Pricing / entry cost for this tool

[Richard Gaskin]

Dan Shafer wrote:
> Not only can I not think of a single *development tool* company
> following the strategy of trying to serve two markets with a
> single product, I can't even come up with a single successful
> software company doing that.

Agreed 100%.

If a tool has any potential to appeal to pros, I believe there's 
sufficient evidence to support the view that focusing on the pro market 
will ultimately benefit both pros and hobbyists more than focusing on 
the latter.

Pros need pro tools, and even hobbysts aspire to professional-looking 
results.  A strategy that appeals to the high end will appeal to both.

If a company is large enough to fully invest the necessary resources for 
two completely different markets (large enough to operate effectively as 
two separate companies), a two-pronged approach may have merit.

But in our world with inherent limitations, that's a tough thing to do. 
  Consider DreamCard:  to fulfill its mission it really needs a very 
different UI from Rev, but as it is it's essentially the same product 
without the standalone builder.  DreamCard's been around for years -- if 
there are plans to further differentiate it history evidently supports 
the view that resources are insufficient to pull that off.

To the degree this is a result of focusing on the pro product maybe 
that's not so bad.  My perspective is admittedly skewed, being dependent 
on the pro product to manage the three businesses in which I'm CTO:  I'd 
hate to see any slowdown of bug fixes or feature enhancements in the 
engine to make a prettier entry-level tool.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Managing Editor, revJournal
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  Rev tips, tutorials and more: http://www.revJournal.com