Ask HN: I rolled my own email client. Should I release it?

3 points19eightyfour5 comments

It's very shit. But it works. Attachments, HTML and so on. I run it at my own domain.

I find it useful. Maybe other people would. Should I release it as another email address you can sign up to? Or should I release the code and explanation of how I do it so people can make their own?

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It is unlikely that there are many people out there who are desperately seeking another email client, particularly one that is "very shit". If you start offering email services to the general public you will VERY quickly find yourself on everyone's blacklists, unable to send emails at all, because spammers will find your site and use it until it gets blocked.

But your idea of releasing the code and the explanation of how it was done... that seems pretty good. It might benefit other developers, and it certainly benefits you ("Here's a small project I worked on...").

good point.

okay. i put it here https://github.com/dosaygo-corp/diyemail

building a product is usually just 10% of total work. launch it to learn the other 90%

ok I will try on other projects

its good to start with a shitty product. then it will be easy with a good product.

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