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
