[Adium-devl] We have competition, hurray!

[Evan Schoenberg]

On Oct 7, 2007, at 8:32 PM, Chris Forsythe wrote:

> Simply put, if you continue to think that iChat is the competition,  
> then we'll never catch up, and never win. However, if you consider  
> that our market is different, in that we're putting out a product  
> that solves a different need in a different way, then we don't  
> compete with iChat, we just happen to share some of the same  
> technology. If this is not the case, let me know, because I've been  
> operating under this very principal for a very long time, that we  
> don't compete with iChat, and that they solve 2 very different sets  
> of problems.
>
> If in fact you folks want to compete with iChat, I'm fine with a  
> change in direction, but I think I'd hate the app.

I think there's a basic difference in terms between what Chris is  
saying and what Brian is saying.  I actually agree with both, though  
I'd use slightly different words in that agreement.

If 'competition' means that in a head-to-head match-up Program A  
attempts to "beat" Program B by having all of B's features plus some,  
by being more attractive in every way than B, by having less bugs than  
B, and by solving every problem that B solves in a manner as good or  
better -- that is, if successful 'competition' means that one program  
must be the clear choice over another for every rational user because  
it is better in every way -- then it's silly to say that iChat is  
competition.  That's Chris' angle, as I read it, and insofar as I can  
accept that definition of competition, I agree.

However, that's not how I use the word 'competition', generally, and  
it's to the more common definition that Brian is speaking.  To me,  
competition is simply a question of domain.  Any two programs which  
share domain are competing for users (and mindshare) interested in  
that domain.  iChat and Adium share the domain of online messaging.   
To say that we think of iChat as competition is simply to say that we  
should be aware of what it does well and what it does poorly and learn  
from it as appropriate.

There are some really bright folks working on the iChat team, and its  
directions in the past 2 years make it quite clear that they have used  
Adium and learned from it in addition to coming up with their own,  
often elegant, solutions to problems.  We should definitely be humble  
enough to return the favor.

-Evan