Very interesting, I'll definitiely look into more of these podcasts, but I don't agree with Rob on one thing - that downloadable desktop software is going away. Sure, web apps are easier to deliver and support, and there are many cases where it's a completely sufficient solution, but there are also cases where it just won't work. Filesystem access, OS integration, performance, reliability and a lot of other, smaller things makes writing a complex software really hard using web technologies, especially from the user experience perspective. The biggest issue in my opinion however is that web apps relies completely on internet connection, both to work with and to access your data. Nowadays the network infrastructure is rather stable, but it surely isn't as reliable as having the software and data locally (and making backups of course). We already have a lot of web based IDEs, graphic editors, office suites and so on, yet I don't know a single person who uses them for serious stuff.
Dropbox and friends are making downloadable software more attractive as people discover they can unbundle the data store from the UI, ie the UI can be on the desktop even if the true data source is in the cloud. An attractive model for dealing with network issues without the developer having to worry much about it.
This makes sense. I want to be able to use software and my corresponding data/content no matter which device of mine I have handy. To a lesser extent to be able to use software on someone else's device.
>>I don't agree with Rob on one thing - that downloadable desktop software is going away
You're right, "going away" is a strong way to put it, but in the context of "I want to build an app that has a viable market," unless you really know what you are doing, stick to web or mobile.
Desktop apps are, with a few exceptions that you listed, "going away" as a viable market for bootstrapped entrepreneurs. When in doubt, go web or mobile.
Re: internet connectivity: At this point I am never without an internet connection when I want one, and looking ahead just a few years, the world will be blanketed with it much like you can now access AC power in the vast majority of places you can go. So thinking ahead just a couple years you can imagine how this will continue the trend of apps moving away from the desktop.
I don't know. Mobile tends to be pretty hit driven - more than desktop. I'd say one should primary go web then desktop. Mobile is nice as an addon to your existing products but making a mobile product on its own is really hard and has a lot to do with luck.
Agreed - desktop apps are going away for the vast majority of people. Non technical people don't like or understand how to install software (or are afraid to do so because of viruses). Eight out of 10 times, I prefer web based software. Now that we're all connected 99.6% of the time, web based software is feasible. I actually relish those rare moments without a connection.
If you listen to the conversation 35 mins (I've done so 3x times), it's very insightful.
This is the kind of stuff that a growth hacker really gets. The way I see it, in the B2B market, outside of Hubspot, very few companies are doing this as a solid lead generation and lead conversion strategy.
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[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 36.5 ms ] threadYou're right, "going away" is a strong way to put it, but in the context of "I want to build an app that has a viable market," unless you really know what you are doing, stick to web or mobile.
Desktop apps are, with a few exceptions that you listed, "going away" as a viable market for bootstrapped entrepreneurs. When in doubt, go web or mobile.
Re: internet connectivity: At this point I am never without an internet connection when I want one, and looking ahead just a few years, the world will be blanketed with it much like you can now access AC power in the vast majority of places you can go. So thinking ahead just a couple years you can imagine how this will continue the trend of apps moving away from the desktop.
I don't know. Mobile tends to be pretty hit driven - more than desktop. I'd say one should primary go web then desktop. Mobile is nice as an addon to your existing products but making a mobile product on its own is really hard and has a lot to do with luck.
This is the kind of stuff that a growth hacker really gets. The way I see it, in the B2B market, outside of Hubspot, very few companies are doing this as a solid lead generation and lead conversion strategy.