Mix Master, Code Faster

Things I routinely do with my IDE:

• One click getter/setter definitions. Plus I never need to actually overload with the sight of bunched accessors because they appear as indents on the left of my field names.
• Looking up class specs, not the code. As discussed with a much respected colleague, this implies a cultural shift – Wow. From code culture to design culture!
• DnD Refactoring. Typically achieved by pressing, holding the mouse and dragging a class, package or method to (respectively) another class, package or package.
• 100 classes a click away.
• Not using a UML editor. Hey, we already agreed seeing the specs before seeing the code implies a culture shift.
• Not using search. What you see is what you get. I can see it, so I get it.

Maybe I’m having more fun than you do after all.

I won’t give you the name. After all you just need to poke around a couple of posts. Besides, my IDE doesn’t have syntax correction, code hyperlinks or version control.

It doesn’t even have an undo.

Next time, I’ll tell you how it all started.

Upping Indie Software

I’ve been developing programming technology and productivity solutions for the past ten years. Here’s a problem. How to get people to discover this stuff given that I won’t be spending money, only time and effort?

Here are some ideas:

1. Submit my products to download sites. This works, then maybe it doesn’t. There is PadGen that lets you create profiles for your software and make them available to download sites. Then there is powerful, aggressive stuff like RoBoSoft, which basically automates submissions to litterally 100s of download sites (tried and tested).
   With download sites, you need to deliver value increments as fast as possible – this is because whenever you release a new feature, you get back on top of every list and remain visible for just a few days.
2. Get my product reviewed – on review sites? Mmh… funny I never tried that before, wonder if that would work. I even wonder if there’s any useful or known review sites at all.
3. Piggy-back blogging trails related to similar software and with a clear view to find about and review this kind of software. Write clearly and simply, don’t bloat it (as in, avoid spam).
4. Create user groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and likewise…
5. Tweets?
6. Register and advertise (again, politely and without spamming) on a variety of blogging and personal news platforms (but then who’s reading this blog?)
7. Write here, on wordpress (but then who’s reading this blog)
8. Write interesting technical presentations on Dr Dobb’s and other online magazines (I’m working on it – also, believe or not,  I have my own ethics and I’m not going to write ‘academic’ comments on Wiki until I already have published somewhere else.)
9. Ask for help. Try and get people involved, not only to get actual help, but also to get people to look at the software from a different perspective – as something that compliments their expertise.
10. Live, offline presentations and seminars (hold on, that will cost money, right?).
11. E-mail institutions and companies that would be potentially interested.

Some of this stuff is obviously not very helpful. Maybe some people would also argue that spamming’s on the list somehow.

I believe in what I do, and I think it’s legitimate to share it anyway, anyhow, especially considering that the competition (say, on the side of programming solutions) consists in heavyweight hardware and OS manufacturers selling *innovative* tabbed text editors.

Now do me a favour, go to www.antegram.com and download a Porsche prototype. Your IDE’s good, I know. You love it and you’re used to it. Like my old bicycle.

I do not have a bicycle.

I’m very proud of my IDE. Like any prototype, it goes without brakes (no undo), you can’t refuel at the next gas station (proprietary format) and it’s not for the masses (no version control).
Now, just like a Porsche, it’s faster than a bicycle, looks nice and…

…feels like you’re on top of the world.