In which I offer a differing opinion on the visual design comp phase from that of 37signals.
Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending each flight by one to three minutes.
Wow, insane. And awesome. Visit site »
While I’m not sure I agree with David’s assertion that being in the Bay Area can actually hurt your chances at being a successful web startup, I absolutely agree with the idea that there’s no need to be there — you can build a great web app just about anywhere. Visit site »
For anyone who still thinks it’s not possible to create beautiful typesettings using HTML and CSS. Well done, Coudal! Visit site »
Wired’s story on 37signals is a good read — fair, balanced, and interesting. There are a few factual inaccuracies and a few odd comments (like “they would rather fail than adapt,” in the last paragraph), but overall it’s quite well-done. Visit site »
A great post from Matt over at 37signals about how to get publicity. I’ve had a few people write me asking how they can get their blog “out there” — I’d think all of these tips apply equally well to individual bloggers as they do to companies like 37. Visit site »
If you ignore the tired “getting real” brand masturbation, there are some really good thoughts in here.
In fact, that could be said about pretty much every post on SVN. Visit site »
Couldn’t agree more with 37signals on this one: the Yahoo! Photos shutdown has been extremely well-handled. Well done, Yahoo! Visit site »
Jason talks about structure, competing with free stuff, getting people to pay, and more. Probably nothing new here, if you read SvN, but it’s still great stuff. I’ve had my share of negative things to say about the guy’s smug attitude at various times, but lately I’ve felt like he’s been much more down to earth and not so full of himself. And, he’s always had the good to back up the ego. Check it out. Visit site »
Awesome. Visit site »
I’m really impressed by 37signals response to their customer’s feedback about the pricing structure and limitations of the launch version of Highrise. Visit site »
The latest app from 37signals looks like another beauty. You can get a limited free account, but it seems like you have to pay $50/mo. for the cases feature, which seems like the most killer part of the deal. Nonetheless, $50/mo is a small price to pay for someone who really needs this kind of app (and there are lots of those people). All in all, looks great — which is no surprise, judging by the quality of the other 37signals apps. Check it out. Visit site »
Although it’s not exactly what Jason is saying in his post, I think the spoon/jackhammer comparison applies even more directly to agile web app framework versus monolithic Java environment discussion. Rails is their spoon. And if Rails is a spoon, Django is a spork. :) Visit site »
SvN looks at various graphics for election night. Visit site »
I read the PDF version of the 37signals book quite a while ago and really liked it. I don’t believe all of their methods will work for everyone, but at lot of them will work for a lot of people, and that makes it worth your read. Visit site »
Nice short profile of 37signals (specifically, Jason and David) and their use of Macs at 37signals. Even if their attitudes and personalities seem a bit over the top at times, there is a lot to like about 37signals’ philosophies and processes. I hve a great deal of respect for these guys. Visit site »
37s asked 500 of its Basecamp customers “What is Web 2.0?” The results are perhaps the strongest evidence yet that “Web 2.0” is a completely meaningless term. There are some damn funny answers in there, though. My favorite? “It means rounded corners, gradients, DHH, 37s, beta, and no clear revenue plan.” Visit site »
The long-awaited Backpack calendar is available — and it’s quite nice. 37signals did their usual bang-up job with it. I’m dissapointed, though, that it doesn’t support iCalendar’s to-do lists (it only handles events). This is not limited to Backpack calendar — gCal and several other web-based calendar apps that claim to support iCalendar also ignore tasks. Why is that? Visit site »
Another great chat transcript at SvN, this time with three longtime professional designers. Well worth reading. As a sidenote, it’s great to see 37signals posting things to SvN again that aren’t stories about how great they are. Visit site »
A nice idea from the guys at 37s, Khoi and Veen joined them in a Campfire room for a informal chat. Haven’t read it fully yet, but I’d listen to Khoi Vinh read the phonebook, so you can bet I will. Visit site »