A Software Version You Cannot Buy Anymore Still Makes Millions
Many of its customers missed 16 years of updates and like it that way.
David Senra · DHH: How to Build a Profitable Company Without Losing ControlThe original version of Basecamp, a simple tool for organizing projects at work, still makes millions of dollars in profit even though the company stopped selling it in 2010.
David Heinemeier Hansson, the programmer who helped create it, says the company rewrote Basecamp three times but never forced customers to switch. The version introduced in 2004 just kept running for the people who liked it.
It costs almost nothing to keep alive. There is no new development, only basic work to keep it secure, and longtime users rarely ask for help because they already know how it works.
The strangest part is how satisfied those customers are. Hansson says he regularly meets users who started around 2008 and say they love Basecamp, even though they have missed 16 years of new features, because the old version still does the job they bought it for.
Questions people ask
What does Basecamp actually do?
Basecamp is an online tool that teams use to keep track of tasks, messages, schedules, and files in one place. Hansson says many customers like it because it does the job they bought it for and keeps working the same way.
Why don't most software companies do this?
Most software companies move everyone to the new version when it comes out. Hansson says keeping an old version running has a trade-off: it can get stuck with its early users and be cut off from new customers. That is why his company runs several versions at once.
Is it safe to use software that old?
Old software can become unsafe if flaws are never patched, so even frozen versions need basic upkeep. Hansson says the team still does enough maintenance to keep the old version secure and running. That small cost is why almost all the revenue counts as profit.