Category: Uncategorized

Construction Drawings (May 8, 2025)

When TurtleSoft moved into its current location, we built a temporary ramp to move heavy stuff via hand cart. Much easier than lugging up stairs.

A permanent ramp would make a great replacement for the rear steps, which are getting old. However, the drop from rear porch to driveway is 44 inches. A 16 foot ramp is too steep for daily use, and there isn’t room to go much longer than that. Definitely no room for the 44 feet of ramp to be ADA compliant.

As a compromise, I designed a combination of ramp, deck and sidewalk that comes fairly close to ADA specs. It should be good enough for the next move, or if I age out here, or if the next owner needs it.  Also an improvement for daily use. Pleasant deck, and better access to everything outdoors.

I tried several apps for the design drawing, then settled on LibreOffice. It was yet another reminder that I really miss MacDraw. Between the existing files for past deck projects and the better interface, MacDraw Pro would have been twice as good and taken 1/4 as long. LibreOffice did the job, but it’s nothing like software built by Apple gurus in their prime.

The first decade of Macintosh was a golden age of 2D graphics. We started with MacDraft 1.0, then switched to MacDraw II then Pro, with trials of MiniCAD and a few other CAD apps in between. The drawings were good enough for building permits, and useful for planning and client presentations.

Then it all died. MacDraw never survived past OS 9, and nothing replaced it. MiniCAD and other CAD software added 3D and client fly-throughs, and got expensive. They were useful for high-end architects, but far from the needs of folks just trying to make a quick blueprint.

I’ve probably tried a dozen simple CAD programs since then, paid and free. None are great. There may still be a machine or two kicking around here that runs OS 9 and MacDraw, but it’s too much work to get them booting again.

LibreOffice is free. It has layers you can hide and show, which is a firm requirement for useful 2D design software. But it’s too easy to put things on the wrong layer. There are many other annoying quirks and flaws. As open-source software it’s designed by committee, so it will never be great.

Our new accounting software has potential to be a runaway success, similar to how MacNail was back in 1987. That’s especially possible if it runs on phones and tablets. If TurtleSoft starts to have excess income, bringing back a clone of MacDraw Pro is a worthy project. It had a smooth interface, and did the job well. There would be at least one happy customer, guaranteed.

Dennis Kolva
Programming Director
TurtleSoft.com

 

 

Car Culture (April 7, 2025)

18 months ago, TurtleSoft moved from Ithaca to a suburb of Binghamton NY.

Ithaca is a very walkable city. That’s partly because of its history: most of its growth was in the 1800s, when you traveled by foot or horse. There’s also some geology: the city is compressed into a narrow glacial valley with a lake at one end, so everything is close by.

Binghamton metro is typical USA, with much better support for cars than for bikes or pedestrians. That’s also due to history and geology: most growth here was in the post-automobile 1900s, and the Susquehanna valley is much broader.

Up until last week I mostly liked the change. Driving is so much easier here. Walking is worse, but there is enough to do on this property that the lack of nearby gorges and college campuses doesn’t matter much.

Then the engine on my car wouldn’t turn over. A sign that my 09 Honda Fit may have reached end-of-life, mostly due to road salt. While waiting for a tow to the nearest repair shop, I started to look at new cars online. Except, there was no way to go see them. All the car dealers are on four-lane highways lined with commerce, aka stroads.

The local transit system is pretty good, but it only covers business districts and residential areas. No bus service anywhere close to the dealers. Also no sidewalks or bike lanes there, just high-speed traffic with lots of turns and turbulence. Dangerous for pedestrians and bike riders.

I rode bicycle a lot in Ithaca, and was careful to spend most time on quiet streets, bike lanes or sidewalks. Despite that, over the years I had 6 collisions with cars. 5 were slow-speed hits at intersections, so nothing worse than a few bruises (and one totaled bike).  The worst happened on a rural road, when a pickup full of rednecks slowed down beside me, and carefully dropped a half-empty can of beer exactly ahead of the front tire. It clamped around the rubber, rotated until it jammed into the brake, cut the tube and tire, took out a few spokes, sprayed my crotch with the contents, and flipped me into the ditch.

I also was hit twice by cars while on foot (also slow speed at intersections). My advice for those: jump on top and grab onto whatever you can. One driver went half a block before noticing me clinging to their hood. They must have been thinking about something more important than driving.

In 2009 I also had a suddenly-dead car, but could walk to all the dealers. Here, test drives would have needed 6 cab or Uber rides, just to get around in a safe metal box. Fortunately, the problem was a seized bearing in the AC, easily fixed with a bypass belt.

I’m mobile again, but the clock is ticking. I may need to buy a motorcycle for emergency backup transportation. Cars are great, but not when your comfort depends on them.

Dennis Kolva
Programming Director
TurtleSoft.com