I still recommend that everyone learn how memory management works before jumping into ARC. Much of what I do still has to support 4.0. That said, ARC is pretty badass, and I plan on doing a screencast on ARC in the near future.
If you don't understand basic memory management without ARC, you have no chance of ever understanding the weak reference annotations that ARC requires in certain cases (e.g. to avoid retain loops).
To be clear, the technique of messaging in a special code to a number to "subscribe" to a service has been around for many, many years before edtech companies started using it recently. But it's a good approach.
And there's one big difference: services like Remind101 offer broadcasting, but they don't allow the students to reply.
We're out to open up and optimize the communication between teachers and students. Over time, each side will get the tools that serve them best. That's why the UX is web-based for teachers and SMS-based for students.
For what it's worth... I sent your site to my sister who teaches highschool biology and she replied:
I've been using remind101.com. Looks like the same thing except with mine I can have as many classes as I want for free. I can't do the questioning thing, but the kids aren't allowed to have their phones out so I can't use it anyways.
Hmm, thanks. We'll have to work on the front page copy.
Do her students never reply to the text messages she sends out? That's the core of the value-add -- whether inside or outside of class, students can reply to ClassPager and we show it to the teacher on the web site.
If she doesn't want students to be able to reply at all (i.e. she wants it to be totally 1-way communication) then I'm actually inclined to agree -- Remind101 is definitely the best and most cost-effective choice there.
I'd love to talk to them, if you think they'd be interested in a conversation. We're headed in a bit of a different direction (message analytics and eventually generating questions), though I agree it looks pretty similar right now.
Since you're a one man band, I might also suggest you try to copy a successful app on the Android market. Find an app that is relatively high priced that you think you could copy and then sell at a lower price. They've already proven that the market exists. Once you have the app built, then iterate by adding features that the competition may not have thought of.
Thanks. That's good advice on app ideas. So far I've been trying games, and I think apps are a fairly different dynamic, from the development side as well as what drives someone to purchase one. I'll probably try my hand at a non-game app some day.
I went through the same experience when I was doing my startup. The biggest problem I found was going to the washroom. I was always afraid someone would highjack my stuff so every time I went to the washroom, I had to pack everything up and bring it with me. This was pretty annoying. Also, if the coffeeshop is busy, good luck finding a clean toilet to sit on.
Maybe I'm overly trusting, but I just ask someone who has line-of-sight, "excuse me, would you mind watching my stuff for a minute?". I figure that the odds of picking the one person who would steal things is very low, and people see it as a gesture of trust. It's sometimes an opening for a conversation when you return, or at least for returning the favour.
"I was always afraid someone would highjack my stuff so every time I went to the washroom, I had to pack everything up and bring it with me."
If you feel like being social, this is a good excuse for striking up a conversation with someone nearby who seems interesting. Ask if the person can keep an eye on your stuff for a few minutes. Assuming he/she is friendly, after you get back and say thanks the ice will be broken and you can chat if you want to. I suppose it's still a bit riskier than taking your stuff with you, but seems minimal.
I don't think there is a particular trick to fix that, here's what I do - if the place is in a decent neighborhood and there are other people on laptops around, I'll ask someone to watch my things.
The trick I use is to pick someone that has line of site on my things, so they pay attention even if they don't mean to. And ideally to pick someone with a laptop, and preferably a better laptop than yours, that makes them a tad more trustworthy, because at least they probably won't take off with yours.
If the neighborhood is sketchy or there is no one around, I take it with me.
I use a hybrid version of the technique recommended by the other responders to your comment: Take the big hardware with me, and ask my neighbor to watch the remainder of my stuff (usually my bag, power adapter, and a couple of sketchbooks). It's just imprudent to leave two grand sitting out on a table, IMO.
As for restroom cleanliness, worrying less about that is one of the many benefits of eliminating caffeine from my diet ;)
I've created 3 apps for the Mac App Store. I'm not too sure if its a success since I'm making about 5k/month in sales and I'm still keeping my day job. I guess its just more disposable income.
I really enjoyed reading your story. I had similar experiences with my side project as well.
In my case, I tried to take on the behemoth that is Intuit. I spent 2 years working on the same side project. In my third year, I decided to quit my job and focus on it fulltime. Six months into working on my startup I realized that I made the mistake of trying to pick a fight with Intuit since the product that I was building was too much for me to handle.
I decided to switch course and focus on niche products for the Mac App Store. Two months after my pivot, I was making a few thousand a month from my apps. I've since accepted fulltime employment and am continuing to work on my Mac Apps as they are still generating the same amount of money.
From this experience I learned its best to focus on a niche market if you are a one man band. I think your failure was because your focus was too wide. Perhaps for your next project, you should consider focusing on a niche market.
Here is my story. I graduated from Mechanical engineering 3 years ago. After I finished school I got a job at a small company doing embedded development, mostly in `c`. My salary was $78000.
Two years after I started my job, I decided to learn iOS programming during evenings and weekends. A few months later I quit my job and decided to do iOS programming full time. At the time, I was working on an idea and didn't have anything ready for the world to see. Months passed and I still wasn't ready. I realized that it would take me another year to complete so I decided to pivot and work on another product.
After 1 month of pivoting I released my first project on the Mac App Store and was making ~$5000/month. A few months later, a company came knocking on my door and gave me a job offer. I accepted and am now making more than I did in my first job. I still have my business running on autopilot. I am 27.
This is not to brag. It is to show that if you really want to get out of the rut that you are in, lock yourself in a room, build something and release it into the wild. If you don't have a good idea, copy someone else's. By doing this, you'll learn new skills and will eventually become valuable to others.
