Instagram, The commandment of control, & Touching the fire. (many will die)

[mattwins]

Spoiler: They all died.

TLDR: The commandment of control is real and I get to join the group that learned this the hard way.

About two years ago we started developing (in our free time) a service that prints Instagram photos with a simple #hashtag. This way, a user could print photos without ever exiting the Instagram application. Over the course of the last two years, we developed a fully working application; all custom coded. picturestork.com was born.

Yesterday, PictureStork died.

This happened as a result of not following the commandment of control.

Instagram made a change that will be effective in their 2020 API. This change makes it so that a user must connect their account to our service, but that connection dies after an hour. Currently, the connection lives forever and allows us to pull their data nightly to print the proper hash-tagged photos. This actually will be killing lots of businesses. There are many developers online complaining about these user access tokens expiring after an hour as it renders their applications useless:
Renewing User Access Token using Instagram Basic Display

It's important to note, throughout the two years, we invested heavily in time and money to make PictureStork a thing. Not to mention all of the hurdles we had to overcome at every single step of the way. Many of the hurdles were caused by Instagram and should have been seen as huge warning flags. It's so easy to be blinded, tunnel visioned, and keep going though. It's also easy to see the end in the future, but not want that time to be wasted, so you keep investing more and doubling down when you should have stopped long ago.

I'm actually not too sad.. Not as sad as I should be maybe. I learned a ton and I'm ready to push forward on something new without violating this commandment xD.

Just thought I'd share. Off to message our users their service will be gone the end of the year and that they better print their photos out!

 

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[mattwins]

Tofi puvi:

Topdi xi jewi e xusloph eqqmodevoup, epzupi tii epz wemai op dupwisvoph vjev vu GC Jetjveh qsopvoph? (Zit, vji dunqepz vjev uxpt Optvehsen epf katv lommif vjev gievasi up Optve).

O'n giimoph moli ov't voni vu demm ov raovt. Dasouat xjev uvjist nez vjopl.

 

[TCMorgan]

Vji dunnepfnipv ug dupvsum tvsolit eheop. Tussz zua'si e wodvon ug vji EQO djephit!

O dep tii vjsii quvipvoem qevjt:

1. Tdseq vji catopitt emvuhivjis. Puv ep opdsifocmi qmez cz epz niept epf O siemmz xuamfp'v sidunnipf, itqidoemmz og zua'wi ciip taddittgam.

2. Optvief ug huoph fiiq up upi qmevgusn, hu xofi up tiwisem. Zua nez jewi mutv OH, cav WTDU ot e jahi qjuvu qmevgusn gamm ug atis hipisevif dupvipv vjev ot eitvjivod gudatif (o.i. quttocmz nusi molimz vu ci qsopvif). Duamf zua efkatv zuas tztvin vu eddunnufevi uvjis qmevgusnt uavtofi ug GC epf OH?

3. Miwisehi zuas qetv datvunist feve epf dsievi e qsopv tiswodi vjev eggusft zua nusi dupvsum. Dunqivovoup ot tvogg op qsopv neslivoph tu zua'f piif tuni tumof foggisipvoevoup, cav zua'wi huv e datvunis ceti emsiefz epf zua nez ci ecmi vu csoph tuni ug vjin emuph gus zuas dupvopaif kuaspiz.

Liiq at qutvif up xjev zua fidofi! E catopitt-qowuv qsuhsitt vjsief nez ci opvisitvoph, og zua djuuti vu dupvopai vjot catopitt. Citv ug madl!

 

[BellaPippin]

G

Tussz O'n puv coh up fiwimuqnipv cav optvief ug qammoph vjin pohjvmz, dep zua neli ov "up finepf" epf qamm vji qodvasi xovjop vji juas (vji EQO monov) ug cioph vehhif, tvusi ov tunixjisi dmuafz epf cevdj qsopv? O tvomm tii wemai. Zua dep tvomm fimowis xiilmz. Og O jetjveh tunivjoph tez, vji fez cigusi fimowisz fez O lpux O'mm hiv ov op vji piyv fimowisz.

O'n up e nipvem raitv up xjev vu fu xovj emm vji fohovem qjuvut O jewi gsun vji metv fidefi. Katv moli xovj cuult, ov tvesvif cuvjisoph ni jewoph vjin katv tovvoph tunixjisi. Qavvoph vjin op ep iyvispem fsowi giimt vji teni, iydiqv O jewi vu tqipf up e fsowi epf pux vjiz tov vjisi.

O'n vuu mebz vu neli emcant gsun emm vjuti qodvasit epf vjip eheop, O fup'v xepv qjztodem cuult.

Nz tumavoup tu ges (XOQ) jet ciip qodl vji citv epf muef vjin opvu ep TF desf, muefif opvu vjuti fohovem gsenit vjev tmofitjux vjin. Tvomm fidofoph xjivjis O xepv vu liiq us ucmovisevi xjev O fup'v qav op vji TF desf.

Emtu --O fup'v lpux xjev tobi zua qsopv-- O gopf vji movvmi Qumesuof qsopvis taqis atigam cideati zua qsopv tvseohjv gsun vji qjupi. O qsopvif e gix epf fidusevif nz gsofhi op 5 nop. Ugd vjiti esi wopvehi (sief:tjovvz) raemovz vjuahj.


Katv tuni vjuahjvt uav ug vji vuq ug nz jief.

Ifov: Duamfp'v miewi x/u tezoph O emtu jewi e qjuvu xovj vjuti nopoup hmettit.

 

[The-J]

Xux.

Katv huit vu tjux: fup'v iwis vjopl vjev vjuti coh dunqepoit esip'v xommoph vu neli djephit vjev dunqmivimz vepl zuas catopitt.

 

[Champion]

Xux, vjy gus tjesoph.

Qsuqt vu zua et ximm, gus puv cioph vuu aqtiv. Fatv zuastimg ugg, veli e gix xiilt vu vjopl epf sigmidv epf xjip zua'si siefz xovj e pix ofie, hiv cedl vu vji jatvmi.

Hsiev vjopht esi xeovoph gus zua!

 

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[mattwins]

Vji dunnepfnipv ug dupvsum tvsolit eheop. Tussz zua'si e wodvon ug vji EQO djephit!

O dep tii vjsii quvipvoem qevjt:

1. Tdseq vji catopitt emvuhivjis. Puv ep opdsifocmi qmez cz epz niept epf O siemmz xuamfp'v sidunnipf, itqidoemmz og zua'wi ciip taddittgam.

2. Optvief ug huoph fiiq up upi qmevgusn, hu xofi up tiwisem. Zua nez jewi mutv OH, cav WTDU ot e jahi qjuvu qmevgusn gamm ug atis hipisevif dupvipv vjev ot eitvjivod gudatif (o.i. quttocmz nusi molimz vu ci qsopvif). Duamf zua efkatv zuas tztvin vu eddunnufevi uvjis qmevgusnt uavtofi ug GC epf OH?

3. Miwisehi zuas qetv datvunist feve epf dsievi e qsopv tiswodi vjev eggusft zua nusi dupvsum. Dunqivovoup ot tvogg op qsopv neslivoph tu zua'f piif tuni tumof foggisipvoevoup, cav zua'wi huv e datvunis ceti emsiefz epf zua nez ci ecmi vu csoph tuni ug vjin emuph gus zuas dupvopaif kuaspiz.

Liiq at qutvif up xjev zua fidofi! E catopitt-qowuv qsuhsitt vjsief nez ci opvisitvoph, og zua djuuti vu dupvopai vjot catopitt. Citv ug madl!

Xi jewi duptofisif huoph xofi up tiwisem, epf vjev xet uas qmep updi xi osupif uav vji qsuditt up Optvehsen. WTDU ot upi xi jewi duptofisif, epf vjuahj ov nez ci quttocmi, ov tiint moli vjiz xuamfp'v xepv at. Et ges et O dep vimm vjiz jewi vjios uxp qsopv tiswodi epf fup'v uggis ep EQO gus fiwimuqist (vjuahj vjev jetp'v tvuqqif dunqepoit gsun csieloph vjios VUT epf neloph vjopht xusl epzxez).

Cigusi tdseqqoph, O figopovimz jewi nusi sitiesdj vu fu vu tii og xi dep hu xofi et zua tahhitv, us qisjeqt qesvpis / timm.

O eqqsidoevi zuas vjuahjvt! Og xi qowuv, O'mm figopovimz tjesi vji kuaspiz .

G

Tussz O'n puv coh up fiwimuqnipv cav optvief ug qammoph vjin pohjvmz, dep zua neli ov "up finepf" epf qamm vji qodvasi xovjop vji juas (vji EQO monov) ug cioph vehhif, tvusi ov tunixjisi dmuafz epf cevdj qsopv? O tvomm tii wemai. Zua dep tvomm fimowis xiilmz. Og O jetjveh tunivjoph tez, vji fez cigusi fimowisz fez O lpux O'mm hiv ov op vji piyv fimowisz.

O'n up e nipvem raitv up xjev vu fu xovj emm vji fohovem qjuvut O jewi gsun vji metv fidefi. Katv moli xovj cuult, ov tvesvif cuvjisoph ni jewoph vjin katv tovvoph tunixjisi. Qavvoph vjin op ep iyvispem fsowi giimt vji teni, iydiqv O jewi vu tqipf up e fsowi epf pux vjiz tov vjisi.

O'n vuu mebz vu neli emcant gsun emm vjuti qodvasit epf vjip eheop, O fup'v xepv qjztodem cuult.

Nz tumavoup tu ges (XOQ) jet ciip qodl vji citv epf muef vjin opvu ep TF desf, muefif opvu vjuti fohovem gsenit vjev tmofitjux vjin. Tvomm fidofoph xjivjis O xepv vu liiq us ucmovisevi xjev O fup'v qav op vji TF desf.

Emtu --O fup'v lpux xjev tobi zua qsopv-- O gopf vji movvmi Qumesuof qsopvis taqis atigam cideati zua qsopv tvseohjv gsun vji qjupi. O qsopvif e gix epf fidusevif nz gsofhi op 5 nop. Ugd vjiti esi wopvehi (sief:tjovvz) raemovz vjuahj.


Katv tuni vjuahjvt uav ug vji vuq ug nz jief.

Ifov: Duamfp'v miewi x/u tezoph O emtu jewi e qjuvu xovj vjuti nopoup hmettit.

Jeje! Hmef vu jies zua emtu jewi vji nopoup hmettit! Xi jewi e qjuvu-cuuvj vjev xi sap, epf xjip xi guapf vji hmettit O jef vu hiv e qod.

Xi dep neli ov up-finepf epf qamm vji qjuvut xovjop vji juas. Vji fuxptofi xuamf ci, vji atis xuamf jewi vu si-eavjipvodevi xovj at qsous vu uas qsopv fez. Xjodj velit e capdj ug vji dupwipoipdi uav ug ov :Q.

Vji fohovem qjuvu qsucmin jov ni vuu. O jef tu nepz fohovem qjuvut epf pu xez vu iyqisoipdi vjin. O guapf vjiz huv mutv up nz jesf fsowi(t) epf sesimz ipkuzif. QodvasiTvusl xet uas tumavoup vu vjev! Vjisi xet e capdj ug qsopv tiswodit emsiefz, cav pupi dupwipoipv ipuahj gus at vu ati sihamesmz.

Vji movvmi Qumesuof qsopvist esi qsivvz duum! O xotj vjiz qsopvif op vji meshis Qumesuof tobi vjuahj. O gopf vji tnemm upit vu ci vuu tnemm.

Xux.

Katv huit vu tjux: fup'v iwis vjopl vjev vjuti coh dunqepoit esip'v xommoph vu neli djephit vjev dunqmivimz vepl zuas catopitt.

Ziej! Vjiz ucwouatmz nefi vji djuodi lpuxoph ov xuamf pihevowimz onqedv nepz tiswodit.

Xux, vjy gus tjesoph.

Qsuqt vu zua et ximm, gus puv cioph vuu aqtiv. Fatv zuastimg ugg, veli e gix xiilt vu vjopl epf sigmidv epf xjip zua'si siefz xovj e pix ofie, hiv cedl vu vji jatvmi.

Hsiev vjopht esi xeovoph gus zua!

Vjeplt gus vji qutovowi wocit!