Build and Analyze

Build and Analyze episodes:

• 12.11.2012

  107: The Eldest Programmer

  Dan and Marco discuss testing and logging, formal programming, Core Data versus other datastore techniques, and developers knowing basic terminal operation and server administration.

  
• 12.03.2012

  106: Outlasted The Daily

  Dan and Marco discuss the Mac Pro's relevance, the effects of RAM and FileVault on performance, the App Store Volume Purchase discount, how well Instapaper for Android is doing, why The Daily failed, deciding whether articles belong on blogs or...

  
• 11.26.2012

  105: Service Plans for Cables

  On this happy Cyber Monday, Dan and Marco discuss journalists mangling quotes, the decline of upgradeable hardware, how to tell if a price is negotiable, why many publications don't take full advantage of Newsstand, protecting assets inside app bundles, and...

  
• 11.19.2012

  104: Hammertime

  Dan and Marco discuss the upcoming end of the show, Scott Forstall and MC Hammer, Passbook apps and promotion, how to decide when to start a new project, PayPal's subscription problems, and the economics of one-time app payments.

  
• 11.12.2012

  103: Denial Haircut

  Dan and Marco discuss music under podcast ads, TextMate 2 activity, the costs of pagination in Instapaper and The Magazine, scientific support of "low-acid" coffee benefits, every cure for male hair loss and baldness, and affiliate-marketing spam.

  
• 11.05.2012

  102: My Quotes Are Curly And My Dashes Are Solid

  Dan and Marco discuss settings in the Settings app, full-screen modes, text adjustment options in Instapaper and The Magazine, choosing fonts for apps, building a custom CMS versus customizing an existing one, white-labeling The Magazine, and over-roasted coffee.

  
• 11.02.2012

  101: Looting Siracusa County

  Dan and Marco discuss "Superstorm" Sandy aftermath, Scott Forstall's forced exit from Apple, the iPad Mini and iPad "4", the Microsoft Surface and Windows RT, Disney's plans for Lucasfilm, and hosting servers in natural-disaster-prone datacenters.

  
• 10.22.2012

  100: The Hostage Star

  Dan and Marco discuss the Microsoft Surface commercial and its likely launch challenges, writing apps that align with Apple's incentives, The Magazine's naming and design decisions, and recognizing and fixing a poor design choice.

  
• 10.16.2012

  99: The Podcast

  Dan and Marco discuss Marco's new app, The Magazine.

  
• 10.08.2012

  98: It's Part of Me Now

  Dan and Marco discuss non-U.S. universities on CVs, which old iOS devices to keep for testing, prototyping new ideas, why Marco's still not using storyboards, ARC, Core Data, or autolayout, and the boom of relevance and activity on App.net since...

  
• 10.01.2012

  97: Grapefruits Everywhere

  Dan and Marco discuss Nests, Mac App Store review times, iOS 6 upgrades, non-Retina support, managing servers for app back-ends, and whether perpetual app maintenance is necessary.

  
• 09.24.2012

  96: Sandwich With A Slot

  Dan and Marco discuss initial impressions of the iPhone 5, rapid iOS 6 adoption and when it may be safe to require it, Feedburner's demise, B.S. in Computer Science degrees versus related degrees with lower math and theory requirements, and...

  
• 09.20.2012

  95: This Unicorn Doesn't Support NFC

  Dan and Marco discuss iOS 6 for users and developers, adding iPhone 5 compatibility, the iPhone 5's name, unreasonable press reactions, Google's J2ObjC compiler, how embarrassingly easy it is to support VoiceOver (yet so many apps still mess it up),...

  
• 09.10.2012

  94: Everything Would Cut You

  Dan and Marco discuss Amazon's new Kindles, the differing goals of Apple and Amazon, why the tablet market is so different from the PC market and who stands to win and lose, the Enlight 7237, and the longevity of open...

  
• 09.03.2012

  93: One Donkey Walking In A Circle

  In this episode of the longest-running 5by5 show, Dan and Marco discuss TextMate (of course), business developer account migrations and DUNS numbers, the immense value of Apple's retail stores, creating a brand before its apps, healthcare and taxes, and Instapaper...

  
• 08.27.2012

  92: The Risk Of Broken Promises

  Dan and Marco discuss abandoned software, Twitter's 100,000-token limit in practice, how Twitter and Dropbox would need to change to become $40 billion companies, revealing development plans in advance, Instapaper's operating-cost breakdown, and home network wiring.

  
• 08.20.2012

  91: Quadrants

  Dan and Marco discuss Twitter's controversial API-policy changes, why they want (and need) to enforce them, their incentives and motivations, why this is different from the App Store, decentralized solutions, and worms.

  
• 08.13.2012

  90: This Person Isn't Really Here

  Dan and Marco discuss Sublime Text 2, TextMate 2's open-sourcing, App.net's funding and why Kickstarter-like campaigns can get a huge boost of funding at the end, the difficulty of having good presences on multiple social services and the effects of...

  
• 08.06.2012

  89: Giant Mushy Boat

  Dan and Marco follow up on ergonomic keyboards and text editors, then discuss the appeal of the command line, AeroPress grind size, the Metro Style renaming, Hulu Plus, why Instapaper needs rate limiting and the challenge of finding an appropriate...

  
• 07.30.2012

  88: Things Are Pretty Here

  Dan and Marco revisit text editors and discuss clicky tenkeyless keyboards and ergonomics, the Mac App Store's sandboxing issues, designing apps with stock UIKit widgets, foreign App Store reviews, and some of Instapaper's feature decisions including non-native Twitter integration, bookmarklet...

  
• 07.23.2012

  87: Close the Window and Hope for the Best

  Dan and Marco discuss how to research and find good products, portable and window air conditioners, the unfortunate status of TextMate 2 and the search for alternatives, Sparrow's business and acquisition, and App.net's chances of success.

  
• 07.16.2012

  86: Folding A Piece Of Cake

  Dan and Marco discuss chicken salad, Chicago pizza, the in-app purchase hack, depressingly realistic first-person shooters, gender and demographic myopia among developers, how well the 7.85" iPad might sell and what that might mean, Penny Arcade's Kickstarter, Ben Brooks' paywall,...

  
• 07.09.2012

  85: Rules of the Road

  Dan and Marco discuss corrupt App Store binaries, responding to customer reviews, advertisers paying more than customers, VC-funded startups' road to acquisition, the business culture of condescension and euphemisms, the security of hosting sensitive files on Dropbox or GitHub, and...

  
• 07.02.2012

  84: California Knife in Your Back

  Dan and Marco discuss keyboard-screen imprinting, Google's odd TV ball, Sirius and Pulsar, the difference between copyright and patent infringement, Instapaper's price-change results, the iPad 1 installed base, the Nexus 7, Apple's Podcasts app, why Apple probably won't offer paid...

  
• 06.25.2012

  83: Microsoft Countertop

  Dan and Marco discuss cable TV, HBO, and piracy, challenges that Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface will face with developer and enterprise adoption, why other Retina Mac models may take longer than we expect, the case for Instapaper offering a...

  
• 06.21.2012

  82: This Microphone's Getting Heavy

  Dan and Marco discuss the results of the Starbucks promotion, why it's different from making a free version of the app, Instapaper's price experiment, originality in customer-submitted ideas, the costs of filing and enforcing patents, and Marco's new-old Mac Pro.

  
• 06.12.2012

  81: The Beast Under My Desk

  Marco checks in from his hotel room at WWDC to talk with Dan about Apple's new hardware and software announcements.

  
• 06.04.2012

  80: Please, Go to Starbucks

  In this truly big week, Dan and Marco discuss Instapaper's ad on Howard Stern, the Android app launch, the Starbucks App Of The Week, background location updates with geofencing, and conservative predictions about the TBA sessions at WWDC.

  
• 05.29.2012

  79: Get Away From The Edge

  Dan and Marco discuss Twitter's neglected desktop and iPad apps, Flattr followup and Instacast's rejection for integrating it in-app, Zynga, personal standards and dignity, originality, getting stuck on hard problems, types of web hosting, tips for self-managed servers, and basics...

  
• 05.21.2012

  78: The Opposite of Instapaper

  Dan and Marco discuss Flattr, API versioning, web frameworks, and Marco's formerly secret App Store experiment: a brand new app that's nothing like Instapaper.

  
• 05.14.2012

  77: I Had A Baby, You Launched An App

  Dan and Marco discuss the new 5by5 Radio app, why Apple may not want to add paid upgrades to the App Store, the infinite market for podcast clients and to-do apps, Instacast's in-app-purchase backlash, how and why to remove features...

  
• 05.07.2012

  76: Trust Me, I Know C

  Instacast 2.0's interesting pricing, RubyMotion, seemingly impossible requirements in job postings, undercutting competitors on price, and why 5by5 probably shouldn't do a parenting show.

  
• 04.30.2012

  75: My Twitterrific Moment

  Marco's new baby, working from home with kids, tightening car seats, speaking at conferences, baby monitors, the costs of hiring someone, the Instapaper website job description, Read It Later and Pocket, paying attention to competitors, the future direction of Instapaper,...

  
• 04.27.2012

  74: Ship or Get Off The Pot

  With Marco on paternity leave this week, Dan is joined by Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software. They discuss the origins of Daniel's flagship product, MarsEdit, the long hours often required of independent developers, and more.

  
• 04.16.2012

  73: One Cell Taller

  Readability's failed payment system, why Instagram was worth so much to Facebook, advertisers outbidding customers, the rumored taller-screen iPhone and its effects on apps, WWDC, and Dan's bold feature decisions in the upcoming 5by5 Radio app.

  
• 04.09.2012

  72: An Uncomfortable Night for Everybody

  Upgrades in the App Store (or the lack thereof), gesture discoverability, iPad 3 renderInContext slowdowns, the inelegant transition periods of the Pentium Pro and A5X, and burning hamburgers.

  
• 04.02.2012

  71: The Lottery Mindset

  Draw Something, myths of overnight successes, the lottery mindset contributing to idea people and patent policy, how good colleges and computer science degrees affect your future career, a review of three leading iOS podcast apps, and follow-up on the BMW...

  
• 03.26.2012

  70: 116 Degree Burns

  Dan and Marco discuss the "www" prefix, Eye-Fi with Aperture, using Kickstarter to fund large software projects, iPad Warmgate, being featured in the App Store, customer reactions to requiring iOS 5, instant coffee, and theoretical 3G-equipped MacBooks.

  
• 03.19.2012

  69: Holiday Punishment Font

  Dan and Marco discuss Retina-screen design considerations, Retina graphics on the web, the benefits of requiring iOS 5, and the ethics of app analytics.

  
• 03.12.2012

  68: The Returning Dessert Problem

  More on the effects of competition, apps as entertainment risks and the dynamics of low app pricing, why forced app trials would be bad, health insurance for single-person businesses, and why Marco hates iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom.

  
• 03.05.2012

  67: Competing With Free

  Dan and Marco discuss Instapaper's new competitor, Readability, the effects of competing with a free product, trying to be original while implementing similar features, and the difficulties of choosing fonts for reading body text on screens.

  
• 02.27.2012

  66: Car Haters and Idea Guys

  Dan and Marco discuss fun cars and car economics, idea guys, the value of ideas, the value of products launched by "famous" people, and why responding to email is hopelessly impossible.

  
• 02.20.2012

  65: An Accountant Knows Where To Put It

  Dan and Marco discuss the value of accountants, taxing, 1099s, Japanese withholding on App Store sales, Internet Explorer's recent improvements and browser testing, and why this show often isn't about programming and APIs.

  
• 02.16.2012

  64: Mountain Kitten

  Dan and Marco discuss the Ivy Bridge delay, k56flex, Windows branding, and, oh yeah, the announcement and preview of OS X Mountain Lion.

  
• 02.10.2012

  63: Underwear Drawer

  Dan and Marco discuss apps versus the web, iOS address-book access and data privacy, and Honeywell suing Nest for patent infringement.

  
• 02.02.2012

  62: Frustrated by the Invisible Person

  Dan and Marco successfully avoid development topics for an entire show, instead discussing USB outlets and the Nest thermostat.

  
• 01.26.2012

  61: Up and Down All Night Long

  Dan and Marco discuss server monitoring, iCloud replacing web apps, NSZombie, and the complex world of salaries.

  
• 01.17.2012

  60: Mostly Empty Notebooks

  Dan and Marco discuss mute switches, the cost of settings, bad broadband, deciding which features to implement, design and prototyping processes, and why the Nintendo 64 and first Xbox deserve a lot of credit.

  
• 01.10.2012

  59: Premium Products

  Dan and Marco discuss CES, Second Crack, localization, code comments, serving custom data to UIWebView requests, discounts and sales devaluing your app, premium products, and blog comments.

  
• 01.04.2012

  58: The Cake is Blue [Fixed Audio]

  Dan and Marco discuss app refunds, managing work and family time at home, workaholism culture in startups, the costs of doing business, and how Instapaper stores images offline.