My Dream App

Created the Ground Control finalist entry for My Dream App.

Before I signed up for MDA I was always more of a lurker-type in forum boards. I can count on one hand how many forums I’m actually a registered member of. I never really frequented them on such a regular basis as to need to set up an account to get involved in the community–basically, I was a human scraper–I got what I needed, and then I was gone. After spending two-plus months submerged in the MDA forums, I have a new appreciation for what Hijack would bring to the table. At first, I recognized Hijack as a good idea and saw its appeal to a certain segment, but now I need it. Yeah, this does have a limited appeal, but for those who fall into that category of need–the appeal is irresistible and if it works past the demo cycle, it’s worth laying down some hard-earned cash.

As for feasibility issues, I’m with Kevin on this in that I have to believe Jason Harris when he says it’s feasible. If it wins, it’s on his shoulders to make it work–you’ll have to blame Jason and not Kevin (no pressure Jason). I’m not going to tell him it’s impossible and you’re not going to be able to maintain it, blah, blah, etc., etc. Let them rise to the challenge–the challenge is there. This is a true Dream App and needs to be developed. And plus, I’m pretty sure Kevin said he’s gonna buy a case of beer for whoever votes for Hijack! Count me in! ;)

Farzad has probably done the most work of all the contestants to really flesh out a difficult concept for voters to get their heads around. The fact that Portal has come this far with as strong of support as it has attests to that fact. I do understand the limited appeal to those who only have one Mac and that is a liability as far as getting more solid support behind the idea. However, I don’t think that anyone has poked a serious hole in Portal’s overall usefulness, dare I say, necessity, to those that do have more than one Mac and need this type of syncing power. I believe Portal definitely qualifies for Dream App status, but I also understand it’s lack of appeal to those that just don’t need it. You either do or you don’t. Simply put, I can probably live without Portal, because currently, I am personally not in need. But I have worked in environments in the recent past and will probably do so in the future where I will definitely have need for this app. Therefore, I know there is a market out there and one that would see value worth parting with money.

In addition to doing a great job on a “hard to sell” concept, Farzad has been a tremendous asset to the MDA forums overall and I feel would be a good, contributing member of the development team taking Portal to fruition. As a caveat, like Ground Control, Portal is addressing a need that should have been addressed by Apple and as such, will probably be in constant jeopardy of Apple waking up to that fact and rolling the functionality into OS X 10.x. But, unless it is done, Apple won’t feel any pressure to fill the need and users will continue to suffer. While it’s always a chance, I say it’s worth taking. I have to admit that I’m close to the fence here because of the limited appeal, but I do fall on the Portal side.

I have to be honest, I have tried to get into Atmosphere but I just have not caught the bug. A lot of people have waxed nostalgic about the “Bad Dog” days of After Dark. Well, there are reasons why screen savers aren’t so big anymore–they’re old. I realize Atmosphere brings a new, interactive twist with a subject that is always of interest to people (who can’t talk about politics or religion), but I just don’t think it meets the qualifications of a Dream App. It is nifty, no doubt. I would probably download if it were freeware, but I couldn’t see spending a dime of hard-earned money on it. I’m sure there are some who would, as evidenced by the staggering comeback it exhibited last week (sniff), but I am of the opinion that Atmosphere benefitted mainly by being a good optional choice among MDA faithful and a controversial favorite of those that came to MDA via the digg posts. Not to bash, but I would encourage anyone who came in the last two rounds just to vote for Atmosphere, to take a serious look at the other apps and then cast your votes.

As a voter, I would also be concerned that it seems to be in the process of being taken over by dexmachina and neglected by Cameron. Personally, I have been rather turned off by Cameron’s brazen self-promotion, the rather condescending posts of dexmachina, and extremely rude comments from its newfound fan base and while that shouldn’t disqualify a good idea, to me, if I were a developer, it would be indicative of things to come. Which also begs the question: who will the developers be working with should Atmosphere make it–Cameron, dexmachina, or…? Shades of Desktop Wars folly.

My thought is there is enough interest that this would probably get developed by another developer even if it doesn’t make it here. As far as I’m concerned, Atmosphere might deserve its day in the sun (pun intended) but not as an MDA app.

Ah, Cookbook. The punching bag app! Michael has taken every blow thrown his way with patience, graciousness and style and keeps on coming back for more. If for no other reason, Michael deserves a gold medal for Grace Under Pressure. Fortunately for Michael, there are plenty more reasons to like Cookbook than that. Granted, of all the contestants, Michael had an initial head-start advantage in that he had already developed this concept and had produced some pretty tight mocks before the contest was even announced (cheater)–so he was able to hit the ground running and establish Cookbook as an early favorite even before the initial 24 were chosen. Not one to rest on his laurels though, Michael has been in non-stop high-gear refining, tweaking, responding, and defending his idea to the point that the only question is, when does it ship? To the critics who claim that it’s been done before ad infinitum, ad nauseum, that doesn’t mean it has been done right. I know the phrase “…done right” is way overused, but it is what this genre has needed and if there was ever a development team assembled to pull it off, it’s this one. Just like the iPod wasn’t the first MP3 player and iTunes wasn’t the first online music store, they have succeeded where others have miserably failed because they were “done right.” Cookbook has that potential and I think qualifies for that Dream App status.

Sure, Cookbook has limited appeal to those that like to cook and follow recipes and be organized. But I have to think it’s a big enough market (one that nicely overlays the Mac-buying demographic and has money) to justify the need. A Dream App qualification is not necessarily homogenized, mass-market appeal. In Cookbook’s case, I think it can define a market as the de facto measure of the crème de la crème of cooking apps. My vote is for Cookbook.

Blossom grew on me and then died. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a fake plant had limited powers of motivation. It’s one of those things that everyone realizes that it is a good idea to do (motivate to be more productive), but in practice, I think this solution would contradict with human nature as to render it more of a bane than a blessing. Basically, it boils down to being a representation of your conscience. A botanic Jiminy Cricket if you will. Most people are either already sensitive to the dictates of their conscience or are vigorously trying to repress it. Those that are sensitive, usually have better motivators than a few thousand lines of code. Those that are on the repressive side, well, let’s just say that I doubt a tomagotchi bonsai will change that tendency. Anybody over the age of 13 that develops emotional attachments to a digital shrub needs more help than software can provide. I think it would be initially popular as a curiosity download, and maybe I’m wrong here, but I just cannot see people wanting to pay money for this.

Conscience issues aside, I have been impressed with all of the graphics and logo and preference panels, etc. It’s obvious that Dan has put a lot of thought and time into this. But I have yet to see an actual plant that I would want on my desktop. I’m sorry, the plants so far are lame. Now maybe that could be addressed in development, but I would have really liked to have seen something that dropped my jaw more than has been shown so far. Hopefully, Dan will be posting more stuff this week, but as of this writing, I am not impressed.

Blossom is an idea, like Atmosphere, that has genuine appeal and I would venture to say that there is a market out there. But I have a hard time seeing people paying to have a dead plant nagging their conscience. For any type of revenue, I still maintain that this should be a site-licensed, network-installed, employee motivator. It might be a Dream App, but it’s still sleeping.

This is a tough one. I have liked Whistler from the beginning. But I’m starting to see some cracks and fissures in the execution of the concept and at a time when it really should be coalescing into a clear, developed idea. Unless Richard is able to really refine his vision for this app, I think it is losing focus. It seems to have had its initial appeal in that it’s primary target was someone who couldn’t carry a tune, but still had one stuck in their head dying to get out. There has been an increasing tendency to include more “Pro” features which I’m sure comes from Richard’s more professional background and I can see the temptation to do so. However, I also agree that for Whistler to really succeed, it doesn’t need the “Pro” features. The pros are already going to have their Logic and various other tools to play with.

IMO, Whistler should be strictly a gateway drug into the world of music composition. It can be a learning tool to help train your ear when you’re singing, but it needs to be easy as pie and slick as spit. Whistler definitely qualifies for Dream App status and the heart of the concept is there, but at this point, I’m not sure if it is ready for prime time. I’m on the fence on this one and I’m leaning on the wrong side.