I’ve talked here before about AOL cranking out new versions (my 4th blog entry here, in fact) for seemingly the only significant reason being marketing and I am somewhat disappointed by a current favorite tool flirting with a similar path. Here’s what I posted at the Stumbleupon Features Forum this morning:

I like Stumbleupon, really I do. I know that sometimes I’m critical of some of its features and functionality (especially these messageboards): http://features.group.stumbleupon.com/forum/778/ but overall I still like SU. However, I liked Word at one time too, but then stopped using it because Microsoft ultimately turned it into space intensive bloatware. They kept adding and adding and adding so much stuff that at some point the additions became subtractions. Now after over 4 months of every day SU usage here’s my comments and concerns (and forgive me if others have already voiced these concerns elsewhere): -

SU is in danger of becoming bloatware by:
- too many (unused) features and functions
- too many uses of the (developer) wrench where none was needed
- constant tweaking of existing features seemingly (to the end user) for the sake of tweaking

SOLUTION: make stumbleupon plugin-able — this way all these new features and functions can still be created and enabled by the users who really want them. This will satisfy the gadget whores. And for developers, they can/could design their own SU plugins. IMHO, though, the main core app should follow the KISS principle. Now just to re-clarify, I wouldn’t take the time to make these comments if I didn’t geniunely like SU and I’m not trying to demean or discount the hard, hard work of the developers, but guys, please, a little less wrench, maybe? While some folks may find this flurry of activity in the main visible interfaces attractive, I think many more users find it … frustrating.

Tweaking of the algorithms and adding new optional plugins is awesome, but is SU going to go down the road like AOL, who are working version 10? For those who have followed that history, have there really been 10 major software improvements/enhancements in AOL over the last 10 years? (I think in the case of AOL it’s all a marketing thing). The last big change I remember for AOL was 3.0 in 95 or so … everything else that has come along has been window dressing. I sure hope SU doesn’t fall into the same trap (although I bet SU would love to have 25 million plus users). I think I might just blog this.

Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe users get bored with software if it isn’t constantly being tweaked. I can see changing some basic things, and adding areas for users and other developers to get involved, but most users also like familiarity and simplicity and if they get used to something, pulling the rug from beneath them forces them to relearn things and might just screw up their routines enough to where they uninstall and go elsewhere. That’s not a win-win situation for the software developer, the future of the software, and thus the future for the application. I really think if I live to be a crusty, venerable age 100 I will see version 100 of at least some software product today. We’ll see.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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