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Comment by ssprang | Hacker News Reader

Brushes, a painting app for iOS, is now open-source too: https://github.com/sprang/Brushes

I posted links to both of these in the past few weeks, but they didn't get any traction. I guess I have bad timing. I was surprised to see this on the front page!

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After years of reading HN it's still fascinating how submissions reach the front page. I gave this the first upvote while it was still on the first page of 'new'. And i was certain that once it would go to the second page it would not get more upvotes in the weekend. To my surprise it is now on no. 1. A few crucial votes in a short time can make the difference. And i am certain that the person who submits it also plays a role. At least for me it was a reason to open the link because i recognized the name of the submitter.

Ah, the disadvantages of being a perpetual lurker...

I have purchased every app you've made and am constantly recommending them. I was very pleased to see this hit the front page.

Keep up the outstanding work...

Same developers and much of the same source. What's the story behind this?

There are lots of good reasons to release a mobile app's source, especially if it's a side project. Maybe you don't have time to work on it anymore, and it's not getting the love you think it deserves. Maybe there's a more practical reason, such as taking a new job in a related field and having to remove the app to avoid conflicts (although it sounds more the former in this case).

I'd love to open source one of my iOS apps, but it's a bit of a hack and I'm honestly rather embarrassed by the code!

For those wondering: both Inkpad and Brushes appear on the App Store for free from Taptrix, Inc.

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