TurtleSoft is mostly done moving into the new office. It’s bigger, which was a bit of a gamble given the uncertain economy.
Next on the agenda is to finish interior work on my house in town, then sell it and buy another fixer-upper. Right now the local real estate market is still pretty good, and hopefully it will stay that way for a few more months.
Programming requires intense focus, which (for me at least) requires a calm environment. I was making good progress on Goldenseal Pro before the move, but still haven’t shifted back into programmer mode. It may take another week or two to really get settled in and productive again. Long nights and crappy weather also help.
The rate of progress this winter will depend on the pandemic, politics and the economy. Personally, I’m calmer when experiencing positive cash flow. Some of the ways to make that happen consume a lot of time.
The Goldenseal Pro project has dragged on much, much longer than ever expected. First there were a few subcontractors who tried it and failed. Then our staff took over, and failed with two different frameworks (Cocoa for Mac, MFC for Windows). QT is looking like it may be a winner, but that is not guaranteed. We will know better in a few months.
If it’s clear that we can’t finish Goldenseal Pro, I’ll fall back on the original retirement plan from before Turtlesoft started: buy, live in, rehab and sell fixer-upper houses on a 3 to 5 year cycle. Selling my current house in April +/- should provide enough extra cash to pay back folks who prepaid for Goldenseal Pro. That is a bit dependent on where the pandemic and the economy go. If there is a major financial crash, I’m pretty much screwed.
If QT works out, we probably will have something to ship by late 2021. Possibly earlier if sailing is very smooth. I’m sure the early releases will have some gaps and rough spots, but at least the core estimating and accounting functions are well-tested. They won’t be affected by the new interface code.
Meanwhile, please vote. Please wear a mask. Stay safe. Covid-19 is not a hoax:
Dennis Kolva
Programming Director
TurtleSoft.com