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ResExcellence Special Report:
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| Be sure you've read Part I of our interview with Robert Mathews. |
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Part two of a ResExcellence special:
An Interview with Robert Mathews of Tiger Technologies.
Robert Mathews was hired for his first professional programming job in 1994, and within three years left to start his own software company. A company based on shareware.
No boxes.
No distributors.
No one else to blame if the product doesn't sell.
"Tiger Technologies has been my only source of income for over a year, which is a little frightening. I don't currently have any employees -- I'm everything from programmer to receptionist. But one of the reasons to move into an office is to have the space available to hire employees in the future."
In many cases, especially System Utilities, the internet has allowed shareware authors to compete with the software giants on an equal footing. Many would say the smaller, leaner shareware companies surpass their larger rivals since support and upgrades for shareware often happen in a more timely manner. As a one man shop, how does TigerTech handle bug fixes, updates, and customer email?
"I have a fairly extensive bug/improvement database listing changes that need to be made to all of my programs, and each one has at least 20 small or large changes listed."
"It's pretty rare that someone suggests something to me that I haven't already thought of -- probably 99 out of 100 suggestions are things which have already occurred to me. But if I implemented even 10% of them, the programs would be a mess. For example, common feature requests for Menuette include the ability to navigate menus using the keyboard, the ability to add new menus to the menu bar, the ability to tear off menus, and the ability to move the whole menu bar somewhere else. These are all fine suggestions, but each one is pretty much a program in itself (and there are existing programs to do most of these) -- if I included all of them in one program (and the other hundred like them), the program would be confusing and bloated."
"Around Christmas, I get up to a hundred emails a day for Holiday Lights (which is a pretty crushing amount), but an average day brings about ten inquiries. Most of them are pretty routine questions (and about half of them are clearly answered in the documentation for the programs, which is frustrating) -- I'm creating a FileMaker database that will be available on the Web site for users to be able to search for the answers they need."
Tiger Technologies sells a great range of software: SpeedBeep to rotate the Alert Sound, Menuette to spice up your Menu bar, and my favorite, Window Monkey. Currently, Window Monkey is your only cross-platform offering. What are your feelings on cross platform development, and does it effect which program is your best seller?
"It changes from year to year and month to month; Window Monkey has been the most consistently popular program over the last twelve months, but Holiday Lights for both platforms is more popular in the last three months of the year. Holiday Lights for Windows looks like it will be the biggest selling program of 1998."
"The Windows version of Holiday Lights is selling three times as many copies as the Mac version -- and I've traditionally been very Mac-centered, so it's harder for Windows users to find me. Considering it took about the same amount of time to create as the Mac version, financially it's a big success. I don't plan on writing any more Mac-only software; all programs will be for both platforms."
"I love the Mac dearly, but since that idiot Steve Jobs killed the clone program, I simply don't think it's possible or wise to develop only for the Mac. I'd be surprised to see the Mac exist in five years' time -- I hope I'm wrong."
Many developers are unhappy with the changes Apple has made to its developer program. Recently, Steve Jobs has stated the company needs to pay more attention to the top 100 developers, and at the WWDC, unveiled the OS roadmap leading to OS X. As a shareware developer, how do you feel about Steve Jobs' leadership and Apple's future?
Although Steve Jobs is making decisions that are bad for small developers (because of the shrinking Mac OS market share), it is a plus to see someone dynamic in charge, and it may be better for Apple's profitablity.
However, I'm very disappointed at the announcement of Mac OS X -- it's yet another completely new plan that's a year away. Two years ago, it was Copland that would replace the current Mac OS in a year. Last year, Jobs told us the future was Rhapsody (which was supposed to have shipped to consumers by now). Now, it's Mac OS X. Apple has an extremely poor track record at delivering anything like this; why should I believe Steve Jobs this time? I'd say this is the last straw, but that point was reached for most small developers a year ago.
I hope Robert is wrong! All of us at one time or another have doubted the future of our favorite platform. All I need to cure my blues is a little time on a Wintel machine. Tiger Technologies publishes several excellent Control Panels that make my Mac more enjoyable to use. If you can say the same, please register your shareware so there can be a bright future for more than just 100 Apple developers
ResExcellence sincerely thanks Robert Mathews of Tiger Technologies for taking the time to chat with us.
You can download all the great software Tiger Technologies has to offer, and register them online at their web site. |
