I am finding it difficult to wait for "the next episode". Whether it is the next MegaTokyo or the next Star Wars or the next book in a series, getting to the point where there isn't any content left, but knowing more is on the way has become a bit frustrating. I wanted to email Fred, the author of MegaTokyo, to see if there was any way he could speed up the delivery of MegaTokyo episodes. And then I realised just how silly that idea was.
As a developer we are always looking at the next episode for the projects that we are working on. We are the authors of a story that people read, sometimes on a daily basis. Of the projects that I have worked on, there is one that is completed. The customer is happy and they don't want any new functionality. As long as PHP 4 is available on a webserver, they will have a system. Another system is in beta and has about 4 users. Those users want new functionality, but at the moment there are to many other projects sucking up my time.
The system that actually pays my bills hasn't even had a first episode yet. The environment is something like what it was like with Phantom Menace. Everyone knows it is coming, they know it will be good (hopefully my system doesn't turn out to be another Phantom Menace), and can't wait to start using it. We are so close to being complete right now, that I can taste it. After we launch, the next episode will quickly follow.
It is interesting to be on both sides of the consumer/producer circle of life.