TheWinerStrategy

The DaveWiner strategy for PlatformWars. Read with ToolsVsFormats.

It's a four point, ruthlessly forward driving, (FireAndMotion) incremental strategy.

• 1) Choose the simplest format that can possibly work, however "funky". (WorseIsBetter)

• 2) Fix it in concrete and vigorously prevent creep or incompatibilities or inconsistencies to evolve (at least for the core applications and users.)

• 3) Develop tools and applications using it. Go for simple, practical uses and quick-wins, however apparently trivial. Iteratively add new functionality. The important point is to keep the momentum going. Creating the sense of ongoing development, and making new allies (network connections) among new people and new applications. Examples : enclosures for RSS, playlists, reading-lists for OPML; connection with WordPress for the OPML Editor etc.

• 4) Rutheless, pre-emptive attacks on rival formats. Claim they aren't needed, don't work, are dividing the community's scarce attention etc. Basically you're "weeding" out any possible rivals as early as possible.

There's a lot of commonalities with other network-shaped strategies here of course. Compare WilliamLind's FourthGenerationWar strategy : isolate yourself from sources of disorder, and build connections with sources of order. And is 3) really CommoditizeYourComplements? Maybe not, you're trying to find new complements, and make them more accessible, attractive. Perhaps commoditize them is just a subset of that.

Q : So Phil, are you learning from this strategy

''A : Uh, no! Given that I just stopped developing SdiDesk and went away to rewrite it from scratch in PythonLanguage on the grounds that this was "better" (internal criteria). Not finding new applications or connections I could make for it, etc.

Q : Is this why SdiDesk is a comparative failure in the attention market?

A : Could be :-( Or could just be that VisualBasic is a dead language, and it's lousy code

Q : Any lessons for AltMoney?

''A : Hmmm. 1) Start simple. Don't worry about fancy features, accounting systems, security systems? 2) Don't mess with it. 3) Keep finding more ways to use it. Ie. recruiting new buyers, sellers. 4) Should one be attacking those promoting rival AltMoney schemes? Doesn't seem like the right spirit.