Inside look at Google

I love "inside looks" at different software companies. I'm basically taking notes, you know, just in case Ataraxis Software becomes super-successful. :)

MyMicroISV linked over to this possibly-true inside look at Google.

The Eyeball Revenue Model

I'm not really interested in the advertising-based side of web development. Those guys have to deal with so much crap that has nothing to do with the "app". They probably spend more time preventing spam than anything else. Check this out: Next Target for Subvert and Profit: StumbleUpon

Ug.

Orlando Ruby Users Group, my first meeting

I just got back from my first Orlando Ruby Users Group meeting. Robert Dempsey and Mike Blake presented on JRuby, and another guy gave a brief presentation on Leopard and XCode 3. (We went to the Apple conference and got a beta.)

My colleagues at my day job and I hung out for a while afterward and spoke with Gregg Pollack, one of the guys who started the group. (Hi Gregg!)

Overall it was a pretty cool experience. It was nice to see a group of people coming together to get their Ruby-Learn-On. From the conversations I heard it sounds like we may be seeing some cross-over between the newly founded Adobe Developers of Greater Orlando (Adogo) and ORUG. Can't wait!

Awesome Software Startup Blog

I've just read a few really good posts over at Marc Andreessen's blog. It's awesome.

I really enjoyed:

• How to hire the best people you've ever worked with
• The Pmarca Guide to Big Companies, part 1: turnaround!
• The Pmarca Guide to Startups, part 1: Why not to do a startup
• The Pmarca Guide to Startups, part 2: When the VCs say "no"

Thanks to OnStartups.com for the link over to the blog.

Adobe Developers of Greater Orlando

My colleagues from my day job have helped form Adogo, the Adobe Developers of Greater Orlando. "Focused on ColdFusion, Actionscript, Air and Flex in the Orlando area."

(I am particularly interested in any Flex/Air presentations! That stuff is so cool.)

If you're local to Orlando Florida, and are interested in any part of the Adobe development stack, keep an eye on this group. There are some seriously good people running and participating in this thing.

Next for Pudding

I've got a lot of very interesting things going on with Pudding, but unfortunately I can only say so much publicly. For the stuff I can't talk about, let's just say I'll be much more competitive it in the "visual collaboration market", and I'm expecting development to be able to move a lot quicker than it has in the past.

Now for what I can talk about!

I've been working on a RSS feed/History Manager feature for Pudding. The more I use Pudding, the more I really really really want to be able to subscribe to a feed of the projects I've got in there. The History Manager will be a nice addition too. It will be the same information that is provided in the feed, but you won't need to be subscribed to see what the heck has been going on in the project.

A feature like this is where Ruby on Rails really helps out. I downloaded the http_authentication plugin (I couldn't install it from the command for some reason), and I found this .rxml template. The security and delivery of the feeds is already available to me. I just need to (finish) implement(ing) the data model.

Pudding Launched, Thank You

I first announced the idea for what has become Pudding on October 19, 2005. Yes, I said 2005. :)

It was a long journey to launch, and there are several people I'd like to thank for helping in some capacity.

• Ian Landsman, for inspiring me to start blogging and being a continual microISV inspiration.
  
• David Heinemeier Hansson, for creating the super-productive Ruby on Rails framework.
• Steve McConnell, for writing Code Complete - a book that helped me move from programmer to programmer-who-now-knows-how-bad-the-code-he's-writing-is. ;)
• Maxim Porges and Brian LeGros, for teaching me a ton about writing software and their feedback during the Pudding beta.
  
• Joel Spolsky and Eric Sink, for writing countless articles on how to run a software company.
• Jason Muscarella, for helping me with the graphics on ProjectPudding.com.
• Christopher Scalici for creating some graphical elements in Pudding.
  

Last but not least, my wife, Amy Sica. We've sacrificed a lot of time together so I can pursue the dream of creating my own software company and launching my first product. Amy, I love you and thank you!

Pudding Ad

Thanks Jason!

Pudding Launched!!!

It's official, Pudding has launched!!!

I want to write a huge blog post thanking everyone under the sun, but it's late and I need to get to some sleep! :) I'll take care of the nice big post before Monday.

Please help me get the word out about Pudding!

Pudding is a simple visual collaboration tool. You upload images and invite people to review, comment on, and approve your work.

Pudding Launching Soon

I've fixed the last known bug for the release version of Pudding. I've got to do some more testing, write a few "help" items, and get the marketing site completed. I'm hoping I can launch on Friday!

Round 3 of Beta!!! Radical New Permission Setup - Easier, More Collaborative!

I'm so tired I'm about to pass out at the keyboard. I've been coding like a crazy person for the last 2 weeks!

The new version of Pudding is on the server, and the beta invites went out.

Check out the new web site for Pudding, with a MUCH better URL:
http://www.projectpudding.com

If you want to get in on the beta, please sign up at ataraxissoftware.com.

THANKS!