

(un)features - breck
http://breckyunits.com/unfeatures

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raganwald
I recall using this methodology a number of times. The usual implementation is
to file a feature request ticket in the issue tracking application, add a
comment explaining why we aren't doing it, then close the issue as 'WONTFIX'
or 'INVALID' depending on how things are set up.

I agree it's really powerful to have the list and to consciously and actively
say "no" with the same ceremony that you consciously and actively say "yes" to
features.

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ams6110
_The clear edges of physical products make it much harder for feature creep to
happen._

This might be true for simple products like water bottles, but does not hold
true in all cases. Consider a car radio. I'd LOVE to have a car radio that had
two knobs: volume, and tuning, which cover 99% of my use cases for a car
radio. Try to buy one, though.

~~~
Semiapies
Or a cell phone that's just a plain phone, with nice buttons. I love my Droid
so far, but years back I had a phone I could dial by touch.

Of course, the issue may just be as these products become more like (or
actually) computers, the same effect comes into play.

~~~
blasdel
There is a phone for you: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3>

~~~
Semiapies
Neat - though I don't know about the buttons.

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csmeder
I like your blog and brecksblog. The interesting thing about (un)features is
that it seems like they are things that often another tool can perform for
you.

water bottle:

\- towel to dry up spills

\- funnel to funnel liquids into it

blog:

\- diqus to add comments

\- Just go to reddit to share this site (or use their tool bar).

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markessien
The blog is powered by an unfeatures list - and is ugly and lacks the basic
things that every wordpress blog has? Features are put in software because
people pay money for them. If nobody added anything to software, or let
software evolve at the pace 37signals software evolved at, we'd be using
Windows 3.15 by now, maybe.

All those tens of thousands of companies making money by adding new features
that people want to software are not idiots. It's not that they have failed to
ever consider Jasons theory. They have, and it does not make them money.
People want features. People will pay for features.

That "blog software" that powers your blog - I would not use it. It looks like
it sucks. I'd use wordpress, because it has a great many features that I need,
and that developed because people like me need them.

You _want_ to believe that features are unimportant, simply because you don't
have the time or resources to develop new edge features. People who actually
sell software will tell you the exact opposite though - features and upgrades
are what sell.

~~~
breck
Good feedback

>is ugly

I agree it is ugly, my co-founder does design and hasn't gotten a change to
improve it yet. (The project is a week old).

> lacks the basic things that every wordpress blog has

I love wordpress. I've used it on many sites. This software isn't meant to be
wordpress, it's meant as an alternative.

> All those tens of thousands of companies making money by adding new features
> that people want to software are not idiots. It's not that they have failed
> to ever consider Jasons theory. They have, and it does not make them money.
> People want features. People will pay for features.

I agree. But I also think many failed companies that you don't hear about,
added feature after feature and never got the core right. Once you have the
core right, by all means add features when it means more $$$. But don't fall
victim to feature creep early.

> You want to believe that features are unimportant, simply because you don't
> have the time or resources to develop new edge features. People who actually
> sell software will tell you the exact opposite though - features and
> upgrades are what sell.

I think really I just failed too communicate clearly enough. I don't mean
never add features. I just mean think harder about it. Humans are wired to
feel good when you get something done. This (un)features tactic is a hack to
prevent you from adding things without enough thought.

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lovskogen
How do I subscribe?

~~~
Semiapies
I don't see that you can; as it's a very new project, he may not have added
that, yet.

