Sorry folks. I only recently learned that people read my journal, and I have just learned that people actually visit my website! Do you? Have you been to my website in the last couple of weeks?

For reference, here it is.

Read the front page to learn what happened. I'm sorry for what has happened! I have reason to believe that those of you reading my journal are likely to be partially responsible for the huge increase in traffic, and for that I thank you!

On the accounting software, I have a prototype worked up partially, but I had to put it down. The reasons are there on my website, but it basically amounts to "I have to try to make money". If you guys are really interested in the accounting stuff, let me know and I'll post it. If you really want me to get back on it ASAP, then I need money. :) I'll be working on details for making that happen soon, just keep an eye on my website. I still don't post to my slashdot journal very often, and I'm not likely to start, because it would just duplicate what I put on my website (which I haven't updated very often, either. Hm.)

I've worked out some basics for my accounting package, and I really haven't had time to do this as quickly as I wanted.

I've chosen Python and wxPython as my platform, with Metakit for the file-based database. Since Metakit appears to support multiple processes accessing the same database, I'm not going to worry a lot about having a separate accounting server right now. I will move first to construct the UI while creating a DB-abstraction layer with Metakit implemented for the first versions. It should be a simple matter to add to the DB-abstraction layer later to support other databases.

I've done all the basic research I need, and I've formulated the db schema, so I'm ready to start coding.

Is there anybody else that wants to jump in now, before I get started and make some potentially irrevocable decisions?

Long-term goals are to extract the db-abstraction layer to a C++ library, and from there it will be possible to split the library into an accounting server and a client library if that is still what I want to do. Honestly, I'm so impressed by the metakit api that I don't think I'll need a separate accounting server to provide multi-user access for home users, although such a server might still enable the app to scale to very large enterprises in the future. Since my immediate focus is on home accounting, and then small business accounting, I think that my plan provides suitable room for making it scale upwards while simplifying design for initial implementation.

Ok, I saw the recent post from Gnucash about needing help, and I was thinking about how much help I've seen (and offered personally) across their developer's list, and I've decided to give them up. For several reasons, including the size of the code base, my unwillingness to fork, the fact that Gnucash is not cross-platform, and so forth.

With that in mind, I'd like to start a new project to create a cross-platform accounting package. Over the next couple of weeks I intend to build the basic modules to demonstrate the architecture, then I'm going to solicit somehow for developers.

I am now soliciting for developers to help me, but only here. :) Reason is, I'd like some help, but as long as this project is vapor, I'm not gonna get it through general solicitations.

So, if any of you are interested, please visit my website and send me an email from there. I do not wish to post my email address here for spambots to find it, and I do not wish to post it publically in any case (I'm pretty private about it, actually). But if you send an email from the form on my website, the email will go straight to me, and I will answer it.

I've noticed that I've accumulated quite a few fans, and I'm happy about that. :) My fans list is now bigger than my foes list. The thing is...

I'd like to know why you chose to be my friend. What did I say? What did you say? What happened that made you decide I was your friend?

To be honest, I recognize most of the names on the list, but only a few do I recognize that I can pin down to a specific discussion. In those cases, I believe I reciprocated, but I may have missed some.

Finally, I also decided awhile back that anybody on my friends list is someone who consistently writes shit that makes me think. The idea is that if I ever decide to meta-mod based on relationship (I don't do that right now), then I'd like to make sure that stuff that makes me think floats to the top. I decided specifically not to put anyone on my foes list, because I don't see any productive reason to do so. It seems that the usual purpose is to metamod foes down so you don't have to see what they say, but there's nothing anyone can post on a website that'll offend me. :) So why should I censor them, even if it's just for myself? Simple answer: censorship is always wrong. Self-censorship is semantically equivalent to suicide. And both of those words start with the same "S" that begins the word "stupid".

Anyway, if you've recently or ever added me to your friends list, tell me why! IIIIIIIIIIII wanna know why-y-y-y!