Interesting software companies
I think these are the most interesting software companies.
37signals
They always do it their own way, and have been—successfully, as far as I can tell—for decades now.
Cultured Code
They seemed to set out to make the best todo list app—Things—and then were happy to not do much else. Cultured Code does release bug fixes etc. But they don’t want to cram as many features as they can into Things, so the product has remained unusually static.
Good Enough
More than many other software companies, Good Enough seems to want to build whatever software they wish was in the world. Their products are generous, full of character, and simply but thoughtfully designed.
Kinopio
Kinopio is a canvas tool designed to help you collect and think about things. The creator—whose page I’ve linked to above—has refreshing opinions about how a tool like this should work.
mmm.page
A page builder which seems to take inspiration from the way the web used to be. Freedom of expression, messy visual design, easy to get started, and limited-but-that’s-the-point.
Not Boring
A set of apps that intentionally do things differently. They use 3D graphics—common on today’s mobiles but rarely used for anything other than games—to render interfaces that feel different from anything else in the space.
Spiderweb Software
They make games that belong in a different era, but intentionally so. I think there’s a lot of value in software which does only what it needs to to appeal to a specific audience. Spiderweb Software is an excellent example of that approach.