Sorry to hear the bad news. As for Web development, since you are familiar with Python, there are lots of good starting points. One is Django, a very popular web framework for Python that lets you create applications quickly. (https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/intro/tutorial01/) If you need more flexibility, you can look into "micro-frameworks" like Bottle or Flask that provide less out of the box, but at the cost of more work (potentially). There really are tons of options, but the tools selected should depend on the need.
"Social media has overtaken pornography as the #1 web activity"
That one surprised me - I'd love to see some numbers. I've heard for ages now that the the porn industry is the leader in creating new internet technologies. Does that mean the social media companies will be the pioneers now? I can't tell if they are actually innovating or just trying to outdo each other.
Isn't this caused by his personality and drive and not the fact that he writes software for a big, "important" name? If he wasn't writing software, it seems like he would probably sell, paint, drive (or any other "career") himself to death, right? I wouldn't encourage it either, but it's probably just who he is.
It seems like these type of careers just draw that type of driven person. This is just a guess, as I draw from my personal experience.
I really liked the concept of this article. I've been impressed by your other posts and just wanted to thank you for the insights you provide. As I get closer to launching my own ideas, I can't tell you how helpful it is to learn (or attempt to learn) from the experience of others like yourself.
A side note - I noticed you're using slicehost. With the "cloud-y" providers available (Heroku, AWS, etc) would you ever consider a move to them? Could that help eliminate any of the moving parts, or just relocate them?
Is Apple just trying to regain control over every possible facet of the app store? Banning all third-party analytics from apps sounds huge, so if I am missing something then please enlighten me. I thought the location-based data verbiage was just one example of something not allowed.
This would affect far more than just ad companies, right? I understand that's probably a motivating factor, but wouldn't this incorporate an even larger subset of third party analytics companies (like Flurry / Pinch Media for example)? The purpose of those companies is not the same purpose as the app itself which rules them out. It could depend on the definition of "User Data" and "Device Data" in the agreement, I suppose.
Third party gaming tools would seem to be safe at least.
Nice product. Making it easy to use/launch sounds like a big plus to me. I originally thought this had actual voice chat along with the visual element, but that's not the case, is it? Oh well - bummer.
One use case that could prove useful for me: I can see using this to help design UI on distributed teams - rather than creating or modifying screenshots and sending back and forth, you could mark up ideas at the same time.
In the demo, were you guys writing on a Wacom type of device or something? I can never write that nicely with a mouse or trackpad!
I'm far from taking sides, but I am surprised it took Apple so long to start this type of banning. I am not sure how it benefits Apple in the long run, but I am sure that if the App Store were my business I probably would have done this. And sooner.
Interesting idea - how can this be accomplished? Require the purchaser to send an iTunes receipt and the email address of the friend (to whom a promo code is sent)? I can't think of an automated technique, so perhaps that's the only way.
A great read. It makes me think about the software I write on a daily basis and how it's effects may be felt much further than the end user I am providing it directly to. Interestingly, I currently write software (admittedly much less complex) for a mortgage company, so the article hit home.
Regarding the author - should he be "blamed" or feel ashamed of his work somehow? I don't think so, and I'm glad to see that he doesn't think so, either. The software he was commissioned to create worked and performed well for it's intended purpose.
What if a software engineer lands a job working for a defense contractor to create programs for missiles, bombs, or other weapons? Are they to blame for the world war? Of course not, but that seems to be what some people are thinking. [I'm not sure if that comparison is fair, but it makes sense to me.] Could they have turned down the job based on principal? Sure, but sometimes a job can be very tough to come by. Besides, who would think a simple programming job could possibly lead to such catastrophe, especially in the business world? Maybe that's a take away, or at least something to think about when looking for your next gig.
For me, this was not as interesting as Part One from a business/startup standpoint, as there wasn't much more detail. But my inner "game creator" is always excited to see a small player succeeding in this crowded arena. We should all be so lucky to earn a living doing what we love - and not get sick of it after all this time.
It would be tough to sell "digital items" for an avatar when it's an image of a user. Both Facebook and Myspace allow you to choose whatever image you like, but it's generally accepted that you select a portrait of yourself. I suppose there are some ideas out there to "customize" your profile and that may work.
Games do seem to work, but no one buys them online when most are free - so mobile seems to be the only way to make that happen. I agree with the comment that it sounds like the iPhone App store. That technique is definitely working, but there have to be better alternatives to monetize these sites.
Check out this Python wiki page for a good overview and some web frameworks: http://wiki.python.org/moin/WebFrameworks
Good luck!