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Why do developers learn to code by developing todo lists, yet all the todo lists that are available still suck?

I understand that: - coding a todo list is an easy way to learn how to code. - there are an infinite number of ways of building todo lists. - there has never been a todo list that become the defacto standard industry leader.

But when I get questions from investors on this topic (usually by asking "Why hasn't anyone solved this before?"), I'd like to have a good answer ready that's not obvious.

What should my answer be?

Thanks.

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I can't recall meeting any developer who learned by making a todo list. As for the answer to your question... not sure, most people would use Outlook or post-it notes – James Nov 28 '12 at 0:25
Who stole Hello World? – Monster Truck Nov 28 '12 at 0:39
I don't think I've ever met a programmer who has written a todo list. Maybe it's a cultural or regional (or generational sigh) thing. – Bryan Oakley Nov 28 '12 at 0:53
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Going by the OP's logic, it's because they were all written by amateurs. – Hand-E-Food Nov 28 '12 at 1:23

closed as not constructive by Jim G., Walter, Thomas Owens♦ Nov 28 '12 at 1:25

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3 Answers

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I don't remember programming todo lists though there is something to be said for the first stuff built not being the best built stuff.

Think of the first dishes one learns to cook. Kraft dinner, hot dogs and other stuff that I'm not sure people would claim this as high quality food, yet this is commonly what university students will eat and get used to having. Why aren't these cooked at 5 star restaurants as the ultimate dish if it is so well known how to make it? While this isn't a perfect metaphor, it may get some people to think about what is common isn't necessarily great and what's great usually isn't that common.

Where's the quick big bucks to be had in building such an application? I'm not sure there are that many investors ready to spend millions building the app that can easily be replaced by pen and paper. This is where I can question what is the financial incentive and technical challenge of building such an application.

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A todo list is not just a list of items of work, it also implies a model of how you manage those lists. The model of how to manage lists of work items is highly subject to personal preference. That's why in my mind some will find their perfect todo app, others will not.

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There's probably a few different reasons.

First: because every person has a different view of what a To-Do list should be. Given a piece of paper and a pen, any person will handle their todo's quite different from the next

Second: a to-do list application as a learning exercise will be that, an exercise. And if the goal is to learn to code then the main focus will be on coding, and probably not on user interface design or usability studies. The app's behavior will be lead by the needs of the data structures (array of items, bool for completed or not, date for the due date) and not by the way a person is expected/wants to use such app.

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