The Evolution and Rise of Garbage Apps
When I was a developer back in the pre-Web dark ages, we were stuck building crappy client/server database applications. Funny thing was that my team got really good at building those apps to the point that many requests for new apps could be built, tested and released in the span of a few weeks. If the app was really simple and inconsequential, I could whip together something in a day. We called these Throwaway or Garbage Apps.
Creating Garbage Apps required little actual skill. With the advent of IDE’s and GUI drag and drop development, the amount of code required was pretty minuscule. Build a database, create a schema, suck in the schema, then throw together some screens with database fields, create some menus, and add a few help windows. As this was client/server, the database handled all the authentication and transaction integrity issues. Scalability? Not really a requirement, but if it became an issue, we just threw another server into the mix.
Then the Web happened and threw the nice, clean, orderly world of application development on its head. The Web architecture was not the same as client/server and posed unique challenges in regards to user interaction, application scalability, and transaction integrity. The back end infrastructures were constantly changing. The dev tools were rudimentary and poorly suited for web application testing. Even the languages of the Web underwent a blizzard of change from HTML and Javascript and Perl scripts to pure Java apps to AJAX and PHP to Rails and Python then back to HTML and Javascript with HTML5, jQuery, and Nodes. Oh, then there was a little thing called mobile computing that got thrown into the mix.
We are once again in the era of Garbage Apps. It took a little while for things to settle down, but the tools are all available and work quite well. The ability to put together a quick web or mobile app, while not trivial, is certainly something that can be put together in a matter of a few weeks, even for a mere novice. It may not be pretty or full featured or rock solid, but it will definitely be functional. As I have already witnessed on many occasions now, with an experienced team, it is actually very realistic to build and launch a useful web or mobile application in the space of a week. You doubt me? Just look at the number of apps in the Apple App Store, which now hovers north of half a million.
This begs the question however of what is driving this enormous growth in the number of web and mobile apps. Yes, the languages are easier, the tools are more accessible, and services like Amazon S3 make infrastructure a no-brainer. Apps stores from Android and Apple have created a massive economy for mobile application developers. Tech is certainly a much cooler thing these days with the growth of Facebook, Zynga, and Groupon igniting the imaginations of the entrepreneurs worldwide.
The real answer however behind the growth of apps is the explosion of open data made available through open API’s. With user generated content growing within numerous social networks, ecommerce sites, and information destinations, it is the access to this trove of content that has spurred developers to create a massive glut of apps. Hackathons are arranged to exploit and leverage this data, open API’s and API developer sites are proliferating (now over 5,000 API’s), and classes are even provided for connecting to the more popular API’s. It is the rare app that does not use Facebook or Twitter for authentication or at least implement some “share with friends” function. In fact, many of the apps that come my way appear to be nothing more than Frankenstein mashups of apps and data coming from somewhere else.
While it may seem dismissive to call these “Garbage Apps”, there is some value in this app mania. For quick iteration and experimentation, it is convenient to be able to put together something as a strawman for something bigger. The hackathons have enabled an environment where folks can hone their coding skills. In the use of marketing campaigns where the need is time sensitive and short term, the ability to quickly build something is invaluable. Even the enterprise business computing community is inching towards the fray publishing their own API’s and using API’s for their own internal purposes. Everyone can build and is building apps.
Garbage apps however are not the basis for an actual business. With the proliferation of apps, it becomes even more imperative to create something of intrinsic and unique value. This means having a solid vision, an actual business model, and a strong bias towards execution. Most mobile developers are not laughing all the way to the bank. Many startups stagnant with apps that have zero growth. Most apps are merely iterations on niche features for a niche audience. The fact is that technology itself is not a differentiator as anyone can build the same thing within a matter of days (Pinterest clones anyone?).
If all you think it takes is some tech skills to whip up a million dollar idea, then think again. Y Making and shipping stuff is merely step one. If you stop there however, you run the risk of simply building yet another Garbage App, and the graveyard of Garbage Apps is already getting pretty full.
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Just call me Garbageman, baby.
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