37signals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 37signals | |
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| Type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Industry | web development |
| Products | web applications |
| Employees | 8 (2006) |
| Website | www.37signals.com |
37signals is a privately held web design and web application company based in Chicago. The firm was founded in 1999 by CEO Jason Fried and partners as a web design company with a particular focus on usability, simplicity, and clarity. 37signals also produces a popular blog, Signal vs. Noise.
The company is named for the 37 radiotelescope signals identified by astronomer Paul Horowitz as potential messages from extraterrestrial intelligence.
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[edit] History
37signals designed Meetup and redesigned sites for customers including Panera Bread and Shopping.com. In 2000, they created the eNormicom website, a satire of the dot-com era. In 2003, 37signals launched a web design service called 37express, where for a set fee they would redesign one page on a website.
Also in 2003, 37signals began work on a web application for project management named Basecamp, originally intended for internal use, that took the company in a new direction. Basecamp has since been followed by:
- Ta-Da List - a pared-down to-do list application
- Backpack - a less structured personal information manager and calendar
- Writeboard - a collaborative editor
- Campfire - a business-oriented online chat interface
- and Sunrise, a CRM application (as of 2006, announced but not yet public).
By mid-2005 the company had moved away from consulting work to focus exclusively on its web applications. Each application has a free limited-feature version and (except for Ta-Da List and Writeboard) monthly subscription levels with more features.
Some source code from Basecamp was released as open source, called Ruby on Rails.
On July 20, 2006 the company announced[1] that Jeff Bezos had acquired a minority stake through his personal investment company, Bezos Expeditions.
[edit] Philosophy
37signals promotes an internally-developed Agile software development methodology and philosophy called "Getting Real". Getting Real eschews formal programming methodology and focuses on creating useful alpha software with small teams, then iterating to a simple but useful application based on client feedback. The company which initially expanded without venture capital and advocated the "self-funded startup" approach, although it has since taken investment from Jeff Bezos. 37signals has held seminars about their methods in Chicago and other U.S. cities.
It is not clear how much of the philosophy is actively followed. On the company's blog various 37signals members have denigrated the value of customer feedback. Similarly, a blog post that developers should not concentrate on test automation, but 37signals' own Ruby on Rails product makes extensive use of automated testing.
[edit] Books
- Defensive Design for the Web : How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points, New Riders Press, 2004 ISBN 0-7357-1410-X
- Getting Real, self-published e-book, 2006
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- 37signals - company website
- 37 Signals, 1 Clear Message - BusinessWeek Online interview with cofounder Jason Fried
- 37signals: Programming at Warp Speed - BusinessWeek company profile
- Company video profile on Apple.com
- Podcast Interview with Jason Fried on the Web 2.0 Show
- Podcast Interview with David Heinemeier Hasson on the Web 2.0 Show
- 2006 Open Source Mentoring Interview with Jason Fried
