
Releasing Early Is Not Always Good? Heresy - dshah
http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/11416/Releasing-Early-Is-Not-Always-Good-Heresy.aspx
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jmonegro
The apple iPod example is out of place: you can't compare software to
hardware. Essentially, with hardware, you have one chance to make a good
impression, so every detail counts (for example, the first Zune wasn't much of
a hit, and now virtually no one likes Zunes, even the very awesome Zune HD).

These days, with software - especially web software - people tend to be more
forgiving of bugs, and because its easy to provide feedback, software tends to
get better and better.

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mechanical_fish
The real problem with hardware is that you can't revise it. That used to be a
problem with shrinkwrap software, too -- it was revisable, but only by
shipping out a lot of physical disks marked "upgrade" and praying that people
installed them -- which is why it used to be so much harder to embrace the
"ship early and often" plan.

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csallen
One commonly-overlooked disadvantage to releasing early is that it may hinder
your ability to construct a barrier to entry. It's true that many people spend
too much time worrying about competitors, but the fact is that if you build
something successful, competitors _will_ arise. It's important to understand
and make use of the aspects of your company that other people will have
trouble emulating, as they can potentially result in a much bigger head-start
than simply releasing early.

(Disclaimer: If your company is such that the best barrier to entry to can
construct is a large user-base, then releasing early makes a lot of sense.)

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blehn
I'd have to agree. Releasing early can definitely be a good thing, but it
shouldn't come at the expense of quality. Release sooner by narrowing scope
and focusing on those core features rather than by cutting corners.

Another important consideration is your market. If you have a revolutionary
technology and are trying to create a new market, you can probably afford to
release something that's a little rough. However, if you are trying to compete
in a mature market with a product that only marginally improves on the
competitors, it will probably need to be more polished.

