Ask HN: Cloned side project
I've been working on something, as a side project. But I ran into somebody else who recently released a similar product.
Should I continue to work on mine? Or ditch it because it is redundant anyways?
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I have a similar problem. I'm working on a static site generator. It improves on some ideas other people had, but it isn't exactly unique. With several hundred similar projects out there thats almost impossible anyway. It serves my needs, but it isn't exactly mature.
I'm always seeking for a new one that solved the annoyances other projects had so I can just use that one instead. But there is always something off. I could improve the code or give the author a suggestion. Problem is, I'm in dire need of a portfolio. A whole project is far more impressive than one or two patches or a mere suggestion in someones issue tracker.
In the end I would be releasing code I don't really intend to use as soon as something else has all I need. One that probably no one would be using. Perfectionism and pride suddenly come into play.
If you would use the competitor and be completely happy with it then drop it. If you are confident in your ability to provide a better value add then the competitor then charge ahead. Your only loss is a little time.
The thing is, competition can signal that there is a real market for what you're doing.
It's generally not a good thing to be the only game in town over the long run.
Continue to work on it if your approach differs. There are not unique ideas but it depends on who executes it better.
Just keep working on your product/project. Competition may add features to your project !!!