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The Story of ProjectStat.us - Part 2 of 2

How long did it take to build, and how was ProjectStat.us built?

In Part 1, I talked about how the idea for the ProjectStat.us service came about. In Part 2, I will go into details about how the service was built.

In late summer 2005, I was still working a full-time job (I have since moved on to my own business - Progressive Data Solutions). I was in a hurry to get the new service built (which did not get its name until a few months later), but a full-time job can slow side projects down.

I decided to hire a developer, so I posted an ad on Craigslist for a PHP developer. At the time, I was working with and developing in ASP.NET, and it was taking its toll on me. I wanted the new application to be different. I was also in the process of learning a new development technology called Ruby on Rails, but I thought I didn't know enough to develop a new service with it. Luckily, the developer I found convinced me to go with Rails instead of PHP.

The decision to use Rails was a smart one. After I left my job in early fall 2005, I began to learn and use Rails in earnest. I worked with the developer to finish the initial version of the service. After the developer was done, I re-wrote most of the service to make better use of Rails development practices.

The last few months have seen a drastic change in my development philosophy, and I think ProjectStat.us reflects that change. Ideas like 37signals' "less software is better" and David Heinemeier Hansson's mantra of opinionated software have altered how I develop software and do business. I also attended two events, including the Pragmatic Rails Studio and the 37signals workshop, that were influential in how ProjectStat.us was built. It's safe to say, without Ruby on Rails and its design philosophy, ProjectStat.us would not have seen the light of day. I would have tried to develop it in ASP.NET or PHP and then given up because of the boredom and tediousness.

So after a few months of work, the beta for ProjectStat.us was released in late October to a group of landscapers. Over the next few months, they were able to provide feedback and ideas that helped make the service better.

I'll admit that one of the mistakes made early on was not getting a designer involved from the start. We actually released ProjectStat.us with a not-too-good design. Luckily, Lori from Zenful Creations was able to help solve that problem and she came up with a beautiful design.

The official site, complete with new design, launched in mid February.

ProjectStat.us will continue to improve while maintaining the idea that less software is better, and that a simple tool that does the job well is much better than a product that tries to be everything to everyone. Look for some new features soon that make use of Ajax technology for a better user experience.

Categories: The Story
Posted by Phil on 02.22.2006 |

 
 
 
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