01

Clay Shirky, brilliant as usual: “Now, when I say these are three things you have to accept, I mean you have to accept them. Because if you don't accept them upfront, they'll happen to you anyway. And then you'll end up writing one of those documents that says ‘Oh, we launched this and we tried it, and then the users came along and did all these weird things. And now we're documenting it so future ages won't make this mistake.’ Even though you didn't read the thing that was written in 1978.”

Echo

Since it's so easy to create all kinds of XML feeds with CityDesk, I thought I'd create an experimental Echo feed, in hopes of officially being the first publisher on earth to use the new format, along with all the celebrity and fanfare that should entail. The feed is here. It is generated with off-the-shelf CityDesk (well, the 2.0 beta).

Please be aware that the Echo syntax itself is still changing rapidly and while I will attempt to keep up with those changes, I may not always be able to do so.

Please email me to suggest corrections to the format or if you notice something that doesn't match the rapidly-evolving spec.

My new book is here! Apress has just published a new collection of 36 essays from Joel on Software, aptly named More Joel on Software. Get yours today! Available from Amazon.com or wherever fine cheese is sold.

About the Author: I’m your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I've been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site. For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz—the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot—the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.

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