TL;DR: DEVELOPMENT IS NOT CANCELLED, BUT PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE APP IS NOT GUARANTEED.
with the rapid growing interest of a simply plural alternative, specifically mine, expectations are starting to shift for my project. i want to share my current plan, limitations, and possible outcomes, all in one post. especially when it comes to this app becoming publicly accessible.
as ive mentioned before, i did not expect my post about the app i am developing to circulate to this extent. i assumed only a handful of people would want to use it, no more than 100 if that. however, there are now hundreds of eyes on me, and it is getting to a point i am not sure if i can manage it super well. so i am going to be as open and detailed about my plan as possible.
it has been causing me anxiety at this point, so i need to be upfront with what i am planning to do so nobody sets their expectations too high and ends up disappointed. that way, i can hopefully go back to working on this without that looming over my head. i want to emphasize, i am one person. i have only been a web developer for a year and a half, and i have never hosted anything for the general public before. this is all entirely new to me.
the development is not an issue. the entire purpose of this project is just for me to have fun and make an app me and my friends can use with simply plural gone. its to challenge me to create something entirely on my own, in a way i would personally find most appealing and usable.
the major roadblock i have run into is the funding.
if i have hundreds of people using my app, and only a few people can help contribute to the cost, i will NOT be able to afford keeping even the web app online. and the last thing i want is for people to migrate after simply plural's shut down, only to be met with the same thing all over again. this is the main concern i have. as much as i want to be able to pay for everything out of pocket, that is just not a realistic thing i can do.
my current roadmap is this;
i will continue to develop the app. some features may be cancelled or postponed, but the core functionality of member storage, front tracking, and adding friends will still be available. if i have the energy, i will add advanced front analytics, journaling, and friend status updates. additionally, none of the features i have created thus far will be removed unless something unexpected happens.
the downloadable mobile app is no longer a priority either, as not only will it be more costly, but it will create an entirely new branch for me to maintain. i would rather focus on maintaining a web application that i have more experience with, and is more easily accessible to people regardless of device/platform.
HOWEVER; the app is going to be a closed, invite-only beta indefinitely.
this does not mean it will be forever. this just means a public release is not guaranteed, nor will it have a set release date. it will have 2 phases, depending on how each one goes:
phase one: i will allow donators to access the app, both for testing purposes and personal usage. depending on monthly costs, and how long the closed beta period actually is, one-time donators will be allowed access, along with monthly.
phase two: if i get enough funding, or if the app proves to not be as costly as i assume, the closed beta will expand beyond donators. i will allow any paid users to generate a small amount of invite codes for non-paying users to access the app, and as long as there are enough active donators, anyone who donates will not have their access revoked if they stop donating monthly.
at the bare minimum, i will have to be in the closed beta stage for at least a month, preferably two. if it spans multiple months, and there are not enough monthly donators, i may need to restrict access to only those who donate monthly. this is a worst case scenario though, as i really do not like how similar it is to a subscription service. i hate subscription services, and i will do everything in my power to make sure this closed beta does not have to come to this point.
if the closed beta proves to not be sustainable cost wise, then it may never leave the closed beta stage. there are two possible outcomes here;
one, i can continue to afford to fund the application out of my own pocket and/or enough monthly donators stick around, and no one will have to lose access to the app. (this is the most likely scenario).
two, i do not get enough donations for the amount of users, and i will have to restrict access to the app to only me and my friends, which was its original intention.
as i mentioned in my initial post about this project, i did not want anyone to get their hopes up - but i also do not want to give up yet. there is still a possibility this application can go public if enough people donate, and it is also entirely possible my anxiety is getting the better of me and i am far overestimating what the costs could be. but i do not want to make it sound like it is 100% going to happen if there is any chance it will not.
thank you everyone for your support. i will continue to post updates when i can, and i will create a patreon AND discord server as soon as this app is ready for its first beta release. money aside, i have never felt this motivated and encouraged to create ANYTHING, and it has meant the entire world to me. and thank you if you intend to stick around, regardless of the possibility of no public release.
for a bit more information on what these costs go towards, here is my prior post on the subject.
(apologies for the lack of tag list, it has gotten beyond the post tag limit and i do not want to leave anybody out. i will figure out an alternative soon.)
