

Ask YC: Is it a doomed product if the barrier to entry is too high? - hbien

I love programming web apps - especially with the latest frameworks.  But I don't want to host them, I'd rather have them be self-hosted because I'm already enjoying my full time job.  Anyways, I made a web app and finished a licensing scheme for it but I'm having second thoughts.<p>I think the barrier of entry is just way too high.  This particular app requires you to install it on your own shared/vps and host it yourself..  Mint was successful for this (haveamint.com not mint.com), but that was a PHP app which is a lot easier to deploy than Django or Rails.<p>Anyways, what do you guys think?  People are saying desktop software is dying because the barrier to install it is too high.  If that's the case, I don't think a self-hosted Django or Rails product will do well at all.<p>Thanks for your input!
======
murrayh
If you are worried about your barrier of entry being so high, why don't you
try and lower it?

You have ruled out doing any hosting yourself, but there are still things you
could do. For example, you could try and make your application as easy to
install as "apt-get install <myawesomeapp>". Or you could try and partner
yourself with an existing VPS provider: you can forward them customers, and
they can profit on the hosting and lower the barrier of entry for you.

Mostly though I would recommend just going for it. I mean, what is the worst
that can happen? Just refund everyone's money if they get unhappy. You might
lose time, but you probably have a lot to gain.

~~~
hbien
Thanks murrayh, I should probably put more effort into making a good install
script. It's tough because a lot of server environments are different (ie.
what version of Python and what version of Django are being used..), but I'm
pretty sure I can sign up for accounts at different hosting providers to make
a good installer.

------
bstadil
Have you thought about using Amazon's EC2. You could make a Machine image and
a method whereby an instance is being launched each time access is needed.

If you need more information email at bjorn AT stadil.com

------
marcus
One very good solution is to make it a virtual appliance, that way it is
relatively easy to install on all platforms, and you get a lot less support
issues as all users use the same OS/distribution/framework version etc.

~~~
hbien
I think that's a good solution for more expensive apps aimed at businesses.
The application I've been working on is really aimed at consumers with shared
hosting/VPS accounts.

------
jauco
it depends on the type of users. Will they be the people to install rails
anyway? Or put differently: are they coders/webdesigners/content creators? And
how much do you think they will need your product? is it an improvement over
existing (hosted) products or is it something entirely new? Simple put, the
more tech-savy the lower this barrier is perceived. The more unique your app
is, the more willing people are to cross the barrier. Without knowledge of
either I can't really tell if the barrier is too high.

~~~
hbien
It's yet another gtd web app. It's web based because almost all of the apps I
use are web based now. Plus, the entire application is a single Ajax page with
optional Google Gears integration (everything works offline). There's also an
API that I used to make a command line client and to hook with TextMate.

One of the best strengths of self-hosted web apps are plugin systems (ie.
Mint's peppers) which is something I'm working on.

So I guess it's not that unique because there are tons of GTD applications.
But the users who do use GTD apps tend to be more tech savvy.

~~~
jauco
A single Ajax page with Google gears? that's about as easy an installation as
you'll get. Why don't you drop the server part altogether?

~~~
hbien
The server part is used for persistent storage, so a user might have multiple
computers open each with a Gears database but they all sync up to the same
server DB.

Hopefully, once Gears is available for Mobile Safari, you'll be able to access
your list on your phone both online and offline and sync back and forth.

Plus it's also for people who aren't using Gears, like Safari/opera users.

------
hbien
In case anyone is interested, here some screenshots:

<http://flickr.com/photos/t0fuu/sets/72157604174774537/show/>

------
rokhayakebe
_Anyways, I made a web app and finished a licensing scheme for it but I'm
having second thoughts._ are you serious? Launch. Launch. Launch.Let the
market decide "how high" the barriers to entry are.

~~~
hbien
I think you're right. I need to just bite the bullet, launch, and get some
feedback.

