The major enhancement is the addition of warning sounds. This was based on a suggestion where a conference presenter wanted to be warned close to the ending of his session so he could give a good wrap-up. See. The timer is used in unexpected ways! I love that.

The settings are also now saved in a SQLite database named ctEggTimer.rsd. You can access it via any SQLite Database manager and see what is inside of it. Basically, it is used to save your settings and reload them when the Egg Timer is restarted.

I’m next going to be working on major enhancements for version 2.0. I’m hoping to have better notification of the end of the timer, sound selection, and more. If you have an enhancement request, just email me and I’ll do my best to include it in version 2.0.

I also may make version 2.0 “for sale”. I’ve always been curious on whether this will work out, so this is a social experiment as well. I will probably sell version 2.0 for $3US or something like that. We’ll see whether people will pay a “micro” payment for a small utility program.

Downloads here:

• ctEggTimer for Winders [1.7M]
• ctEggTimer for Linux [1.6M]
• ctEggTimer for Mac [13M]

The ctEggTimer application is written in REAL Studio 2010r1!

Thanks!
-Kevin

• ctEggTimer for Winders [1.5M]
• ctEggTimer for Linux [4.1M]
• ctEggTimer for Mac [10.5M] untested

INSTALLATION NOTES:

[For Windows]
Unzip it into your local work area or other safe location.

[For Linux]
Place application to where you want to run the program. Make sure to set the executable attribute!

[For Mac]
I don’t have a Mac so this is untested. You’ll need to decompress the file. Perhaps set the executable attribute? Let me know how it runs on the Mac! I’m always looking to improve.

Keep the suggestions coming and I’ll make adjustments as they come along. So turn off the email and browser and don’t answer that phone for the next 25 minutes and be productive!

Read more about the Pomodoro Technique here.

It was simple and it seemed to make sense to me. I need to increase my productivity, especially lately. I took this as a challenge and created a Pomodoro like software timer in REALbasic as an exercise. You can download it here for free. I hope this helps other people with their productivity too.

• ctEggTimer for Winders [3.6M]
• ctEggTimer for Linux [3.5M]
• ctEggTimer for Mac [9.5M] untested

When I’m in a 25 minute block, I turn off my browser (unless I’m developing a web application!), turn off my email, and don’t answer the phone. So far, so good! Let me know if it works out for you!

I purchased some songs the other day for my son from Amazon.com.  No problem whatsoever.

Walmart is another story.  I’m running Linux, and evidently this is a problem.  Walmart wants me to update my computer to a more modern version of Windows.  I’m sorry, I can’t do that.  Or should I say, I’m unwilling to do that.  FAIL.  I’m happy to purchase a song for $0.99 (and cheaper) if it is DRM free.  I don’t want hassles.  I just want to listen to my music.  I don’t get it.

Napster is just plain confusing.  I have to sign up before I can figure out what music they have?  I can’t shop around to find music I want to purchase before signing up?  FAIL.

Does anyone have any other great DRM free music sites?  I’m liking this freedom and I have my wallet ready and open.

While I’m on this kick, why aren’t artists offering albums and songs directly from their web site?  It seems natural to purchase an album directly from the artist.  I’d love to know that they’re getting a greater slice of the pie.  How come the Internet isn’t more of a disruptive influence between artists and record companies and the money that in the darkness binds them?!?

Sigh.  We’ve come so far, and we have so far left to go.

F(@*$($(*&*#(*$$*#()@)

I’m so happy I’m getting off the M$ B$.

Here’s my favorite quote that I think says it all: “It’s something that will change software development…”

Of course this is a gem too:
“… a lot of business logic can be done in a declarative form. Now, we haven’t totally proven this yet. We’re doing a lot of internal developments ourselves that way,…” Guessing, and dreaming, and hoping. He went so far as calling it a “quest”. I’m surprised he didn’t call it a *crusade*.

Bill’s looking for churn. Churn generates money.

1. Does this mean that .NET is dead?
2. Will declarative languages help me make better programs, or just write less code?
3. Will declarative languages help me write programs faster, or just write less code?
4. Will declarative languages allow me to earn a living? or is the intent to get the power of programming into end user hands? (On the plus side, I’ve had plenty of jobs converting and re-doing Access systems which similarly were to place the power of programming into end user hands.)

I guess I’ll have to dust off my Prolog skills in a decade, eh? I’m thinking … no.

A.B.S :: Anything But MicroSoft. I think I’m justified when I hear lips flapping such as this.

I’m riled up now!!!

So I went to http://dell.com/linux and configured a PC for my mother’s birthday. $479 later (plus $33 in tax) , I have the system ordered. Before you think that I’m pretty generous, I’m splitting it with my brother, sister and my father as a gift.  It’s nothing special of a computer except that I added 2G of RAM. That should do the trick for the next 7 years or so.

I’ll let you know when it arrives and how things work out.

No, I’m not worried one bit that Linux will be difficult for her to operate … because it’s not.

We’d love to have you attend the conference. There will be plenty of Fox presentations, as well as other technologies, such as .NET, Dabo, REALbasic, analysis, Subversion, data warehousing, and others.

Check out the registration page http://foxforward.net/registration.php

We could really use your support via your registration.

Thanks and I hope to see you in September!

Paul says that M$ isn’t dead, it’s gone off it’s rails insane.  Read more at his blog at Software Made Simple.

The Visual Foxpro crowd is left adrift same as the VB6 crowd that Paul mentions.  M$ expects us to enter their newly created .NET Hookah Lounge just because they coo and promise to “love you long time” if only we snack on their new technology?!?  Nancy Reagan told me to “Just Say No”.

1. How come with M$, perpetually the “really cool” stuff is always in the next version out?
2. Any time someone tries to solve all problems with one and only one tool …

Aw, forget it.  I’m tired of talking about it, honestly.  It’s time to sit this rich crazy uncle in the corner where he can’t draw me into his delusions.

Time for a walk in the clean open fresh air.

Click here to see the screencast in your browser.

Click here to download the zip file of the screencast.

Warning: Lots of “Ums” and “Ahs” in the video ahead. You have been warned.

Click here to see the screencast.

Click here if you would like to download the zip file and play it on your own computer.

Warning: The screencast is terrible. I studder. I say “Um” and “Ah” a lot. I appologize in advance.