Daniel Jalkut, responding to Michael Lopp (today's quote of the day), about moving from Things to something else (Asana for right now):
But what really frustrates me in this case is the software has served him perfectly, and he thanks it with a slap to the face. It’s one thing to denigrate a product for failing to meet your expectations, or for exhibiting a clear lack of craftsmanship, but Lopp admits that those problems do not apply: […]
I would argue that Lopp thanked Cultured Code with his money, but I see the larger point here too. There's a fine line between moving for the sake of moving, and getting fed up that there hasn't been major updates. Anyone that follows this site knows I am quick to make fun of Cultured Code for their slower-than-snails-pace that they develop at.
There's no doubt their software is solid, but it is hard to argue for it being the best. OmniFocus isn't much better as 2.0 looks not great, the new iPhone app is just ok, and the once stellar iPad apps are lagging behind. Things and OmniFocus are in need of attention, but while the attention is coming, it is coming too slow for most users. They are still great tools, but you can't blame a user for getting annoyed that their tools (while good) look and operate old.
Lopp's post drove me to think a bit more about my setup — which currently is Begin and OmniFocus. ((Remember, I am financially tied to Begin.)) Looking at OF it looked like a dog, so I looked around and tried Asana for the day. It's not for me, but I can see the appeal. I'll be trying some more web-based solutions over the next week or two.
My goal isn't to try and leave OmniFocus, but to make sure OF still is the best solution for me. OF has gotten so ugly on the Mac and iPad I almost refuse to use it in those places. Which means I am essentially using the iPhone app, and even the new iPhone app isn't the best looking app. ((Totally subjective.))
I understand where Jalkut is coming from, but it is easy to forget that users have other options, options that they can and should always be looking at. Leaving for the sake of leaving isn't smart, but leaving because you have little faith in the future development is smart — to do otherwise is often just delaying the inevitable.
Yes, the software served him perfectly, but what about the future. I'd be hard pressed to recommend OmniFocus to a new user right now, let alone Things. Both were made in a pre-mobile, pre-teams-everywhere, world and that shows every time I use them. I don't see this as ditching great software as much as I see this move as a forward thinking move to embrace something that fits the current workplace needs now, instead of waiting for those needs to maybe be implemented in your current tools.
It's moving not because expectations have failed to have been met, but because of doubt over expectations being met — at least in a reasonable (for the individual user) amount of time. And that I find perfectly logical.
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