Taking a break from DestroyTwitter
It has been exactly one year since I decided to enter the Twitter app world with DestroyTwitter. Within this year, there has been 45 public releases and over 300,000 installs. After working tirelessly on it, all the while juggling college and a job, it’s time to take a break. As much as I love developing DestroyTwitter, I want to experience a life away from the computer for those hours after 5 pm.
Anyone who knows me has probably seen me in front of a computer more often than not. And with every year that goes by, I feel one step closer to burning out. I want to be able to code for as long as I can, but I know it isn’t healthy to maintain my current pace. In college, the morning/day/night work schedule made sense—I was surrounded by peers who worked around the clock as well. Now that I have a full-time job and a family, it’s time to balance the work with a period of downtime and recreation.
I will continue to respond to emails regarding DestroyTwitter as best I can, but I have no plans to post the source code. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. It has been a fun year and I can’t thank you enough for contributing to the project.
i know what you mean completely. some times you have to just take a step back. Thank you so much for givnig your time on a good product, andi know this was a hard decision for you to make.
too bad, its really my favorite client and i was really keen on 2.0, but i guess i will have to switch if there are no further updates
Well…. OK then.
.
PS: I started Twitter exactly one year ago!
That’s very sad, especially as Twitter added multiple new features that are not supported in the current public release of DTw.. This will definitely hurt DTw’s reputation and will reduce it’s competitive level
Congratulations on a great product and on making a tough but wise decision. Enjoy your time with your family!
So this is the end? No iPhone client? No 2.0? Well, that officially sucks.
Thank you for the effort you put in to developing what is a very esthetically pleasing and functional client.
Enjoy balance.
Darn.. What other client am I going to use and still be cool? Loved the layout of it.
Enjoy the time off! Thanks for a sweet app – I’ll definitely continue using it as it does what it needs to do perfectly.
Cheers.
You know, I’ve been planning to take a break since long time ago, but I never took the final decision. Such things are not that easy, especially when you see tweets from all the Flash geeks one follows, posting links and inspiring things etc.
However this is a nice step you are taking, as family comes first. I remember having a couple of issues because of the hours spending in front of my computer leaving everything behind (and you know what I mean
). We coders sometimes are much more committed to our job than to our wives.
Have a nice time Jonnie!
PS: Don’t miss on Twitter!!
A sad announcement, even if it is for reasons that many can understand and relate to.
Well done for all your great work on a fantastic Twitter application.
Take it easy, have a great Christmas and New Year, good luck with everything and I look forward to the return of you and DestroyTwitter.
Oh man. That’s a shame, but understandable.
Thank you for creating my favorite twitter client. Guess it’s time to move, but it’s sooo hard to let go.
Best of luck on your other endeavors.
Yep. He just announced on Twitter. DestroyTwitter development is done.
All I can say is well done for sticking at this for as long as you did. I love DTw and I can only hope that other developers pay as much attention to detail as you did in the future.
There will more than likely be a small set of users that feel that you owe them for creating a beautiful app and giving it to them for free, and that you should not stop developing it. However I am sure that the majority, which includes myself, will say thanks for making at least one year of our Twittering life as pleasurable as you have.
On a selfish note – How could you!
I’m really sad to hear about this. DT is definitely the best Twitter client out there. But I understand that you need to do that, specially for a person that is doing this on his own free time and for free.
But anyway, I know you have been working on these new features like Lists (cause you posted pics about it). Will you be releasing a final version of DT at least? Just so we can still use DT for as long as possible?
Thanks for the great work you’ve done for us, Twitter users
Good karma.
No joke- DestroyTwitter is, and has been, the best Twitter app I’ve used (and I’ve used a lot!) While it’s a shame to see development stop, I’m still glad I have the current version to keep running. Really- no other Twitter app is as well done. Kudos on the hard work but it’s always good to recognize a good time to end something. The program is well-designed, stable, and works!
To all those people saying it’s his free time etc., I agree but I personally think that he would’nt have gotten his job ay Adobe without DT so he is somewhat getting payd for it…. but thats just me
Hi Jonnie,
thanks for developing DTw to the point you developed it. Yes, I was looking forward to 2.0 Release, but I totally understand your descission. There is more to life then sitting infront of your computer day in and day out. Enjoy your time with your family!
Regards,
Elmar
Nonetheless I’ll continue to use DestroyTwitter.
Let’s face it: It works, noone gives a sh** about the official ReTweet-Feature as well as lists. And: There is no alternative!
So have a nice time! I hope you’ll pick up where you leave now some time in the future…
Thanks for a great app! I’ve enjoyed using it. I am sad that you are stepping away, but totally understand. You need a life balance! Nice work and best of luck to you!
Wow. Some people really do want to make you feel guilty.
My personal feedback on your client: Clean, nice, dark, stable, simple. Your competitors fail to see that what they have in functionality, they lose in style. Most people want a simple client. DT is that and more. Well thought out and classy in my opinion.
On your decision: Hey, it’s your life and you are certainly not answerable to your “installers”. Good luck, sir.
Hey Jonnie,
I just want to thank you for all the dedication you put into DT.
I used it from the week I started tweeting, and I still love it.
Enjoy your time.
Greetings from Leipzig, Germany
If you don’t have plans to upgrade DestroyTwitter I suggest you take the most logical step of putting it in public domain as an open source project. It will still evolve under your supervision so it will stay as you’ve planned it to.
But you may as well plan to release a completely different (monetizable) product based on the codebase you’ve written up until current version. And I suppose your employer is just as well interested in this maybe they even suggested monetizing ways you could take in a joint venture.
So which one’s gonna be?
Ohno this truly is a tragedy
I thank you for such an AMAZING twitter client, and wish you the best of luck in the future
Although on a final note: can you PLEASE try to release destroytwitter 2.0? It was a killer app, however many things (including notifications in windows 7) no longer work, so i have stopped using it… If you would be so kind as to just update it and leave, i would continue using it along with many of the 300,000 people that have it installed, and your legacy will live on
Cheers mate.
It’s nice to see you prioritizing things. Respect.
A wise decision… it’s all about priorities and, much though Destroy Twitter is loved, you have them right.
Thanks for the good times I’ve had with DT(w) and I wish you the very best for the future. Your paying employer is very lucky to have you.
Good call. I made the same decision 11 months ago and it has changed my life. I still do side stuff, but not nearly at the pace I used to. Your life will improve all the way ’round.
I just spent an hour or more checking out other clients but they’re all awful. They just are. Lacking in either style, functionality or customizability – I can’t handle that. So I’m sticking with DT for as long as possible. It’s hands down the best Twitter client, but most of all I liked the fact there was an actual person and their individual effort behind it – it just made your product that much better.
Thanks for everything you put into this great app and I hope things work out for you the way you want them to.
its a sad sad day my friends
oh man… Jonnie it seems like I been with DT(w) since the beginning and now your leaving… I understand your decision but could you either stick with it a little longer to get 2.0 out or release the code.
Your app is to GREAT to be pushed to the side and collect dust for months and months and months.
When you do come back to DT(w) however long it is you will have to start all over from scratch because of the Exponential Evolution for any thing attached to the net
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE release 2.0 or the code before you shelf it for a indeterminable amount of time.
PLEASE PLEASE with sugar & chocolate sprinkles on top!
Ah… that’s a shame, I was really looking forward to 2.0, I guess I’ll just have to wait until it comes out of hiatus… I’d like to show my support of B. More’s idea (2.0! 2.0!), but would like to thank you for what you have done. I guess I’ll be out to look for another client then… (although, it’s probably a good thing you don’t burn yourself out!)
I did the exact same thing as Venice above and agree totally with him: other desktop Twitter applications totally suck when compared to DestroyTwitter.
Which means I’ll just continue using DestroyTwitter for as long as possible.
Thank you for developing such a great Twitter application!
I’ve been sticking with DT(w) 1.72 for months waiting for the next version. Even though I have some fairly major problems with it (frequent crashes and complete inability to access favorites), I still liked it better than anything. But now that development is halted, I will have to look for another program instead of just hoping and waiting for the next update. Please consider doing something to let this project live on – whether that be finding an interested buyer of the code or simply converting to open source. We all have our priorities and I respect your need for time for the other things in life, but please let someone else carry the torch of this wonderful program.
[...] Jonnie Hallman is stopping development on DestroyTwitter (still my favourite twitter client ever), I thought I’d try out Hahlo. It [...]
Hmm… I came to ur blog to see if there are any new beta releases for DT but found this instead… Really really sad.. But I wish u all the best…
It makes me really sad to hear this, since it’s a great app, but completely understand. I hope you’ll have more time to do great things which inspire you and make you happy!
Thanks a lot!
[...] zu: “Taking a break from DestroyTwitter“ var [...]
GIVE US THE CODE!
Thank you for a great, great application – I’ll use it as long as it won’t get broken by some service updates from Twitter itself. Enjoy your time off and make the most of it! All the best to you & your family
Does this means, no 2.0 on the foreseeable future? From development, expected on next version:
- Icons preference for none, small, or big [complete]
- Replaced Wider Workspace with navigation icon for switching between 1-3 canvases [complete]
If it is complete, who not release, then go to sleep?
Just a thought.
Destroy Twitter Rest In Peace.
Well, it’s been “broken” ever since Twitter introduced the built-in Re-tweet feature… If a friend of mine re-tweets a status from someone I don’t follow, then the retweet won’t show up in Destroy Twitter. This kinda defeats the whole purpose of the Re-tweet option since it can only be seen by those who were able to see it from the original author, so what’s the purpose?
You know, one has to wonder about a programmer’s vision when they start something they know will be long and involved, and then decide in midstream that their lives have become more important. I don’t know a single coder who can manage their own time. That’s a fact.
What, you didn’t think Twitter would be around or change? What, you didn’t anticipate a life? I liked and used your program, and I use many other programs for Twitter as well. I guess I should be grateful to have used it for awhile, but I’m not feelin’ it. Listen, you don’t owe me anything, but that’s a two way street.. I don’t owe you anything, either.
At some point I might have paid for it, if you’d got off your lethargic ass and made it current. I’m sure glad I’m not dependent on it for anything. Mixero’s awesome, still developing. That will be my new main app for Twitter. I’ll pay *them* when they ask.
But I still wonder why coders start projects they will never continue? Coders have to be some of the flakiest people on earth.
Next time you start a project… well, don’t. Get laid, drink something, whack off… do us a favor. I am so tired of apps that get halfway done and end with an apology.
Laters, shroom.
I have using the Twitter website. DestroyTwitter was a godsend. I hope you decide to continue working on it after your break. If not, I’m sure some open source developers would love to keep it alive.
Thank you!
Hey, DestroyTwitter fans, listen up!
I was searching for a good enough successor after DT had been discontinued and after trying all possible and impossible clients I ended up using Mixero. That was pretty good for a little time, then I gave up and used the default web interface.
Today I tried Seesmic Desktop (the AIR version, not the windows one) and it’s perfect. There were few things that bugged me about Seesmic in the past, but they’ve been fixed and now it’s just what I need. The memory consumption is a little high though, but still quite decent compared to anything but DT.
Give it a try, it worked for me.
(If DT’s development is restarted I’ll be happy to come back to it.)
i have tried almost all the free options out there…
brizzly
seesmic desktop
seesmic for windows
seesmic look
tweetdeck
even mixero…
and blu!
nothing seems to be working fine for me. i still use DT and would continue to use it till it stops working!
the vision for dt2.0 was perfect. multi account support. similar interface. just hoping it would be released some day in the future.
I just discovered DestroyTwitter today after searching for what felt like forever for a decent Twitter client, and hours later I stumble on this post and realize it’s a dead project. Very disappointing.
Every other Air-based app is way too bloated for what I want a Twitter app to do, either in ridiculous memory usage, bad performance, or ugly 3+ panel interfaces. I lived with Echofon/TwitterFox for a while but I didn’t want something tied to my browser. DestroyTwitter fit the bill perfectly. It was simple, minimalistic, and very clean.
Now the search continues… yay…
Well, DestroyTwitter is destroyed. How ironic is that?
I assume you’re not revealing the source code hoping to sell it to someone, so let us know if you get your hands on this again, or if you succeed in selling out.
Oh, and good luck with your life. The actionscript classes you’ve been posting lately are pretty awesome. They would really come in handy if they existed a few months ago.
Cheers!
I will continue to use DestroyTwitter until it doesn’t work anymore. This app is great!
any chance you can open the source? I am sure someone would love to continue your work.
weak
a 2.0 beta would of suffice for me
I love DT and read your post when it was published. I was wondering when you plan to make a come back. Twitter’s made some changes and such it would be awesome if there could be an interim release adding support to at least show retweets made using the new retweet feature.