2007 — The Year of the Independent Mac Developer

Or why buying software is a good resolution…

One of the things that I’ve always liked about being a Mac developer is the passion that exists within the community. Sometimes, however, that passion can get out of hand — as it did surrounding the recent MacHeist. Missed the heist? Basically, during the week-long event, a bundle of ten applications with a value of over $350 was offered for $49, or even less if you managed to solve any of the heists or puzzles that had been created. 25% of the purchase would be donated to charity, and everybody would be happy. Or would they?

One week later: 16,821 bundles sold, and $200,000 raised for charity, and a lot of heated discussion was generated on various blogs.

Those who spoke out against it included John Gruber on Daring Fireball with a post entitled Iniquities of the Selfish, and Gus Mueller with another post about the Week of the Independent Mac Developer — both posts talking about the (alleged) discrepancy between the amount of money the developers would make from the deal, compared to the organizers of the heist.

On the other hand, Wil Shipley of Delicious Monster, describes in an interview why he felt it was beneficial to participate.

And then, in perfect time for Christmas, along came MacSanta. This is another opportunity to save money — this time 20% — on software for a wide range of software companies: fifty-seven companies currently, representing a huge number of products. The discount is valid until December 25, making the ideal software stocking filler!

Is MacSanta a deliberate reaction to MacHeist? Perhaps. It certainly has more of a grassroots feel to it; it is simpler in concept — no puzzles to solve, no targets to meet. And the transparency of the promotion — just a simple discount on individual products, with no third-party in the middle — is unlikely to cause such heated debate within the community.

All of this leads me to declare, unilaterally, that 2007 will be The Year of the Independent Mac Developer. I’m making this declaration, without consulting anyone else, without creating any new website — with or without puzzles, and without having a product to sell. What I’m hoping is that 2007 will be a great year for independent Mac developers, partly because we’re aiming to join their hallowed ranks, but also because a vibrant software community, particularly one that includes so many creative and innovative independent developers, is what makes the Mac community feel so great.

So, whether you buy your software through a heist, a seasonal promotion, in a random lucky bag, or even directly from the developer’s site, just buy it!