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2

I've done some application out there, coding is not the problem. But when it comes to deploying / communicating / sharing with buds and friends, I'm like stuck. I feel I'm gonna be humiliated because there are bugs, people will not use it ...

I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation. I can't describe it well but ... Here's an example.

You made a todo list manager web application, you use it for some time now. You think it's nice, it does the work - for you. But you just don't got the strenght to email your friend or your work buddies, because they will look at you differently, like "he's the guy with ambition that did a not so good application" ...

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Thanks for all the answers... It helped me, but I'm not there yet. Obviously there's not "right" answer.. I thaught the article pointed out by Doc was the a great answer, so I'll mark it. Thanks all ! – Marcel Falliere Mar 22 '11 at 23:24

migrated from stackoverflow.com Mar 22 '11 at 22:07

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Making a software just for your own is a little bit different from making software for others. Read Joel Spolsky's great article

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/DevelopmentAbstraction.html

and perhaps you find a better understanding why this is as it is.

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great artcile Doc! It describes well the work of a scrum master. It makes me thing that I should start considering users of my app as testers, designers ... because feedback is a way of saying : "this doesn't work for me. take a look at it". But it's not a 100% scrum master because he brings problem, not solution you have, as a developer, to just code. – Marcel Falliere Mar 22 '11 at 22:33
@Marcel as long as the bugs don't completely ruin the experience, and most people won't notice them, you've got it exactly right. Your users are the best testers you will ever have. – Trezoid Mar 22 '11 at 22:47
up vote 9 down vote

I'm sure there's some better quote somewhere but

If you're afraid to fail you'll never succeed

All software has bugs ... period. If you ship you will ship bugs and yeah maybe you'll get a a few negative reviews here and there. But so long as you act on the bugs customers find and have a reasonable ship cadence customers will forgive mistakes.

Also if you don't ship you won't find half the bugs that are actually there.

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additionally, anyone has programmed something complex knows there are going to be bugs and was in your shoes at some point. Bugs (within reason) won't make others think less of you. – mattimus Mar 22 '11 at 22:42
up vote 2 down vote

You've hit the nail on the head. There are so many alternatives to software that people can afford to be picky. Don't take it personally if they go for a big brand-name.

One of the things you can do is try to test more, ask your friends to help test, or simply acquire feedback.

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up vote 2 down vote

Feedback from your friends can make your software only better because they can give you their view on your application so that you can improve it. If you fear criticism:

Do not seek praise, seek criticism. To improve, you need it. - Anon

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. - Elbert Hubbard

Statue has never been set up in honor of a critic. - Jean Sibelius

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