How to monetize with 2 channel dedicated browser 'Jane Style', various direct hit interviews
There have been various types of dedicated browsers for viewing 2ch comfortably for a long time, but among them, Ryota Yamashita, the author of this '
Recently, Internet services have been all the rage, and I hadn't heard much about this kind of software, so I was very interested. We interviewed him from various angles, including his face as a manager.
·table of contents
About the development of Jane Style
◆ About incorporation
◆ Learn more about the author
◆ How do you plan to monetize it?
◆Finally
About the development of Jane Style
This time, Mr. Ryota Yamashita, CEO of Jane Co., Ltd., came to the GIGAZINE editorial department.
This is the 'hand' that created Jane Style
And this is the actual computer used for development
'Jane Style' is made here.
It seems that he is programming while sitting on this chair
So let's start the interview
GIGAZINE (hereinafter G)
Come to think of it, Mr. Yamashita, do you live in Osaka?
Mr. Ryota Yamashita, Representative Director of Jane Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yamashita):
I live in Osaka city. We also rent a rental office near Osaka station.
G:
Speaking of which, how old is Mr. Yamashita?
Yamashita:
I am 25 years old.
G:
When I greeted you before the interview and we talked a little bit, I realized that the university you graduated from is a liberal arts department, right?
Yamashita:
It's grammar. I am a graduate of the Faculty of Economics.
G:
I'm actually developing Jane Style, but when did you start making it?
Yamashita:
I entered university in 2003, so it started in the summer of that year. I've been using it as a user since Twiddle's first Jane, which was released in 2001. At that time, Windows Me was the mainstream, but I only had Windows 95. When I thought that there was no software that could run on Windows 95, I came across Donut and Jane.
G:
When will we make something like Jane Style clearly? Did it turn out like that?
Yamashita:
It was after I met
G:
Then, it feels like I started programming to make Open Jane 'Jane Style' from the very beginning.
Yamashita:
At first, I was just happy to remodel it and distribute it to the users. With 2ch, the reaction is direct, and the reaction was fun. No matter what you do, college students will have to pay. Programming seemed like an inexpensive hobby. I was able to do it because I had a lot of free time.
G:
Did you mean that the direction was decided to some extent clearly from the beginning?
Yamashita:
The direction was set, but... it's still far from the ideal. Looking at it now, it's a mess, and I feel like it's far from simple elegance.
G:
What is Jane Style's development language?
Yamashita:
Delphi . It's a pity that Delphi is rarely used in development. It's a very useful language. It's very nice to be able to quickly and quickly fix something you think is wrong. Even with our software, the compilation will be completed in 5 seconds.
G:
Is it the flow that you started from a place like remodeling Open Jane and learned programming in earnest from there?
Yamashita:
I agree. The sources of the original Jane and Open Jane were my textbooks. The first design is really good. Normally, if you add functions later, it will become heavier and heavier, but at present there is no problem even if you continue to add functions. Well, if you actually look at the source code, it may look like spaghetti, but for now, I think that lightness and speed are compatible. I'm still not satisfied with it, but I think it's done in a good way.
G:
How do you manage your source code?
Yamashita:
At first, it was just compressed in ZIP format and put in place, but now it's distributed in three places. It's on the internet, on a backup HDD, and on my computer. Even if the source code is lost in one place, development will not stop.
◆ About incorporation
G:
What made you decide to use Jane Style to form a corporation?
Yamashita:
It's a shame when your favorite online software is no longer updated. Jane Style is currently used by more than 400,000 people, and suddenly it has reached a scale where it is impossible to abandon development. However, I couldn't find the time I wanted, and I neglected to add functions and fix bugs. I thought that if I could form a team and focus on development, I could make better products and create new value, so I incorporated it.
G:
Also, in addition to 'Jane Style', you have also released software such as '
Yamashita:
I haven't signed a contract yet, so I can't say for sure, but I heard that a certain company will provide resources... I think that if you use it, you can make interesting software.
G:
business software?
Yamashita:
Rather than business, it's multimedia, and I like the Internet, so it's something related to the Internet.
G:
In the future, there will be more software that cooperates with the Internet other than Jane Style.
Yamashita:
I agree. I think it would be fun to create something that can be mashed up as a client application.
G:
As soon as you said that Jane Style would be incorporated, did you receive any inquiries other than interviews from other companies?
Yamashita:
A lot of business stories are coming. Interviews came from various sources.
G:
Also, did you receive any reaction to your email address as soon as you announced that you would be incorporated?
Yamashita:
There were several users who said, 'Congratulations on the establishment of the company.' I was so happy that I replied to all of them. In the first place, in my case, I use bulletin boards to communicate with users, so I rarely receive inquiries from users by email. All requests, complaints, complaints, and things I want to say are written on the bulletin board. I get emails from magazine publishers to let me know that my work has been published, but other than that, I don't usually get emails.
G:
In short, support etc. has become complete in the form of bulletin board main.
Yamashita:
Probably, I think that it feels like writing complaints on the bulletin board if it's about sending an email. I feel that complaints and such are written because I like software. It's been 5 years since I've been doing it for 5 years, so I can roughly understand why you're writing for the purpose of trolling or being a fun criminal, and because you like software. 'Oh, this person is thinking about our software and giving such a harsh opinion.'
G:
The bulletin board is very active.
Yamashita:
I think that if I do it in a thread on 2ch, I probably won't be able to collect it, so I support it on an external bulletin board set up by Jane's users. Even on the external bulletin board, it has grown to about Part 80. Because of the bulletin board style, I think it became clear which functions to prioritize and report bugs. Thank you to all the users who support us.
G:
Do you currently have one employee?
Yamashita:
yes.
G:
How many employees do you want?
Yamashita:
At the moment, I think it's about 3 to 5 people considering the sales scale. The problem is how to recruit excellent engineers in the future. How did GIGAZINE gather so many people?
G:
Basically, there are two patterns: those who are recruited through connections and those who are recruited from outside. In the end, I decided to do an interview with a high threshold that puts top companies to shame. So, at the stage of the final interview, the only people left were those who wanted to hire all of them if they had the money.
Yamashita:
it's difficult. After all, hiring someone means shouldering a part of that person's life, so when you hire someone, you need to be prepared for that too.
◆ Learn more about the author
G:
What kind of boards do you often watch on 2ch?
Yamashita:
I love software boards, and I also look at Windows boards. Also, like kakaku.com, I use 2ch for research before buying a product. I also like breaking news boards. The news system is roughly used to see what kind of opinions there are. I check the difference between what I think and the reactions of internet users.
G:
The browser you usually use seems to be Sleipnir, but what email software do you use?
Yamashita:
The mail software is Hidemaru mail .
G:
It's a bitter choice.
Yamashita:
I got a license for the Hidemaru editor as a free software author's benefit, and that's how it went. I can't use Outlook anymore because of the spam. Also, I've been using Hidemaru Mail for a long time because of its excellent email filtering.
G:
What other software do you usually use, or what kind of software do you like?
Yamashita:
Sleipnir is basic, but I use MDIE (tab type filer) habitually. Also, IME Watcher . I also use TClock Light . I'm keeping it around here. I have a lot of free software on my computer, and I love it.
G:
Did you choose it as a result of using various software? Or do you feel like if you decide to use this, you will continue to use it?
Yamashita:
If there is software of a similar system, I will try using 2 or 3 types. Before you use it for an hour, the moment you install it, you can't find it. With that kind of feeling, I do the rest intuitively.
G:
Also, there are a lot of other browsers dedicated to 2channel, but have you tried using each of them?
Yamashita:
As I said earlier, even in 2001, I was using Windows 95, which was treated as an antique, so I was looking for something that would work in that environment. The CPU of the PC I was using at that time was around 120MHz, and the major PCs at that time were around 700MHz. It was the software of Anyway, it's light and works well. After buying a new PC, I tried all 2ch browsers before creating Jane Style.
G:
Computer, what are you using now?
Yamashita:
Right now it's the Toshiba dynabook VX1. 1.5GHz of PentiumM, increase the memory a little and 768MB. I'm making Jane Style on that computer. The latest personal computers have fast CPUs, don't they? If you make it on such a computer, even if you write an appropriate code, it will be executed at a tremendous speed. However, I wondered what it would be like for an average user to do such rich programming. I think it's perfectly fine for those who use such high-end PCs, but for those who use old PCs, it's 'sluggish'. Also, why buy a new one when it still works? There is also (bitter smile)
■ How do you plan to monetize it?
G:
I think the thing that everyone is interested in about Jane
Yamashita:
I'm thinking about next month, so...
G:
What kind of method are you thinking about?
Yamashita:
I think there is always a demand for 'I want to search for this word right now' when browsing 2ch. Now, you have to search with Sleipnir, search with IE, or launch Firefox to search. Wouldn't it be nice if you could immediately skip a search query from within the software? So I am talking to a corporation that is in the search business.
G:
I think there is a similar example of Sleipnir, but do you want to aim for that kind of style in the medium to long term?
Yamashita:
Well, first of all, as long as you commercialize it, you can't eat unless you make a profit, and it's impossible to hire employees. If we are to think about the happiness of our users, we must think of the happiness of our employees first. If that employee is also in financial trouble, he or she will have absolutely no time to think about other people. That's why I want to make our employees happy first, and then think about the happiness of our users and create a company that can provide even better products.
G:
Another thing that is often said is, ``I'm developing based on Open Jane, but is the license okay?'' Does that mean that there is no particular problem with the license?
Yamashita:
From what I've read of Open Jane's license, I don't think there's a problem with the license.
G:
Are you saying that you have no plans to release the source code?
Yamashita:
I am currently using 'Delphi 7', but I plan to change to a newer version of the compiler in the future. I would like to be able to compile Open Jane even with the new compiler, so I think it would be nice if I could give back in that way.
G:
Do you have any plans to rewrite the entire source code from the ground up for Jane Style?
Yamashita:
I'm not thinking of a complete rewrite. Even now, it's fully established, and I've already made it in my head that if I do this here, it will be a little faster, or if I can add a function here. It's just that I haven't been able to do it because I don't have the money and time, so I think I can increase the development speed a little more if I clear that. If you create software while doing other work, even if you know the functions that users want, it is difficult to find the time to implement them. In fact, you only have time on weekends and evenings. Even if it was an urgent fix, it sometimes took two or three days before it could be fixed. For users, the time until the update is inconvenient, so I think it would be nice if such a thing could be resolved by becoming a corporation.
G:
Do you feel that if the number of employees increases due to incorporation, the area will proceed smoothly, and the benefits for users will be maximized?
Yamashita:
I agree. That's ideal. First and foremost is user convenience. Without it, there is no point in doing business as a company.
G:
Also, on the day that the incorporation was announced, the ZIP version of Jane Style was not linked from the top page, and there was a lot of confusion, but what happened in the end?
Yamashita:
It is a countermeasure against the amount of transfer. If you update 3 works at once, the amount of transfer will be 100% kicked out from the rented server. I couldn't publish the ZIP version until Mr. Mori and Vector reprinted it. Therefore, when I update all three works at once in the future, I'm sorry, but I think I'll put the ZIP version on the back side.
G:
Is it a feeling that the amount of transfer jumps more and more as people rush in?
Yamashita:
I agree. The amount of transfer peaks on the day of publication and continues for about a week. If you rent a server for peak hours, it can't be helped because it costs money. However, the most annoying thing is to be kicked out by the server shop where you put the file.
G:
Both the ZIP version and the installer version have been released, but will the ZIP version eventually disappear?
Yamashita:
I have no plans for that at all.
G:
Do you feel like you've been putting out both for a long time, and if you want to use the ZIP version, go ahead?
Yamashita:
For beginners, the installer version is easier to understand, so I plan to use it together. But for the time being, the ZIP version may be temporarily withdrawn to the next page on the back side due to the amount of transfer, so I would like you to understand that. I think most of the people who use the ZIP version are probably familiar with PCs, so I feel that those people should use the ZIP version.
G:
Right now there is only a Windows version, but are there any plans to release a Linux or Mac version of Jane Style?
Yamashita:
I don't think so. There is also the issue of sharing. Most of the users are Windows users, so it's not easy to research Linux or Mac. If you're going to do it, network support comes first.
G:
When you say Internet support, is it like p2 ?
Yamashita:
There is p2.2ch.net , so I'm wondering, but I think it would be convenient if our software linked with it.
◆Finally
Yamashita:
The reason why I was interviewed is because the user doesn't know what I'm thinking at all. That's what I thought. I would be happy if as many people as possible could get interested in our company and our software by talking about our thoughts on software in the media. Putting the user first, we would like to continue to create better software together with our users.
G:
Is there anything else you would like to say about Jane Style? For users, or for those who read GIGAZINE and have never used Jane Style.
Yamashita:
We are currently looking for Delphi engineers and online software authors. It is very rewarding to hear the voices of users directly. The reason why I was able to continue software development is because of the support of our users. If you share our desire to value users and would like to work with us to create good software, please contact us at the email address of '
G:
Thank you for today.
Yamashita:
thank you very much.
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