Why Patanjali's 'Kimbho' app is such a poorly-scripted idea
New Delhi, June 27 : Yoga guru Ramdev's "swadeshi" mobile messaging app "Kimbho", that appeared briefly in May-end claiming to take on the behemoth WhatsApp, has turned out to be a poorly-crafted business idea.
Patanjali, that posted a turnover of Rs 10,561 crore ($1.6 billion) in the financial year 2017, has been retracting its statements since the launch -- first asking people to download the app from Google Play Store, then blaming extremely high traffic for its sudden death, later claiming it was just a one-day test and now asking for two more months for its relaunch.
The app disappeared from Google Play Store within a day of its launch on May 31 over security and performance concerns, leaving the country's tech industry in a bit of shock.|
If you visit Google Play Store today, you will find at least a dozen fake versions of "Kimbho" which is a Sanskrit word and means "How are you?" or "What's new?" -- in the form of messaging app, TV, Status and what not.
The lingering question is: What was the haste to launch an app, touted as a challenge to Facebook-owned WhatsApp that has over two billion users globally and 200 million in India?
Famous French security researcher, who goes by the name of Elliot Alderson, called "Kimbho" a security disaster on Twitter. "This @KimbhoApp is a joke, next time before making press statements, hire competent developers... If it is not clear, for the moment don't install this app," Anderson tweeted.
In general course, if it is a Beta launch or a pilot run with a select group of users, the app runs for few weeks, the R&D team refines the product, the IT people plug the security loopholes, check the traffic control systems, apply scalable Cloud-based data management solutions and only then would the company push for a full-fledged launch.
"A messaging app like WhatsApp was build and sold to Facebook at the cost of $19 billion whereas the swadeshi Kimbho's launcher Patanjali, with total net worth of nearly $2.5 billion, has zero contribution on IT solutions; hence the initiative had to flop in the first place," Anoop Mishra, one of the nation's leading social media experts, told IANS.
To run a world-class messaging app like WhatsApp requires top-of-the-line IT infrastructure.
"You need a team of Open Source experts, Cloud and content delivery network (CDN) experts, data engineers, an in-house team of core developers, API developers, user interface (UI) developers, in-house testing team and user data simulation team.
"You also need an outsourced hacking team which keeps finding the loopholes in the existing system which was completely missing in 'Kimbho' which was a poorly-scripted app," Mishra contended.
Apart from the technical and programing infrastructure, a good messaging app requires industry-best third-party tools and scalable Cloud hosting servers to handle and respond to real-time database queries of millions of users so that the app survives the inbound traffic.
To build and run a word-class messaging app requires huge investment of time, tech expertise and money -- and eventually needs 10 times more investment for handling servers, security issues and data breaches, Mishra noted.
According to Saket Modi, CEO and Co-Founder of cyber security firm Lucideus, companies nowadays are looking at products that are secure by design.
"Companies are moving from agile DevOps to agile DevSecOps, where security is now being thought of from the development phase itself," Modi told IANS.
Lucideus was responsible for security assessments for apps like BHIM, Whatsapp for Payments and Google Tez.
According to Faisal Kawoosa, Head, New Initiatives, CyberMedia Research (CMR), it will not be easy for "Kimbho" to create a space dominated by WhatsApp by just being "Swadeshi".
"The initial reviews are full of issues and concerns," Kawoosa said.
"Kimbho" should ideally have seen a soft launch -- without any comparison with WhatsApp -- building on the momentum while deploying scalable, agile and secure Cloud-based solutions to make it run.
Building a world-class app perhaps needs much more effort than making toiletries or food products.
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Food delivery agent intervenes to stop street fight in Delhi's Dwarka, stabbed to death
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old food delivery executive was stabbed to death when he allegedly intervened in a violent altercation between two groups in southwest Delhi's Dwarka, police said on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Govind Jha, a resident of Mohan Garden.
Three others sustained stab injuries in the incident and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, they said.
Authorities also cautioned against attempts to give the incident a communal colour.
According to the police, Jha was on his way to work on Sunday night when he noticed a street fight taking place at Rajapuri in Madhu Vihar area of Dwarka. The altercation involved two men pitted against three others, who were later identified as Parvesh, Anish and Rohit.
"Jha stopped at the spot and attempted to intervene. During the scuffle, the two men allegedly pulled out knives and began stabbing Parvesh, Anish and Rohit. When Jha tried to intervene, he was also attacked," a police officer said.
All four injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Jha succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The other three men are under medical observation.
Police said the accused fled the spot after the incident, and multiple teams have been formed to identify and apprehend them.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh, in a statement, said that some messages circulating on social media are attempting to give a communal angle to the incident.
"In the incident, four people suffered stab injuries and were admitted to the hospital. One person died at the hospital, and the remaining three are undergoing treatment. The victims belong to two different communities. The accused stabbed all four victims. Dwarka Police is conducting a search for the accused," the DCP said.
"There is no communal angle to the incident. Strict action will be taken against those spreading false information," he said.
