the features I mentioned above – I do understand the situation. The real crime here is the lack of communication with his customers regarding future updates.
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#25
That's what gdfgfdfggdf said 7 months ago:
haha twitter, bitching about things related to twitter is hilarious, its such a f-ing inconsequential fad.
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#26
That's what WSz said 7 months ago:
"I’m finding myself looking for a new Twitter client for Mac everyday – I still haven’t found a good one. That’s because I still trust you, man."
Really? Is that why? It’s not that you haven’t found anything better out there? So you’re telling me you stumble on some magical Twitter client and you’re not going to use it because you have faith in Loren? Because you trust him?
Puuulease… let’s call horses horses and cats cats.
Upgrades are just a byproduct of design. If you bought the client because of future iterations, then you’re a horribly misguided individual. There’s no deal between user and developer. There’s no loyalty. You buy the product that does what you want… No contracts. No oaths. It’s the nature of technology. It’s there to help you, not to procure some care bear moment between you and some developer… Wake up dude… get your head out of that rainbow and come back down to earth.
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Rohit Reply:
February 6th, 2010
@WSz,
You misunderstood what Federico said!
To explain in words related to yours; if Federico does come across a magical Twitter client, he will not use it because he trusts that Loren can bring in a client that’s more magical. It’s this trust he’s referring to. And with Tweetie 2 for the iPhone, I am sure many people have that trust in Loren, including me! Even Tweetie for Mac, in it’s current form (agreed, it doesn’t have some basic Twitter features which have now become standards), is still the most visually-appealing and easy-to-use client for Macs. Personal opinions many vary. So, yeah, many people do trust Loren to come up with something that’s better than the rest.
Your argument about updates is so illogical that it doesn’t even deserve a reply. Sorry!
As for Loren; I think he is either going to surprise us by launching Tweetie 2 for Mac one fine day, or, he’s become arrogant and has taken his user-base for granted.
Either way, it would be nice for him to at least keep his eager user-base updated. It’s not his duty, agreed! But, it would be nice. I hope Loren doesn’t want to gain the reputation of David Watanabe. lol!
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WSz Reply:
February 8th, 2010
@Rohit,
"Your argument about updates is so illogical that it doesn’t even deserve a reply. Sorry!"
And yet you just gave one. *rolls eyes* That’s how I know you’re talking out the side of your mouth. It may not be sound, it may not be valid, but damned by Satan if it’s illogical. And if it is, then please do tell me what fallacy I have committed, or which premise is false. Or what actually makes it "illogical" in your eyes. Is it unsound, invalid, a weak argument? What exactly?
The fundamental basis of technology is to serve as a means to an end; nothing more. A shovel digs. Nothing more. People buy shovels to dig, nothing more. If a shovel didn’t dig, or something came a long that dug better, shovels would be obsolete. It fulfils a need, nothing more.
Now if people want to wrap technology with social agreements, that’s all well and dandy, but that is not the basis for their design. Tweetie wasn’t developed to form a bond between Loren and its users. It was developed to access Twitter. It’s a tool, like a shovel.
If that’s an "illogical" argument, then I’ll eat a floppy disk.
And to compare Loren to David is truly insulting. That’s like comparing Ballmer to Hitler. Yes, he’s a tool, but they are nowhere in the same league.
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Rohit Reply:
February 8th, 2010
@WSz,
Buddy, chill out!
Updates is something that has become so common that it’s been taken for granted. Let me give you an example. If what you are saying is correct, then Apple should stop providing updates for 10.4 Tiger coz after all, it has launched two more OS’s after that. But, that’s not the case. It is assumed that updates will come. If your argument is right, then Tweetie should have stayed at version 1.0 and straight-away gone to version 2. But, it’s now at 1.2.4. Now, I haven’t read the fine-print for Tweetie, but if Loren hadn’t updated it from 1.0 onwards, he would not only have lost current, but also prospective customers. Because, no one wants a product that cannot stay up-to-date.
I don’t really read the fine-print that comes with products/softwares. But, I am sure if the developer doesn’t update his/her software to keep up with current trends, he/she could soon be out of business. Now, it’s up to economic issues (investment, return, market etc) to decide whether these are free updates or not.
So, to end with, there may/may not be contracts/oaths (I don’t know coz I don’t read the fine-print), but the customer usually assumes that the developer will support his software (coz that’s the way it is).
Peace.
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dorian_grey Reply:
February 8th, 2010
@WSz,
We had and finished the whole "updates are useless" thing days ago. Conclusion: Updates are absolute standard in today’s software business and taken for granted by customers – if you don’t like it, don’t become a software engineer. Everyone, who claims it’s different is just wrong – sorry.
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