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Words of Wisdom on Designing Usable APIs

May 21, 2003

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"designing tools for programmers, including languages, APIs, and compilers, is a human factors problem"

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Open Source Reality Check

Open Source Reality Check : "Want to be a hit at the next Linux-related conference? It's easy. Any time anything goes wrong, blame Microsoft. Everyone within earshot will be in hysterics -- every single time. For instance, if you see someone's computer crash, shout, 'Hey, is that a Windows machine?' If someone trips while walking, say, 'Are those sneakers running on NT?'" Jay Greenspan calls for the open source community to stop dismissing Microsoft and focus on what it can learn from them -- specifically, open source must deliver better developer tools to compete with VisualStudio and the pull to Windows. Speaking of which, Boland's Kylix looks intriguing: The Kylix programming model is identical to Visual Basic's event-driven visual programming model. As a result, Visual Basic programmers will instantly become as productive on Linux as they are on Windows. No other Linux development tool combines the development tools VB developers have beco...

Ten Rules for Web Startups

#1: Be Narrow Focus on the smallest possible problem you could solve that would potentially be useful. Most companies start out trying to do too many things, which makes life difficult and turns you into a me-too. Focusing on a small niche has so many advantages: With much less work, you can be the best at what you do. Small things, like a microscopic world, almost always turn out to be bigger than you think when you zoom in. You can much more easily position and market yourself when more focused. And when it comes to partnering, or being acquired, there's less chance for conflict. This is all so logical and, yet, there's a resistance to focusing. I think it comes from a fear of being trivial. Just remember: If you get to be #1 in your category, but your category is too small, then you can broaden your scope—and you can do so with leverage . #2: Be Different Ideas are in the air. There are lots of people thinking about—and probably working on—the same thing you are. And o...

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