If That’s Vaporware, I’ll Take It
Omnigroup recently gave an update regarding their new GTD application OmniFocus. Though no release date was given, they did release a few details:
“Seriously, that’s about all the news I have. Work continues. We’re pretty slammed right now, resource-wise, with trying to get the final version of OmniPlan out the door, so hopefully once Plan ships we’ll be able to ramp back up on OmniFocus. We do have two full time developers on OmniFocus right now, though, so there is progress basically every day.”
“We want to get a working version of Focus in your hands as soon as possible, something that provides the same basic functionality that Kinkless, Quicksilver and OmniOutliner do in one intuitive app, but this is Omni, and so we’re also trying to curb our desire for OmniFocus 1.0 to include more of the in-depth functionality we really, really want it to have.”
“Just to make everything more confusing there are lots of features in Leopard that would help OmniFocus immensely. If, that is, 10.5 were available, and everyone was using it.”
In a nutshell, it’s not coming out anytime soon, but they are working on it. We also have the beginnings of a feature list (which I’m quite happy with) and an admission that with Leopard coming out soon (but not too soon), they’re in a bit of a quandary.
While reading Daring Fireball I was a little taken aback by John Gruber’s reaction.
“Just a Little Reminder to Let Us Know That OmniFocus Is Still Vaporware: This is why you shouldn’t pre-announce apps.”
I felt the comment was a little unfair, and Omnigroup obviously agreed and responded:
“In its current state, OmniFocus is a little bit crashy, too. Okay, maybe our internal nickname for OmniFocus is Crashy Von CrashaLot, That-Which-Triggers-Kernel-Panic, but hey, that’s why it’s not in beta yet.”
“But it’s not vaporware. It’s just not completed. There’s a difference, and it has to do with being sincere about what we want to offer, and not touting magical features that we have no idea how to build.”
Two thoughts. First, Mr. Gruber isn’t using the correct definition of vaporware. Even the first line from Wikipedia’s definition clashes with his comment:
Vaporware is software or hardware which is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge, either with or without a protracted development cycle.
Not that I believe Mr. Gruber doesn’t understand the definition (he’s stretching it to make a point), but just to get that fact out of the way.
My second thought is this. Thank God for for software companies like Omnigroup. They put out great products, have great support, and even rarer, keep an open dialogue with their customers. In fact, it’s software companies like Omnigroup (and Panic, etc.) that got me to switch to the mac in the first place.
There’s nothing wrong with Omnigroup having an open discussion with it’s customers regarding potential products and their development. They’ve promised no release date, and unless you’re a fan of Omnigroup’s applications you’re probably not even following their blog. No where on the Omnigroup home page do you read anything about Omnifocus. The discussion is obviously meant for customers who want to know details beyond what most companies give.
I am a fan of Omnigroup, and I’m anxious to try Omnifocus. Without the announcement I might still be fighting with Kinkless, or trying to understand how to include Midnight Inbox into my work flow. But with the announcement of Omnifocus, I’ll wait. There’s no guarantee that I’ll love Omnifocus, but I’m willing to take that chance. They’re not forcing me to do this. They’re allowing me to do this. There’s a difference.
Of one thing I’m sure. Omnigroup will keep the dialogue open, allowing the customer an inside glimpse at the development process, listening to questions and taking request into consideration. And for me, that’s much more important than a debate on vaporware.
