Fun Size Bytes (from @Tj)

Instapaper Blog: Website update

I love release notes.

They show a particular set of problems that were addressed, features that were added, changes that were made. There was more to be done, but this is what we/I did in the time we had allotted because this is what we deemed most important and most achievable in the time allowed.

So yes, I read the release notes for a text editor whenever a new version comes out, and meanwhile try to understand how people can stick with a severely flawed alternative that has had no public signs of life in ages. (Seriously, TextMate, you think I want to save a document in / *every time I go to save a new document?)

Perhaps second on my list of “Favorite Release Notes To Read” is Instapaper. What is impressive is not the ongoing development and improvement of an application that is already widely considered “essential” by many people, but also what gets removed from each version.

“X was a bit of a hack to deal with Y. I’ve dealt with Y so X is now gone.”

“Q was a bad idea so I’ve replaced it with R.”

“Previously there was an option to do G or H, but G was buggy and so H is the only option from this point forward.”

And so on…

It takes either a lot of arrogance or self-confidence (which of course is a very fine line to begin with) or to do this. On more than one occasion I have found myself thinking, “BUT I USE THAT!” and soon afterwards thinking “Yeah, but I don’t really miss it.”

Anyway, this is what happens when I wake up at 6 a.m. because there are stupid birds being loud outside my window. And I had to pee. But mostly it was the birds.