Advice on IM software Development

I've been at BHW for some time now and have learned a great deal from here.

I decided to take a trip to my native country after living in the US for some 15 years most of it spent doing IM. Then I stumbled into what I think is just fantastic.

I have stumbled upon some great coders who are mostly college graduates but being a country where this IM thing is alien, they are lost not able to use their skills.

They are busy creating unnecessary apps while the IM world needs great softare. My question is how do I go about starting such an enterprise considering that I know nothing about software?

I can create marketing plans but creating software is not my strong point. But the talent is here in plenty. Is there a starting point in this business and what is it? How does one come up with software such as MNF?

I know I'm all over the place but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have looked at zenoposter and ubot, is that the place to start? There is too much talent here to let go to waste.

makii said:

How does one come up with software such as MNF?

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Usually, it's a marketer that comes up with the idea for such a program, and then he/she outsources the development. It's rare, although not so much on BHW, for programmers to be knowledgeable enough about marketing to come up with ideas for what software would be useful for the IM crowd. The other problem is that a lot of non-programmers don't understand the software development life cycle (and often experience a rude awakening when they discover how long it's going to take and how much it's going to cost), nor do they know how to clearly communicate to the programmer what needs to be done.

I have stumbled upon some great coders who are mostly college graduates but being a country where this IM thing is alien, they are lost not able to use their skills.

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I'm not sure that these programmers that you found are all that good if they wouldn't be able to take an idea of yours and make it a reality, as long as you give them clear instructions about what the software is supposed to do. They may not understand why you want the software, but that really shouldn't matter.

My question is how do I go about starting such an enterprise considering that I know nothing about software?

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I would suggest that you first learn how software is developed -- not the coding itself, but the process. Depending on how complicated the software's functionality is, it could take several days or weeks for the programmer to plan it all out before he/she even begins writing the first line of code. My advice to you is to avoid having unrealistic expectations. Your software could take anywhere from a few weeks to a year or more to create.

Next, I would research what programming languages would be suitable to your particular application. Will it be a web application or a desktop application? Should it run on Windows, Mac, or both? (If the answer is both, then you might consider developing it in Adobe Air, for example. If it's solely for Windows computers, then .NET is a great choice.)

Will the software be data-driven? If so, then you need to figure out what database management system will suit not only your budget, but also your performance and scalability requirements. Hosting should also be considered when thinking about performance and scalability. For example, if it is to be a web application that will be hosted by you (as opposed to your customers hosting it themselves) and used by thousands of people, then the baby plan at HostGator isn't going to cut it.

Knowing the answers to such questions will help you find the right kind of programmer for the project.

I have looked at zenoposter and ubot, is that the place to start? There is too much talent here to let go to waste.

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In my opinion, your software should be created from scratch. This will give you the most flexibility and control.

Thanks a lot. That is the clarity that was lacking in my mind. In fact, that really has helped me more than you think.

Do you have in mind a simple info product on the process of creating software. I could google it but something tells me that you have great experience in this.

thanks a lot once again.

makii said:

Do you have in mind a simple info product on the process of creating software.

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Sorry, I don't know of any such info products.

ubot and zenno are great for bots as well as imacros but you dont need a coder for that if they dont know anything about im. those are meant for ims wanting to do their own bots without real coding. and its true if you try to explain it to someone that does not get the idea behind it , it will be quite a task. I guess your advantage is that you speak their language as that would be a killer citeria for it to not work.

for ideas just read the forum or look at other soft. but once again as mentioned it takes time and then you have to market it as well after paying the coders.. best of luck

My advice would be, if wanting to create software for Imers, or an IM tool, and being an IMer yourself, to think of what YOU want/need/would like, to make your own IM venture easier.

Whatever you can think about, will undoubtedly also be wanted/needed by other IMers - then it's just a case of getting it all down in writing (or use mindmap software freely available) and get it to a programmer for proposals and quotes.

Everything 195471 also applies - the more you learn and understand the development cycle and processes, the better placed you'll be to manage this sort of thing.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot guys for your patience in this. I'm glad you understand that I do not wish to be a coder. I have looked at both ubot and zenno, the comments on the forum that is, and it isn't making a decision on what is needed.

However, your idea of creating a mind map of what needs to be done is just brilliant. I am sure that if the coders are worth their time, they can be able to follow a mind map.

Thanks a lot guys and you are Godsent.