Small Software Companies: The other side of the coin

Posted by Tom S.
Mar 7, 2007 at 09:03 PM

Phil wrote:

>—If you make a product suggestion to some of these large companies, how
>often do you get (or expect) a response? Do you even bother?

>—Where else do you get to
>try a product for 30 days for free? Many products offer a return policy, but most want
>the money up front and provide the refund only if you ask for it.

Ahem, well… MS? :)

I actually usually do get responses from support at bigger software companies. But truthfully there’s nothing quite like emailing a developer and getting a personal email response, then seeing a minor release the next week with your bug fixed (which has happened to me). Its very empowering.

But bottom line I have to agree with the sympathy that was posted in an earlier thread. You have to go with the software that suits your needs best. IMO you should never, ever choose to not use a good piece of software just because it was developed by a big company.

IMO the good news for the small developer is that by being nimble and personally interacting with a smaller, known body of users, they have a much better chance of customizing their software to meet their needs. If you use OneNote (as I do) and you want to see a change, that change may or may not take priority and it may be years and years before you see the it (if at all). That is much less likely to be the case with a small developer with whom you have developed a more personal, if still professional, relationship.

Tom S.