New Announcement, Coming Soon...

Watch this space.  In about a week, I'm going to start making announcements about a product I'm working on that's going to be interesting, if not kind of cool.

Where does the time go?

Since my last update, I've gone into some R&D.  I've framed out a website that I'd build a prototype of years ago.  This time, it's production quality.  The first time, I was figuring things out.

I've also been working on an implementation of Common Lisp that I started early last year.  It's been fun to work on.  It's also been challenging as I'm really studying the language itself and the implementation details.  I'm pushing myself to find ways to alter Lisp.  If you've ever used Lisp, you'd know that's really not a big deal as the language lends itself to exploration.

One thing I've been working with the last few days has been interface creation.  I've been kicking around an idea to create an interface builder, but I don't know if it's real or imaginary.  It's also been fun to explore, but I might put it down for another time and get back to the website.  The website is a pretty solid idea and the interface builder is more of a pure R&D project.  The thing about R&D is they can eat up a lot of time and not really yield much for the effort.  Sometimes they can, but a lot of time they can resemble puzzles that need solving but aren't solved yet.

I'll be back with new product announcements soon.  One other project in the works involves training for programming.  Been considering putting together some videos to teach how to at minimum write Java code as well as build Android programs.

More soon...

Updated: Calc Me Sum 2c, version 1.2, build 7

This is a small update to Calc Me Sum 2c.  I've updated the display so it shows the current equation being calculated.  Here's a picture to show how cool it looks:

I've been prototyping some updates and planning the next releases and will be releasing another update soon.  I still have more constants and conversions and memory and graphing and... there's so much that can be added to a calculator.

Coming Soon: Updated DangAlarm! 1.0 version 2

I just uploaded a new APK to both Amazon and Google Play for DangAlarm!  I fixed a display problem on the main screen that had the main controls pushing the alarm controls off the screen on some phones.  Also fixed a bug that only happened on a few phones where setting an alarm caused the application to crash.  I'll post an announcement, complete with links, when the application is live and available for download on both stores.

I've been writing code for some 34 years and have worked in a variety of roles in software, so I pay extremely close attention to quality.  That said, Android is a big ecosystem and I sometimes things break in unexpected ways.  I hope this update proves to be solid for all users.  If not, I'll fix whatever needs fixing as quickly as possible.

Coming Soon: Update to Calc Me Sum 2c

I might rename Calc Me Sum, but I'll post it here if I do.  I'm definitely updating the graphics and the marketing material to see if it starts to attract some interest.

I have a small update to Calc Me Sum 2c ready to go.  The calculator displays the equation being entered now.  The delete key works to delete the previous character, number, or function.  It's all looking good and set up to add parenthesis in the next build.  Here's a picture:

I'll take a look at adding some more unit conversions and constants.  If they look like they'll be quick to add, I'll add them in and publish an update.  That way I can get back to scribbling out a design for the function editor in the programmable version of Calc Me Sum as I keep chunking in new features.

This is early, but I just started working on a real estate website I'd designed a few years ago.  It's early in the implementation phase, but it should come together pretty quickly.

Updated: Calc Me Sum 2c, now with Unit Conversions

I uploaded a new build of Calc Me Sum 2c to both of the Android stores last night and it's live now.  The new feature in this build is the Unit Conversion dialog.  It takes the value in the display and presents it in a dialog that allows you to set the input units so you can convert it to other units.  It currently offers conversions for Length, Area, and Volume, in US units, Metric (SI) units, and Imperial units.

I've also added more math constants to the Constants dialog.

It feels like a small update for all the work.  Next revision will have a better interface for equation entry, history, and more functions.  The next version will also have more constants and unit conversion options.  

I'm also working on the design for charts and graphs, and more memory related functions.  Hopefully, the programmable stuff will come together soon, because the back-end is done.  I just need to get the equation editor put together.

Coming Soon: Calc Me Sum 2c, version 1.2, part 6, More Calculator, More Fun

[Update, 2/22/16:  It's taken some extra time, but it looks like I could have an updated release built and uploaded today.  I'll announce it when it's live.]

Object-oriented programming is hard until it becomes easy, but getting there is more than half the work sometimes.

If things keep moving at the current pace, I should be uploading a new version of Calc Me Sum 2c as early as today, tomorrow at the latest.  I'm adding conversions now and it took some time to get the design right, but it looks like they'll work well enough to put into Calc Me Sum 2c, as well as a stand-alone application for unit conversions, and a website for unit conversions, too.

The upcoming version of Calc Me Sum 2c will have:

• More constants:
• Math constants
• Electromagnetic Radiation
• Electron and Atomic Physics
• Maybe more, like solar system related values
• Unit conversions
• There will be a core set of unit conversions in this revision, with more being added with each new updated APK:
• Length
• Area
• Mass
• Volume
• Time
• Temperature

I'm going to release this update of Calc Me Sum 2c with the features listed above and maybe one or two more small updates, then focus on the features I'd listed in my previous announcement - especially equations and editing... and more themes.  I think I'm supposed to have one calculator looking calculator or nobody will take my calculator seriously.  My goal is to keep growing the application as quickly as possible and releasing updates as they're ready.

As I've been working with the application, I've been coming up with features that I'd like to have in a calculator.  I'm going to see what I can develop in hopes that Calc Me Sum 2c and any of my potential future other products become intuitive tools that enable you to work smarter and faster.