gingerbeardman's recent activity

  1. Comment on GameStop preparing offer for eBay (gifted link) in ~games

    gingerbeardman
    Link
    Living outside the USA, this all blows my mind.

    Living outside the USA, this all blows my mind.

    4 votes

  2. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Sure! Though I can't promise I will use it. Here are some of my old ones: https://www.gingerbeardman.com/archive/pompeypirates/lgd.gif https://www.gingerbeardman.com/archive/pompeypirates/bee.gif...

    Sure! Though I can't promise I will use it.

    Here are some of my old ones:

  3. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    I hear you. There are valid reasons for using frameworks and dependencies. For example I use a web server dependency in my web server management in my app. But I think because the are so ready to...

    I hear you. There are valid reasons for using frameworks and dependencies. For example I use a web server dependency in my web server management in my app. But I think because the are so ready to add and use they are being overused.

  4. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    It's up to you, I guess. As soon as you start using dependencies you're unlikely to fit on a floppy. On macOS and iOS in almost all my apps I use only system frameworks, ie. Apple frameworks. Your...

    It's up to you, I guess. As soon as you start using dependencies you're unlikely to fit on a floppy. On macOS and iOS in almost all my apps I use only system frameworks, ie. Apple frameworks. Your final binary is what you are measuring. If you have to ship anything with your app then it counts, if you don't then it doesn't. Don't overthink it, try to fit on a floppy and go from there. And most of all, have fun!

    4 votes

  5. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Yes! I used to format with 80 tracks and 10 sectors on Atari ST to get ~800 KB an extra 80 KB over the standard 720 KB (80x2x9x512).

    Yes! I used to format with 80 tracks and 10 sectors on Atari ST to get ~800 KB an extra 80 KB over the standard 720 KB (80x2x9x512).

    1 vote

  6. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    The goal was to ship the unshipped, as mentioned in my first OP that you're replying to, and in the blog post where I say: "I had a bunch of apps that I’d built for myself over the years, and...

    The goal was to ship the unshipped, as mentioned in my first OP that you're replying to, and in the blog post where I say: "I had a bunch of apps that I’d built for myself over the years, and friends kept encouraging me to release them". The high quality in my work is inherent, and the quantity was just a product of time and I was shocked by the number. So it's both.

    I don't know what you're getting at in the rest of your message, but suffice to say that I am not you and you are not me so your theoretical scenario does not apply.

    11 votes

  7. Comment on Control Ultimate Edition released for iOS and iPadOS in ~games

  8. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Right, it's a hard constraint to push for if people don't care one way or the other.

    Right, it's a hard constraint to push for if people don't care one way or the other.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Thank you! The first icon was Dottie (which kind of contains the letters of its name) and then I went with the lines and pastels. Some were really tricky to do, and I'm still not sure about...

    Thank you! The first icon was Dottie (which kind of contains the letters of its name) and then I went with the lines and pastels. Some were really tricky to do, and I'm still not sure about Stapler. But I had to get these shipped!

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

  11. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    You can do it! There's an Xcode template that will get you a blank screen saver. The hardest part is iteration and testing. Back in 2009 when I made my first screensaver I put together a test...

    You can do it! There's an Xcode template that will get you a blank screen saver. The hardest part is iteration and testing. Back in 2009 when I made my first screensaver I put together a test harness to be able to run the animation in a regular windowed app for easier development. Then when I'm happy I build the saver target once. I modernised this approach for the Floppy screensaver.

    2 votes

  12. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    It's not native for Apple silicon, and Intel will be phased out in the next version of macOS. So, ImageOptim's days of usefulness are numbered. Plus, ImageOptim is not a 100% native app, so...

    It's not native for Apple silicon, and Intel will be phased out in the next version of macOS. So, ImageOptim's days of usefulness are numbered. Plus, ImageOptim is not a 100% native app, so performance is better in my app.

    5 votes

  13. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    It's called specialism. I picked Apple 25 years ago and have developing for their technology ever since. I have made the odd Android and Linux thing, but they never made any money. Given that this...

    It's called specialism. I picked Apple 25 years ago and have developing for their technology ever since. I have made the odd Android and Linux thing, but they never made any money. Given that this is my job, that's a pretty important thing.

    8 votes

  14. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Thank you. I like to set myself additional constraints and size is such a fun one. I had to optimise at the byte level to get the screensaver to come in at just under 1.44 MB (it's 99.X% of that)....

    Thank you. I like to set myself additional constraints and size is such a fun one. I had to optimise at the byte level to get the screensaver to come in at just under 1.44 MB (it's 99.X% of that). They all start small, the key is to keep an eye on everything to prevent them from running away.

    5 votes

  15. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Fun idea! I'll put it on my list. Back in the day (~1996/7) I created some of those for the burgeoning emulation scene using, if memory serves, Microsoft GIF Animator....

    Fun idea! I'll put it on my list. Back in the day (~1996/7) I created some of those for the burgeoning emulation scene using, if memory serves, Microsoft GIF Animator. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_GIF_Animator

    6 votes

  16. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Thank you. It's been an exhausting few months and I'm looking forward to doing something else entirely. Hahaha! App Store Review over the last few weeks really tested my mettle. The apps...

    Thank you. It's been an exhausting few months and I'm looking forward to doing something else entirely. Hahaha! App Store Review over the last few weeks really tested my mettle. The apps themselves were written over many years, but there was still a lot of work to get them from "good enough for me" to "good enough for everybody".

    10 votes

  17. Comment on Fits on a floppy - a manifesto for small software in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I hope people and/or machines start doing it. It's not that difficult once you decide you want to do it. What I would say is that it should be a relatively easy transfer of knowledge from "which...

    I hope people and/or machines start doing it. It's not that difficult once you decide you want to do it. What I would say is that it should be a relatively easy transfer of knowledge from "which package can do that" to "which system frameworks can do that". Anybody or anything can glean that easily from the docs.

    The single biggest win with me creating apps to replace some old cruft in my login items was that my computer boots to desktop in about half the time.

    7 votes

  18. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link Parent
    Thank you so much. Glad it resonates! Doing things this small on macOS and iOS requires a deep understanding of what the system and SDKs offer. Many years of hard work paying off.

    Thank you so much. Glad it resonates! Doing things this small on macOS and iOS requires a deep understanding of what the system and SDKs offer. Many years of hard work paying off.

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

  20. Comment on Today I shipped twenty apps and a screensaver in ~tech

    gingerbeardman
    Link
    I was laid off in January and had the crazy idea to polish up a bunch of apps I'd created for myself over the years and release them all on the same day. Today is the day! ps: I don't recommend...

    I was laid off in January and had the crazy idea to polish up a bunch of apps I'd created for myself over the years and release them all on the same day. Today is the day!

    ps: I don't recommend anybody do this, it was a pretty silly idea. But I managed it, with 2 months of work and 1 month of shepherding them through the App Review process.

    37 votes