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markrickerton You’ll Download Physical Objects Sooner Than You Think

"You wouldn't download a car, would you?"

(sorry, it had to be done)

Also: Best software license EVER!

https://github.com/qix/watch.js/blob/master/LICENSE.txt

Actual link to files for cloning purposes for those that don't know github's url structure well enough to realize that the actual files are here: https://github.com/qix/watch.js (or of the lazy :)

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

I know i'm a bit late on this, but here's a PRIME example of someone using the shotgun effect in the itunes store: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist... 504 apps all with slightly different title and keywords, all with sub-par execution (based on looking @ screenshots)

I think their company name says it all: "FQ Publishing"

markrickerton Rarest language? Objective-C has highest job posting to developer activity ratio

> a lot of those people who have a great idea and just need a developer to code it up for them have no idea how the software process works

They also don't realize how insanely expensive it is.

"I want a mobile app. That's like $500 bucks, right?" - Client

markrickerton Rarest language? Objective-C has highest job posting to developer activity ratio

I agree about Google's styleguides... I used to code like that and line up all the :'s vertically, and i finally realized I was making my code harder to read.

So i refactored all my existing code to have every statement on one line. Yeah it's long, but my huge monitor and xcode in full screen remedies that.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

I am in fact saving the list so the user can have history of what was entered and then they can name the transaction, duplicate and restore transactions. I'm just using JSON to save the history. I tested up to 100k records and didn't see a slow-down in performance so to deter me from doing it that way.

Best possible solution in a perfect world? No. Works? yes. Works well? Yes.

markrickerton Rarest language? Objective-C has highest job posting to developer activity ratio

Once you get to know it, it's the most beautiful and elegant (while verbose) language you'll ever see.

I cringe now when I write PHP.

markrickerton WordPress has left the building

Cached version. He's using Wordpress and probably doesn't have a caching plugin installed.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Ahh, that app doesn't actually use any web services other than for the in-app purchasing.

The numbers that are calculated are from direct user input, but the things that are stored like shipping and tax rates are stored using NSUserDefaults.

Caching data locally is fairly easy... just put the downloaded JSON file into the application's sandboxed /Documents folder for easy retrieval later.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Most of the apps I write use transient data loaded from a server, so I download and cache the JSON from my server locally and build the tables, etc. that way.

I haven't delved into CoreData just yet. It looks daunting, and I've only been doing this for a year, but it's next on my list to learn.

Check out my github account for some of my iOS stuff. (my username on hn = my username on github)

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

A quick google search for his username will pull up his website and you can find his app there.

Great job on the app, and congrats on the success!

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Noted. I've turned off Cloudflare. I've never heard of anyone having trouble like this before. I'm on a mac too, and have never seen this.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Almost... it sent them to my linkshare link that then forwarded them to iTunes (which opens the App Store app on a device). So i gained back that 7% of revenue from Apple that my linkshare referral program gives me. Sneaky, huh?

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Hey Phil, I don't remember WHAT exactly I changed in the keywords from version 1->2, but I'm pretty convinced that making the app prettier and easier to use was a key factor in the growth in popularity.

Keywords are one of those things you don't think about right away, but they can have a HUGE impact on search results in then end.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

That's a good question. I guess the answer depends on if you can find enough underserved niche markets that you know enough about to create something unique and special.

And remember, that $10k was in 6 months. So potentially, we're talking about $20k/yr for this app. 10 apps would be a potential $200k a year.

Right now, I'm content with this being supplementary income, but I never imagined that when I paid that $99 developer fee that I'd do so well.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

The niche market I'm going after here HIGHLY values the personal connection (Network Marketing), so it's a perfect scenario for me to market my apps.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Definitely. I'm not trying to build the next Cut THe Rope or Angry Birds here.

My wife is my muse and I try and make her life easier. In turn I make others lives easier.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

I handed out about 200 cards that weekend and there were about 3 people that scanned the QR code and bought it on the spot (right in front of me... now THAT was cool).

Keep in mind that this is 95% women in this industry, so I didn't expect them to be as "tech savvy" than if I was at a computer conference or something.

I believe that the personal touch of saying, "I built this for someone like you" has a HUGE impact on how people feel about your brand and your app.

markrickerton App Store Milestone: $10K

Thanks! (original author here). Incidentally, there's ANOTHER industry conference this weekend. I got 500 business cards printed up (double sided with both my apps) to hand out. Other than that, Facebook is the only other real "marketing" I've done.