
When software in the cloud goes sour - raganwald
http://mentalized.net/journal/2008/05/27/stikipad_when_software_in_the_cloud_goes_sour/
======
thorax
Some of our users had the same concerns when we made our site featurelist.org.
That's why we added (due to a user's feature request) a way to export all data
from your project to XML.

Without exports like that, users will become even more wary of storing their
data on sites that aren't supported by the "big 5" internet/software
companies. There's always the risk the company (or handful of hackers) will go
away and take their hard work with them. It's also a differentiator when you
do that because the big guys want to hold onto the data.

Obviously an XML dump is not the same as having the full service, but at
least, if bad things happen, the users can salvage some of their content
without digging through Google/wayback caches.

~~~
jeroen
The problem with xml dumps is that it is a backup-like feature, and users are
notoriously sloppy with backups.

It is great that you provide the feature (and I'm slightly embarrassed that
<http://scribbl.net/> doesn't) but what users really need is the ability to
get their data after the application has gone down. Not that I see any way to
do that given the current state of the internet.

------
SwellJoe
This kind of thing is why "the cloud" is going to have a hard time serving
bigger companies. Security, regulatory compliance, reliability, accessibility
of data, etc. are all things that are historically not being well-served by
even larger companies, and I think they're the reason a lot of "Web 2.0"
companies are unable to make their way from success with consumers into
enterprise markets (where a single sale can make your month a good one).

Wufoo have managed to do it extremely well. They provide great export
features, and they go to great lengths to explain how and why they provide
reliable and redundant infrastructure.

But the good examples will be dragged down by the bad examples, and the end
result will be much slower adoption of the model. So, going off-line without
warning and without providing a means for customers to get their data, is a
great disservice to not just your own customers but to every other hosted
application provider.

I don't want to pick on the Stikipad guys in particular, but it's a real
problem--if you aren't sure that you'll always be around to serve your
customers, you need to make a dead man's switch plan to get the data back into
the hands of your customers.

------
josefresco
I rely on Toggl for time tracking (which I then use to bill my clients), and
Google Docs to maintain my various (and extensive) list of accounts, as well
as various documents essential to my business.

If I lost either I'd be screwed. I'm not so worried about the Goog, but Toggl
(and before that 14Dayz) does worry me a bit.

~~~
davidw
Stuff To Do has time tracking features. It's not quite as advanced as Toggl in
some ways, but it's now open source, as I decided that that market is way
overcrowded. I still use it myself though, and would be happy to have a few
collaborators.

<http://stufftodo.dedasys.com/>

------
annoyed
sounds like they lost all the data

