Apple has always made their own markets. This is no different.
Was there a market for computers with colorfully designed exteriors before the iMac?
Was there a market for hard drive mp3 players before the iPod?
Heck, people argued for the longest time that hardware and software should be two separate companies...
The iPhone is merging many markets: iPod, PDA, cell phone, gps and laptop. Same price as a blackberry, better call functionality than most phones, wireless internet with google maps (arguably better than most gps systems), a full browser on top of a full OS, and what looks to be a useable and very dynamic input system. Plus because of the full OS I can confidently guarantee games somewhat similar to hand helm gaming devices. It also fits nicely in the price range of people who already have a desktop and would like a laptop but can't justify a grand on something they would only use in class or while traveling. I could probably justify the iPhone price on any two of those markets listed...
The starting point is always the hardest. I currently lead a team that's been programing WoW addons since beta (over two years). I see new communities pop up all the time; some thrive and some don't. The most common communities tend to stem from 2 or 3 people collaborating together who are on fire about what they're doing and being very prolific. People gather around them initially to use their software or service. Eventually more people offer to contribute, whether they're asked to or not. Often times if you ask for help you get people that want to be taught, but the people that stick around are the ones that know how to learn. For a community to really take off you need a few people who know what they're talking about and a general population that knows how to ask effective questions.
The way our community has come together has been simultaneous through chat rooms and forums. Some people aren't comfortable of forums and prefer to say everything they want to say without being interrupted. Others want to immediately know they are being understood. IRC allows for quick spurts in productivity, especially when you get 5-10 people all engaging in a conversation or utilizing pastebin (or some equivalent) to optimize a piece of code. However IRC is prone to long down times (during which they need to be monitored to make sure SOMEONE is answering questions). The forums, on the other hand, are great for announcements, prolonged discussions and putting information in a place where many people can see and contribute. Just as the key to IRC is asking the right questions, the key to forums is being able to search effectively. Often times it's good to have moderators who siphon through the information and highlight (or vote in slashdot's case) pertinent information to be easily accessible to someone not familiar with the structure.
As for code: SVN + a web based counterpart. A web interface makes it more accessible and individual SVN clients makes it more convenient for frequent contributers.
For startup you will need to secure one or two big projects with devoted people. These people also have to be willing to mentor newcomers who demonstrate competency. One person can mentor only 1-3 people effectively at a time. The mentorship process is vital to a growing community, but it's not especially fast. Six months to a year is generally how long a young newcomer takes to progress from newbie to a competent contributer. Some are faster and some are slower. People should be working on their own projects or sub projects in under a year.
Once the site demonstrates competency and community people will be drawn to it. But it should always be changing and improving. As the community grows its host must grow too to accommodate them and adapt to their needs. In the case of a commercial endeavor you should definitely be adapting proactively, adding features BEFORE they are needed.
I'm still waiting for a web based utility for real time code editing: As I type it changes on their screen and highlights distinctively what each person has edited that I can run next to IRC (or with an integrated chat room). Maybe have a 'commit' button for integrated svn revisioning. It would also be nice to have web based side by side revision differences similar to http://wdn.wowinterface.com/ only on-demand from the SVN. Tools are fun! But people make the community.
Slashdot Mirror
I love svn, but I would REALLY love it if it had svn:internals that allowed for linking within the same repository.
I currently do it with svn:externals for internal revision stopped links, but when you update it reconencts for each external... slow as hell.
Apple has always made their own markets. This is no different.
Was there a market for computers with colorfully designed exteriors before the iMac?
Was there a market for hard drive mp3 players before the iPod?
Heck, people argued for the longest time that hardware and software should be two separate companies...
The iPhone is merging many markets: iPod, PDA, cell phone, gps and laptop. Same price as a blackberry, better call functionality than most phones, wireless internet with google maps (arguably better than most gps systems), a full browser on top of a full OS, and what looks to be a useable and very dynamic input system. Plus because of the full OS I can confidently guarantee games somewhat similar to hand helm gaming devices. It also fits nicely in the price range of people who already have a desktop and would like a laptop but can't justify a grand on something they would only use in class or while traveling. I could probably justify the iPhone price on any two of those markets listed...
The starting point is always the hardest. I currently lead a team that's been programing WoW addons since beta (over two years). I see new communities pop up all the time; some thrive and some don't. The most common communities tend to stem from 2 or 3 people collaborating together who are on fire about what they're doing and being very prolific. People gather around them initially to use their software or service. Eventually more people offer to contribute, whether they're asked to or not. Often times if you ask for help you get people that want to be taught, but the people that stick around are the ones that know how to learn. For a community to really take off you need a few people who know what they're talking about and a general population that knows how to ask effective questions.
The way our community has come together has been simultaneous through chat rooms and forums. Some people aren't comfortable of forums and prefer to say everything they want to say without being interrupted. Others want to immediately know they are being understood. IRC allows for quick spurts in productivity, especially when you get 5-10 people all engaging in a conversation or utilizing pastebin (or some equivalent) to optimize a piece of code. However IRC is prone to long down times (during which they need to be monitored to make sure SOMEONE is answering questions). The forums, on the other hand, are great for announcements, prolonged discussions and putting information in a place where many people can see and contribute. Just as the key to IRC is asking the right questions, the key to forums is being able to search effectively. Often times it's good to have moderators who siphon through the information and highlight (or vote in slashdot's case) pertinent information to be easily accessible to someone not familiar with the structure.
As for code: SVN + a web based counterpart. A web interface makes it more accessible and individual SVN clients makes it more convenient for frequent contributers.
For startup you will need to secure one or two big projects with devoted people. These people also have to be willing to mentor newcomers who demonstrate competency. One person can mentor only 1-3 people effectively at a time. The mentorship process is vital to a growing community, but it's not especially fast. Six months to a year is generally how long a young newcomer takes to progress from newbie to a competent contributer. Some are faster and some are slower. People should be working on their own projects or sub projects in under a year.
Once the site demonstrates competency and community people will be drawn to it. But it should always be changing and improving. As the community grows its host must grow too to accommodate them and adapt to their needs. In the case of a commercial endeavor you should definitely be adapting proactively, adding features BEFORE they are needed.
I'm still waiting for a web based utility for real time code editing: As I type it changes on their screen and highlights distinctively what each person has edited that I can run next to IRC (or with an integrated chat room). Maybe have a 'commit' button for integrated svn revisioning. It would also be nice to have web based side by side revision differences similar to http://wdn.wowinterface.com/ only on-demand from the SVN. Tools are fun! But people make the community.