[noxToken]

>Why do software developers believe that if someone gets there first that's it it's done?

It doesn't help that when you come to HN or Reddit releasing something, the comments are quick to point out other competing products in a seemingly snarky way.

"I use X. It has that feature plus these other ones. Why would I switch to yours?" I get the spirit of why someone would say that, but it's really hard to read tone in a forum post.

I don't know, man? Don't?

[mcny]

> "I use X. It has that feature plus these other ones. Why would I switch to yours?" I get the spirit of why someone would say that, but it's really hard to read tone in a forum post.

Maybe I'm naïve but don't see it as snark most of the time. I see those posts as "here is some springboard for you to share the product or your vision and goals.

Sometimes it is genuine snark but I like to believe it is usually curiosity even if it isn't true.

I mean look at Dropbox. The basic idea is so simple. If you've used rsync/robocopy you might think it is ridiculous this product even exists. Doubly so if you're aware of how cloud providers charge so much for network traffic. Even Google Drive unlimited has to cap the amount of data transfer in a day. But there are always ways. For example, I think Dropbox has now limited free users to three syncing devices.

Or gitlab. Like huh? But GitHub exists. And surely git-web or gitea is better suited for a web interface for git? But then gitlab has almost nothing to do with git. As far as I understand, the goal of gitlab has always been to be a complete product.

I bring up these two examples because maybe the comments were snark but the founders seemed to handle it pretty well in both cases (at least publicly). I think their self-confidence shows in the product.

[CathedralBorrow]

> If you've used rsync/robocopy you might think it is ridiculous this product even exists

I mean, only if you also have no understanding of other people having different backgrounds, skillsets and experiences?

[violetgarden]

Yes! Or a terse, “this has already been done,” with a link to the project. Some poor soul just said they spent the last 2 years of their life learning to make their project, and you’re gonna hit them with the “been done” punch?

[xwdv]

I do.

An undercurrent that runs through a lot of Software Developers is that they have to be “clever”. We’re not making shitty toasters, we’re writing products that shake industries and build powerful competitive advantages.

Therefore, if you copy something that already exists, you’re not clever, you’re an imposter, a copycat, shame on you.

It is not enough to be successful, you must be successful and unique, otherwise you might as well go build chairs or something.

[paul_f]

The flaw in thinking that once an app exists there is no point in recreating it, is assuming that everyone who would every use that app is already using it. Obviously that is false. Taken to the extreme, think about how many people are getting their very first mobile phone today?

[ipiz0618]

Almost immediately after getting motivated by the parent comment I see this. Reminds me of the few times I released something to HN and other platforms (using another account) and got frustrated because everyone using the existing products wouldn't switch to mine.

I guess programmers usually avoid pitching. That's why they choose the "easy" path - develop something that's never been done before. But it's actually the hardest thing to do.

[StavrosK]

I used to think that question was snarky, but now I realized it means "what makes your app better/I want to switch but I want to know what I'll gain".