As the current hot platform of choice for a lot of developers, we’re not seeing too many Twitter apps just yet in the Deadpool. But one, TwitApps, will hit it tomorrow, the developer is notifying users.
The service was a useful one that allowed you to get an automated email with all your @replies and follower notifications from Twitter. But it would appear that the developer simply got fed up trying to build a new version while continuing to “fire-fight problems” with Twitter’s API. Here’s the core part of the developer’s statement:
I love Twitter and use it a lot, but I’m tired of developing for the API. It’s not that I don’t think the API team over there do a fantastic job, or that I think the API is bad, it’s a personal thing. It no longer excites me the way it once did, and this is part of the reason it’s taken a long time for me to get v2 finished, and it’s still not ready.
So I’ve decided to shut it down rather than continuing to fire-fight problems and pick away at the new version. I’d rather tell the several thousand users of the service have to find alternatives where the developers are more committed to it.
I’m sure I’ll continue to tinker with the Twitter API – I do find it fascinating, but that’s not the same as maintaining a quality product with users to answer to.
The good news is that the code behind TwitApps will live on as an open-source project. This means that anyone else will be free to build and maintain a new TwitApps themselves. The plan is to publish the code to a GitHub account after the site shuts down, tomorrow, September 18 (the emails will continue to run through the 25th).
The service had some 4,000+ users, who apparently have reached out to the developer en masse to try and get him to change his mind, but he says he won’t. So after tomorrow, no more TwitApps. Hopefully someone will use the code to build something similar.
A small warning to people leveraging emerging one-man-show technologies…
2-man (1-developer) shows can do a lot. Take iTrackmine.com for example…
I can understand the developers grief over an ever moving target.
They can ‘t be changing it that much, otherwise you would see update after update for twitter apps in the iphone store.
My thoughts are this doof thought he would create a “l33t progr@m”, and had mediocre programming skills.
He definitely isn’t a doof nor has mediocre programming skills (worked with him). Pretty sure he could beat you at coding any day.
At least the developer was thoughtful enough to place his code into the open source area. And I don’t think it has to do with him being a one-man-show because a lot of much bigger, well funded companies have shut their doors recently.
I would be willing to incorporate this functionality into my social network aggregation project, mydashboard.me. If anybody is interested, email me at edward.becker@gmail.com
My app, friendFilter (on http://www.twittFilter.com), does this. I will check out the code though. Perhaps gets some idea to improve the service.
Check out http://www.tweetalarm.com – simple but useful – saves me a lot of trips to twitter search
I’m curious as to what fires he was having to fight daily.
It seems that a concept so simple should be set-it-and-forget-it.
Please, MG, use comic’s pictures rather than Deadpool from the “Wolverine” movie. Deadpool is way better in comics.
As a personal project I wrote a twitter alerts app in April, it took about a week (and half of that was learning ASP.NET MVC) and has been running without changing any code since that point in time.
Admittedly it only uses the Twitter Search API and not the main API, but I really don’t understand why twitapps needs so much maintenance.
As a previous commentator said it should pretty much be set and forget.
Great domain name though, hope he uses it for something else.
Agree .. y they need so much of maitence ..and it has been so many times in news that twitter is hacked .. this is nt working ,.. that is not working ..
please .. change it ..and make it a better place …
Best,
Daina
That would be great if Fox paid you to use that Wolverine: Origins pic in time with the DVD release
@Christopher and tweeton:
Thanks for the links, I’m going to check them out.
I was pretty disappointed when I read this a few days ago. I’ve really appreciated TwitApps’ service…it’s been helpful for when I’m away from my computer. I hope a new definitive Twitter @reply alert service emerges.
Life is just such a bowl of Cherries . Isn’t = IT ??
Nutshell Mail is the answer to these abandoned users’ woes. It will mail your @s (and is customizable for all kinds of other socnet email notifications).
Ooops forgot to include the URL.
http://www.nutshellmail.com