Scalable vs. Extendable
Working with a client this last week I realized that there was a difference between scalable applications and extendable applications, and that many people do not see the distinction. When designing a widget, I told the client that it would be scalable, meaning the widget could have as many instances and permutations (in a specific format) as they needed. However, I did not designed it in a way that allowed easy extending of the widget (addition of more features). The client believes that extendability is part of scalability. Allowing this difference of opinion was an oversight on my part, because scalability is a nebulous concept and could be seen to include extendability. However, in practice scalability and extendability can both be very time consuming elements of your project and will effect the bottom-line of a project. Therefore, if you think like me and believe they are different (and consequently quote prices accordingly), make sure your client’s understand the difference.
In my case, I went ahead and gave the widget limited extendability on my own time (to meet the client’s basic needs) and told them if they needed anything more we would need to re-negotiate the terms.
Good afternoon Matt,
I just saw your post on the Mint.com blog.
You’ll have to believe me when I say my anticipation of Mint.com is on par with the release of the Matrix II motion picture. (I am unapologetically geeky.)
I believe I’ve attempted to apply almost every personal finance tracking web application in the universe of products: Wesabe, Buxxfer, MoneyTrackin, BillMonk, GnuCash, Spreadsheets, and my Palm PDA’s SplashMoney.
All of them have their merits, but none have the complete package. Which is what I’m looking for. Based on the reports in the blogosphere, it seems that Mint.com will be the juggernaut in this arena. I can’t wait to integrate the prima facie simple user interface yet robust features into the most important tracking aspect of my life: my money.
I am in absolute love with apps that have a simple and clean front end (Gmail, iTunes, Stikkit, RememberTheMilk) yet have a feature rich back bone.
I’m excited to see your product.
I would be extremely grateful and appreciative to have an invite to test your product. What would it take to be adopted into the Alpha/Beta Testing Family?
JawnLam@Gmail.com
Thanks so much, Matt!
Comment by Jawn Lam — June 21, 2007 @ 2:12 pm
Jawn, thanks for the comment. I am also very excited about Mint. Unfortunately, I am not in charge of who is allowed into the Beta testing. You will need to contact Noah Kagan or add your name to our mailing list. We have well over 5000 people interested in beta testing our services and are issuing accounts on a first come, first serve basis.
Comment by admin — June 22, 2007 @ 7:59 am