There's been a lot of people upset that Google Reader is being shut down.  You can read a summary of the anger over at TechCrunch.  Many people are asking Google to bring it back and even posting online petitions to plead Google to keep Google Reader alive.

I feel that it's time for us to move forward.  Accept it.  Google is a grown up company and can do what it wants.  Google is doing something that few companies rarely do which is getting rid of products that, while popular, don't fit in with their strategy or direction of business anymore.  7 years of use from a product in this day and age is actually a long time.  

There has been an incredible shift over the last 7 years in both consumer products and software.  7 years ago, we didn't have Twitter.  7 years ago, we didn't have an iPhone.  Amazon's Kindle didn't exist.  Evernote didn't exist.  You couldn't buy a Mac with an Intel chip inside.  The first gen iPod Shuffle had just come out.

Technology changes, adapts, and disappears.  It's uncomfortable.  Remember the promise of the Palm Pre?  You have the choice to complain but Google has the choice to change.  But look at it from another perspective: it's an incredible opportunity for others to take advantage of this shift.  And there are plenty of options out there if you just Google the words Google Reader Alternatives

There are a lot of different websites or apps that get released into private beta or "invite only" and the process for these new sites or apps is pretty basic:  Sign up and then wait to get an email. 

The new Mailbox app from Orchestra, Inc. is showing a different way to run a beta of it's product and it's actually a lot of fun with complete transparency!

When you download the app, it reserves you place in line. I'm guessing most sites that are in beta do the same thing but to me what is different about this is that they actually display your place in line with the number of people in front of you and the number of people behind you.

Opening the app will count down from the last number you saw to your current place in line.  I've seen it move only a few hundred spots to moving over 10,000.  The incredible thing is that I check the app every few days just to see where I am in line.

I am guessing there are other apps or sites that have done similar things however this is my first experience with this sort of process in an app and it's nice.

I'll write up a summary of Mailbox after I get it installed but I already have had a positive experience with what I should expect from the app based on the user experience so far.