constant beta software

Note: This is an old post that still seems relevant. It’s also a better fit for this blog, so I’m reposting it here. As I started reinventing the wheel in Clojure (writing a few libraries for backend web development), I actively became aware that I should think about the philosophy...

Note: This is an old post that still seems relevant. It’s also a better fit for this blog, so I’m reposting it here. This was going to be a rant about how the new buzzword was already being misused around blogs for ideas that won’t advance humanity in any significant...

Note: Back in 2012 I was working in the email space, trying to improve the modern-day-worker’s life (this was before pg’s Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas came out and everyone started talking about email, mind you). Unfortunately we did not succeed (otherwise this blog would be a lot more popular). Then...

Note: This is an old post that still seems relevant. It’s also a better fit for this blog, so I’m reposting it here. Ah.. Steam. One of those late bloomers. I recall when Steam was released in 2003 by Valve, forcing every single Counter-Strike player into it. Yells of revolt...

Note: I’ve written before about The Process. My mind came into this again, and while there are some nuances in this post, there’s also some overlap. The Process One common theme around companies that have achieved some level of “success” is the attachment to the way of doing things, The...

You’ve seen it before: tech company goes public, the crowd goes wild and everyone’s wondering about its future. But this one might be more intriguing than the previous stories. Hopefully it won’t vanish as fast as its messages. Ghostface Chillah You know about Snapchat - the social-network-slash-disappearing-messages-slash-media-posts mobile app that...

Here’s a cheer to a great product: Google Keep. Google sometimes reminds us they can actually build good products and Keep is one of those reminders. Launched in 2013, Keep is a simple note taking/organizing app. It is an alternative to Evernote, Microsoft’s OneNote and what Dropbox Paper would’ve liked...

Matt Berninger, from The National (and El Vy) will give you the absolute best advice on startups. What? Really? Yeah. Don’t know who The National are? That’s ok, Wikipedia can help you. The National have had a very interesting path. They have become successful and their (overnight success - not!)...

AKA when previously agile and innovative startups become slow and fossilizied companies that stop releasing new things. You know how the successful “Valley” story goes: new consumer startup is red hot, attracts millions of users (and funding dollars), releases new features every month that get covered by Techcrunch, and it...

I initially started writing this post 3 years ago. But then I stuck it in the burner. Now it seems like a good time to bake it. Lets git it going, shall we? For those who don’t know about GitHub, it is the best place to share code with friends,...

Here’s an interesting take at what being a Product Manager at Google means. I realized this weekend that it's my fault that @Google shut down Google Reader. /1— Nick Baum (@nickbaum) September 12, 2016 I was the PM from 06-07. We launched a major redesign that significantly changed our growth...

Dear Pocket, I love you, but you’re bringing me down making me sad. I feel like the direction you’re taking the Product will eventually lead you off a cliff. And you can’t fly. And no, you won’t be able to assemble some wings on the way down. And then I’ll...

Mark Suster on Building Teams at Early Stage Startups: In my personal opinion, the most underrated skill at a startup is Product Management. View the whole snapstorm here - he talks about PM at ~5:55 (-4:30). 1 Mark doesn’t go into a detailed explanation but gives a general overview at...

If you really want to get better at something, it’s hard to do that without feedback. 1 User feedback provides companies knowledge about how their products are being used, what needs to be improved and what’s lacking. It is, perhaps, the most important resource for guiding your product development. 2...

A recommended reading to get a little understanding of how things operate on the other side of the World. “More Chinese Mobile UI Trends” 1 and “Chinese Mobile App UI Trends” (December 2014) Quick Summary: user ranks (i.e. gamification) chaotic overlays (if you thought Snapchat was confusing then you’re in...

You should watch this 50min video of Jeff Bezos talking about the importance of setting up a culture of experimentation inside Amazon. I believe it maps directly into Product innovation and how you should be operating your company. Here are the Key Takeaways: Experiment! (13:26) Bezos tells you how important...

How did writing about Feature Parity Between Your Apps is a Bad Idea turn into this? The scenario You have multiple versions of an app for the different platforms (e.g. web, android, ios) and new features are held back from release until they are implemented in all of them. There...

Sorry, too busy working for one of the big corps. Yes, I caved in and joined the Dark Side :( Don’t worry, it won’t last! Plus, I’ll have a ton of stories to write about!

Welcome to constant beta software, a blog where I write about technology, startups, and their products. I intend to dissect companies and products, guess how they got where they are and where they can go. I view this as an exercise to improve my own product management and building skills...