The FriendFeed Desktop Apps Disappoint Me
Apr 23 2008 
View Comments
Both Alert Thingy and, very recently, Twhirl, have pushed out grand updates for both Twitter/Friendfeed desktop clients. However, I’m utterly disappointed in them both.
Alert Thingy Updates
- Twitter and Friendfeed updates in the same window
- Twitter integration
- Flickr integration
- More themes
- TinyURL integration
Ok great. These are all really neat integrations. Regardless of all of these new features, there are still many of the same bugs in Alert Thingy. Screw the integration of all these other apps! How about fixing the client UI cut off that occurs if an item in Friendfeed is too wide?! How about fixing the fact that when you’re typing something in Alert Thingy and an update comes along, what you were typing is completely thrown out the window?
Twhirl Updates
- New UI Design
- Separation of your items, friend items, and everyone’s items
- Search
- User Lookup
UI and performance issues with Twhirl haven’t been fixed yet either and the majority of the problems I’m having relate to my Friendfeed account. The new version freezes up now more than ever. The scrollbar and showing of updates is still wacky and occasionally out of sync. However, the Twhirl team did fix the issue of items not completely clearing when you click the trash icon to remove everything out of the window and updated items are moved back to the top of the window.I happen to actually like the redesign and addition of tabs instead of a drop down menu for everything.
Why am I so disappointed?
I feel that the additional features can come later. Fix the bugs first. None of these features are worth a dime of my time if I can’t even use the basics of the client first and foremost. What’s so hard to understand about that? Why doesn’t that come first? I don’t mean to be harsh because both apps are decent, but I’m the user that’s more concerned with ironing out the kinks rather than adding more to the bandwagon. Don’t pile new things on top just to hide or distract from other problems. In doing so, the whole bandwagon will eventually break.
LOVED IT? SHARE IT!:
AMEN!
Bang on! You took the words out of my mouth….Maybe I will just stick to Twitterific and using a good ol' fashion Internet Browser to access Friendfeed.
I am with you as well. Before the feature set is grown the apps need to do the basics well. Be intuitive, useful, and innovative.
You have a wonderful point here. Fixing bugs should come first over new features. The only exception I can think of is if the new feature is a) simple and easily implemented in a few minutes and/or b) heavily requested by the application's user community.
Imagine if Google spent its time adding features to Gmail every week instead of fixing the few bugs in it…
While Google would certainly be 'in trouble' to add new features to their products every week, they also have more people assigned to beta testing and the likes.
Generally, features attract new clients more than bug fixes. Especially when these applications are as new as these two, as long as they mostly work, all is well.
In an ideal world, the two (bug fixing and feature implementation) would happen at the same time. However, when the two applications are going 'head to head' like this, developers tend to focus on features.
It is a 'disease' known to all development crews, from Microsoft to the guy in the garage. First few iterations are not that great, there's a rush to do many things at once, but none too well. It is, unfortunately, a state of events throughout the ecosystem.
Think of this: choosing between apps A and B, do you look at the feature list first? And, if app C comes along and does everything A or B do minus the bugs, but it comes way later, how likely are most people to switch?
It's why Twitter still beats Pownce and Jaiku.
The whole feature victory at all costs thing is a disease in the software industry that hasn't gone away. Too bad, but inaequitas has a good point. I guess we should cut the developers some slack, but if we don't complain, it would probably be even worse.
Great points.
I forwarded the link to @twhirl. Hopefully they'll fix the bugs first.
I tried Alert Thingy yesterday, and was disappointed that it came nowhere to matching the hype that proceeded it. It was so uninspiring that I removed it within 10 minutes of downloading it.
I tried Alert Thingy yesterday, and was disappointed that it came nowhere to matching the hype that proceeded it. It was so uninspiring that I removed it within 10 minutes of downloading it.
I tried Alert Thingy yesterday, and was disappointed that it came nowhere to matching the hype that proceeded it. It was so uninspiring that I removed it within 10 minutes of downloading it.