In the realm of computers, bugs are generally a bad thing. Every year, our team ships dozens of free updates to eliminate bugs that are an inescapable byproduct of the countless variables in software development. Rarely, though, a bug can be beneficial. Back in 2002, a software bug saved Rogue Amoeba.

It started when we shipped the very first version of Audio Hijack. We wanted to give potential customers the ability to fully test the app prior to purchase, but we weren’t sure how best to limit that free trial. Our initial download provided 15 full days of completely unlimited usage.

The app’s functionality only became constrained after that 15 day trial period had elapsed. Our documentation at the time explained what would happen:

After 15 days, Audio Hijack will nag you to register at launch and will quit after 15 minutes. Additionally, the recording feature will be disabled.

We hope that before your 15 days are up, you’ll want to register Audio Hijack, so you won’t have to worry about this.

Unfortunately for our business, what we hoped for seldom came to pass. Sales were middling. Though we knew we had a useful tool, it seemed unlikely Rogue Amoeba could ever be more than a side project.

Still, we continued developing the software and shipping new versions, eventually releasing Audio Hijack 1.6. It was a relatively minor update, without any eye-catching new features. Given that, we were shocked when we saw sales jump to a new (and viable!) level. Then, they stayed there.

As days of sustainable sales turned into weeks, we were thrilled but confused. Initially, we couldn’t figure out what had happened. Eventually, though, we tracked down the change. It was a bug! In version 1.6, we accidentally broke the intended 15 days of unrestricted usage. Instead, from day one, the app was limited to 15 minutes of recording. After that, all trial users were confronted with this dialog:

Compared to giving away two-plus weeks for free, this stricter limitation led to dramatically higher sales. We had unwittingly created a vastly superior trial. It’s stuck around, too. Though we’ve refined things further, our current trial limitations directly descend from this rogue idea we stumbled into.

With this change, our low sales rose to a level where it was worth continuing to work on and improve Audio Hijack. Within a year, Rogue Amoeba became a full-time job for the three founders, and our company now employs a dozen people. If not for this fortunate mistake, it’s very likely we’d eventually have given up long ago. It’s no exaggeration to say that this bug saved both Audio Hijack and our company.

Footnotes:

1. That tagline existed because the fair-use right to time shifting was not yet well-established. Given that, we focused our early marketing on the audio adjustments the app made possible. While Audio Hijack can still help with that, nowadays, we recommend SoundSource as the best solution for applying effects to any audio on your Mac. ↩︎

As you may already know, I relish the chance to celebrate employee milestones. Making outstanding audio tools requires an outstanding team, and we’re honored to work with such stellar staff. We’re particularly proud that so many of our employees have long tenures with us. Today, I’m delighted to induct the first member into Rogue Amoeba’s 15 (!) year club: Chris Barajas.

Looking Back at Fifteen Great Years

Way back in 2010, Chris joined us to handle all of our front-line support. In that role, he answered countless emails and assisted tens of thousands of users in getting the most out of our products. That work alone is worthy of much acclaim, but it’s only part of how Chris has contributed to Rogue Amoeba’s successes.

In 2017, our lone Support position grew into a two-person team. Chris and Robert Charlton worked side-by-side, but Chris’s years of experience enabled him to take the lead on many things. For several years, Chris and Robert acted as a fantastic tag team. In 2020, however, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 lead to a huge uptick in usage.

At that point, our Support team grew to three. Soon after, Chris was promoted to the new position of Support Manager. He’s been officially leading the Support team ever since, continuing to answer customer emails while also guiding our renowned Support operation. Chris now works on a wide variety of related tasks, from streamlining tools to help customers to refining our marketing. His direct contact with customers continues as well, making him an invaluable part of our product development cycle.

For fifteen years and counting, Chris has helped shape Rogue Amoeba. We couldn’t be more pleased to celebrate him today.

The Watch Anniversary

In honor of this anniversary, we recently presented Chris with some gifts. Everyone appreciates a nice monetary bonus, and the custom cards our designer Neale creates are always tremendous as well:

To commemorate his decade and a half with the company, we also wanted to provide Chris with a special object. Knowing that 15 years is the watch anniversary, we decided an Apple watch would do nicely. Do note the capitalization there, though, because we’re not talking about a smartwatch. Instead, we tracked down the original Apple watch:

Here’s a closer look:

This strange beauty was a promotional giveaway way back in 1995. And speaking of capitalization, this watch’s original band even correctly uses an uppercase “M” in “MacOS” (or maybe that’s “Mac OS”? Still good!):

That text is actually rather incongruous, because the Mac’s operating system was still called “System 7.5” in 1995. That didn’t change until 1997, with the arrival of Mac OS 7.6.

Odd branding aside, this watch is both a functional timepiece and a charming reminder of years gone by. Chris’s career has been tied to Apple and the Mac, and this memento is a tribute to his fine work over many years. We hope it brings a smile to Chris’s face, whether he’s wearing it or just glancing at it on a shelf.

Three Cheers for Chris

Chris’s tenure spans almost two-thirds of Rogue Amoeba’s existence, and his impact in that time has been immeasurable. In countless ways, Rogue Amoeba is better because of Chris. So on behalf of the entire Rogue Amoeba team, I want to express our tremendous appreciation. It’s been a privilege to work with Chris since 2010, and we hope for many great years to come!