Bits ‘n Bolts Software week concludes with an interview of Mike Waldron, the creative mind behind the great utilities I’ve reviewed this week. Read on and learn a little bit more about this talented developer and his products.
Could you tell us a little about how Bits ‘n Bolts Software got started?
I’ve been a PalmOS User since late 1996, and I have always been amazed with the vast number of applications available. There are applications on this platform today that push the limits of handheld computing. On my m550 I have the ability to massage spreadsheet data, play music, and predict satellite passes. I store reference information on a wide variety of topics, live data such as current weather information and local theater times, and my m550 even doubles as my checkbook register and ebook reader. There is no other device I can carry with me with this much versatility.
With the advent of expansion enabled PalmOS handhelds, PalmOS users are slowly entering a new frontier: the world of desktop compatibility. Our beloved palm pilots have now evolved into complete computing solutions, and for better or worse they have inherited the benefits and drawbacks that come with that classification. We can now command gigabytes of data on processors more advanced that what many of us had on our desks 3 years ago. All this is done in our hand with a stylus in the middle of nowhere running from a battery. It really is an incredibly exciting time.
But I digress; you asked how I got started writing software. When Palm added removable expansion to their product line, I was already quite used to dealing with cards. As a long-time TRGpro and HandEra 330 user I had a fairly firm grasp on how expansion cards should work, what they could and couldn’t do, and how I used them. When I obtained my m505, I quickly realized that Palm included no real way to work with the card slot on their device. I had previously thought about releasing a utility I had written but it didn’t become serious until the 505 shipped. I set out to start a utility suite to help people get solid use from these expansion cards. Previously, my few applications had been niche products with no more than a few users whose needs happened to intersect my own. FileMan was my first application that really catered to a wide audience. Since then the product has grown as people have emailed suggestions, comments, requests all to make it suit their needs a little better.
You’ve mentioned in the past that you design software from the user’s perspective. Can you elaborate on that?
This isn’t entirely true. I don’t design software from the user’s perspective: I am the user. I am the first user who uses my program when it comes off the compiler, and I am generally the first user to curse it when it doesn’t work the way I expect. I use every program I have released on my device, every day. It’s not always easy being user #1, yesterday when I unexpectedly had to text the decryption in an alpha version BackupMan 5 minutes before a meeting was a particularly stressful moment.
Please don’t misunderstand, a program is generally born because I needed it, but I take user feedback very seriously. Most users have great ideas and quite often I find myself scratching my head wondering how I missed that, or why I didn’t think of it. Every email is read, practically every email is responded to, even if sometimes the answer is no. When it comes to the answer being no, I try my best to explain why so the people know that I don’t just summarily dismiss their suggestions. One of the most recent features in BackupMan came about after I answered someone ‘no’, and he responded to my explanation pointing out how my reasoning was flawed, and indeed why someone would want the feature. I had previously never considered his situation, and it would have never been added had I not explained things and listened to his response. In case you’re wondering, the feature is the ability to keep multiple automated backups from a single day, and was added in v1.2.
Embark is a direct result of user requests for users for a FileMan-like application launcher, combined with my own desire to have something “just slightly better” than the facility PalmOS provides. LaunchThis and UserName are utilities I needed for myself. I never get any feedback on them so I assume I’m in a small minority of users who actually need them.
You’ve focused mainly on Palm OS utilities so far– any plans to “go wild” and start writing games or productivity applications?
I’ve thought about this question a lot over the past year, and never really laid it to rest. In general the productivity applications we have on the platform are exceptional quality and I seldom if ever find myself wanting more than they offer. We also are lucky to have several wonderful game companies devoting their efforts to preventing me from coding. That being said, there is always room for another game or two and some time I just might try my hand at an old favorite.
Do you have any plans to start developing for the Pocket PC platform?
I have owned many handheld devices, ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I believe that handheld computers are the modern day computer revolution. I missed the dawn of the PC age, but I do believe that handheld devices will change our life even more as time passes. I am always looking for the “best” device. I have been a Newton user, a HP200lx zealot, and a PalmOS aficionado. I have also used Familiar, the Zaurus, and have owned several PocketPC devices (most recently an iPaq 3835, and Toshiba e740). I find the PocketPC user interface clumsy, the memory management a joke, and the much-touted compatibility with desktop software a downright lie. I do however love the Today screen, the native networking support substructure is pretty solid, and the general mindset that a PocketPC is a pc that happens to fit in your pocket will promote improvements. PocketPC has gotten much better with 2002, and I’ll investigate it again with the next release, or perhaps get a Toshiba e750 and see if they have been able to work out the speed problems I had on the 740.
I revisit the PocketPC platform from time to time (generally about every major revision) and my list of horrible problems does generally decrease, so there’s hope for the platform yet, and the competition keeps PalmOS manufacturers on their toes.
I know you didn’t ask about the Zaurus, but I feel it deserves at least an honorable mention. The Zaurus is (was?) a promising platform but it was crippled by lack of refinement to the user interface and early irrational fears of the word Linux. If you’re technically savvy and desire exceptional networking and communications, you really need to check out the Zaurus. Savvy users can easily fix the other minor problems and come out with a pretty decent device that excels at any form of communications.
Lastly, do you have any sneak peeks of upcoming applications or other surprises you’d like to share with my readers?
Right now I am working on 2 major projects, BackupMan v2.0 and FileMan v3.0. I have all sorts of wonderful enhancements planned and no deadlines on either release.
FileMan is fully compatible with OS5, but it is my oldest ‘production’ application (over 2 years old) and is in need of a lot of cleaning. FileMan3 will be a complete rewrite, and will take advantage of the added power in today’s devices. FileMan 3 will provide enhanced options to power users so they can control every aspect of a database or file. A handy new grouping feature will enable you to quickly locate all databases related to a given program on a single screen and allow you to remove them just as easily. New features for selecting where to put files have been designed to allow you to easily create or delete directories on the fly, and powerful new recursive operations will allow you to move entire tree structures around on a card, or from one card to another if your device supports multiple slots.
FileMan 3 will fully support the Hi density displays on modern PalmOS 5 devices by allowing the display of micro-fonts for listing twice as many files on the screen at any given time (Sony users have enjoyed this feature for a while in FileMan). Tentatively planned is a strong encryption engine as well as a WinZip compatible compression / decompression engine.
BackupMan 2.0 is also in development now. The large improvements for v2.0 are a new encryption engine for securing the data on your memory card in the event of its loss. A new “AutoRestore” feature is planned to automatically restore a device with minimal user interaction in the event of a catastrophic data loss. Compression is also being investigated for v2.0. I’ve attached a few screenshots new screens in the upcoming FileMan 3 release.
Bits ‘n Bolts is not my full time job, but it gets a large percentage of my free time. I enjoy working on my applications, and there is a great swell of pride when someone emails me to tell me how FileMan did something exactly the way they wanted, that BackupMan helped them out of a problematic situation.
In the interest of full disclosure, and probably avoiding some legal problems, I should state the following:
My opinions are not that of my Employer, and neither is my software. I currently enjoy a wide range of duties and responsibilities as a full-time employee at HandEra, a wonderful PalmOS licensee in middle of Iowa. Bits ‘n Bolts software has no other affiliation with them.
-
Google Search
Custom Search