OStatic

TwitApps, which provides tools for Twitter, is shutting down the project and releasing its code to the open source community. Dallas, the project leader, says the decision disappoints him but he's simply no longer interested in continuing it and hopes others will pick it up and move forward.

It's becoming increasingly common for developers to get started on small (and large) projects, only to abandon them to the open source community for further development. In a blog post on his Web site, Dallas told TwitApps' 4,000 users:

If you're in the market for a lightweight, open source microblogging client for the desktop, have a look at Spaz. It's a slick cross-platform app that uses Adobe Air to update your status on Twitter, Identi.ca, and Laconi.ca.

Spaz supports multiple themes, event sounds, and user-defined CSS overrides. You can delete updates you've already sent, Favorite your friends' Tweets, and send direct messages or replies to other users. Spaz keeps track of who you follow as well as who follows you, and auto-refreshes to keep you on top of all incoming direct or timeline messages.

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Twitter-based reminder service I Want Sandy went offline earlier this month. While many people search for a replacement service, some users have stepped up to the plate and are working on putting an open source version together.

Developers of Trillr, a microblogging project similar to Twitter, announced this week that its source code is now available to anyone who wants it. The idea for Trillr was conceived in 2007 as a peer group experiment among team members who wanted to learn more about Python and Django, and was created as an enterprise tool with enhanced features like group discussion and a user directory.

Trillr project member Stefan Aust admits the code base is kind of crappy as it stands now, but that's to be expected since it was part of a learning process. He says that, looking back, he would have done some things differently but notes, perfect source code does not create communities. Our source code can.