On Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 16:45, Darksyde <m_alexander61@
>
> I'm pretty new to gmail but it sounds as if it had a rocky beginning too. Apparently the
> folks at Google wisely plan these beta releases so that bugs are reported and fixed just
> as the project is reaching critical mass so as to allow maximum input and wide
> distribution without crashing servers.
> Mark
It's a great methodology for developing a large scale public
application, when you think about it. First, you get to generate a
pre-defined amount of load by limiting the number of users at any
given stage. Then, you get a real-world load instead of spending time
developing some application to fake that load which leads to better
testing. Testers are great, but no one finds bugs like users do.
Also, the idea of limiting usage by invitations or some other means of
creating an "elite" class of users also drives interest in your
application. It worked for GMail, it worked for Grand Central/Google
Voice, and it's working for Wave.
Outside of software, that kind of thing also worked well for Nintendo
(remember how hard it was to find a Wii the first 8 - 12 months they
were out and how that made the public want them even more?) and it
worked well for Sony (Playstation 2), Apple (first generations of the
iPod, the Nano, the iPhone, the intel MacBooks, the MacBook Air, etc).
Limit the supply and access to that supply and you'll stir the public
into a feeding frenzy driven by their need to have what the other guy
has... and eventually, your product becomes ubiquitous (Look what
happened when GMail had a major outage).
Cheers,
Jeff
--
Ogden Nash - "The trouble with a kitten is that when it grows up,
it's always a cat." -
http://www.brainyqu
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