Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wozniak to Judge American Idol-Inspired Mac App Contest

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the idol-wastes-of-time dept.

cmundhe writes "Mac entrepreneur Phill Ryu today launched My Dream App, a new American Idol-inspired online competition where contestants can win the chance to have their killer app idea realized by experienced Mac developers. Over forty industry luminaries, including Apple founder Steve Wozniak, have signed on to My Dream App as guest judges to help contestants hone their ideas."

4 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Outsourcing gone mad or a good idea? by epo001 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm alternating between thinking that this idea is ridiculously stupid, or alternatively, truly inspired.

    I propose an optimisation, let the winner be the one with the best elevator pitch - "It's like excel meets my-space, you arrange your friends into rows and columns ..."

    just like high-concept movie ideas where a one-sentence summary gets turned into a 90-minute film.

  2. Let me clarify by Propaganda13 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Successful implementation of a good idea is incredibly valuable. You don't have to come up with a new idea, you just have to implement it better than others. Do you think the Ipod was the first mp3 player?

  3. Little People Patents by Dareth · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "The ideas that "little people" never had the resources to implement are a resource that can be valuable and is easily tapped."

    Unless they protect them with patents prior to entering them in the contest. Does the winner get a royalty? Ever wonder if the "recording contract" an American Idol wins is better than a regular "slave contract" other artist sign?

    Hopefully just submitting the idea is considering publishing it. Software patents are bad enough without someone else patenting your idea.

    Do you suppose the first caveman who sharpened a stick hired another caveman to club the second guy to sharpen a stick? Lawyer, world's second oldest profession.

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
  4. Non-coders aren't the problem... by stokes · · Score: 4, Interesting
    [1] I'm sorry, but if long experience developing has taught me anything, it's this: If you don't know how to code, and have no experience of coding, you have no idea what you want.
    I disagree. I think people who know how to code can sometimes get tunnel vision; they try to think of an idea but unconsciously return to what they know about coding -- standard UI widgets, common practices, how other applications they've written worked, et cetera. I sometimes get trapped like this myself. Someone who is just a user will describe what they want and not consider that stock widget x can't do what they're describing. The problem isn't people who don't know how to code, but people who don't think things through.