Philosophy

Well, this isn't quite a mission statement, but here's my philosophy behind the software I'm writing for mXac.

1	I write applications that can successfully be written and maintained by one person. I've done management before and didn't like it. I want to avoid hiring people. Besides, as a one person company I'm more nimble and efficient.
2	Write software that the larger, better-funded software companies won't be interested in. There's no way I can compete against a well-funded corporation so I won't even try.
3	Try not to reinvent the wheel. The world doesn't need another screen saver.
4	I try to write software that helps with the user's final intent as much as possible. Huh? People use a computer to accomplish one or more tasks. They go through the motions of the tasks because they have a goal. For example, a user might have a goal of "staying in touch with mom." To accomplish the goal, the user identifies and completes tasks, such as "call mom" and "send mom a letter once in awhile." Of course, a software program such as a phone application or word processor allows the users to accomplish the task. However, many shareware applications seem to be programs used to make other programs work better, such as disk utilities and Internet tools. I want to avoid this.
5	Write software that's genuinely useful. If possible, the software should change the way people perceive the world. Since necessity is the mother of invention, most of the applications I've written have resulted from my own needs. Also, users don't usually provide enough feedback to determine what features an application needs to have; if I use my own software then I'm able to articulate what's needed. (At Microsoft this is called "eating your own dog food.")
6	Last (and most important), write software to make people more "intelligent." Let me explain: A few years ago I noticed that a piece of paper made me more “intelligent.” How? If I filed the paper away, it acted like memory because I could re-read it years later, long after I’d forgotten the details of its contents. And, paper also allowed me to perform mental tasks that I couldn’t possibly do without it... Have you ever tried to do a calculus problem in your head? Or even long division? It just doesn’t work. Paper makes it infinitely easier. I want to write software that allows people to think clearer and better.

While I'm designing and implementing the software, I try to keep the following in mind:

1	Minimize download size.
2	Make the software as easy to use as possible. Sometimes this is at the expense of features, since adding more features inevitably makes the software more difficult to use.
3	And finally, something that maybe only programmers can understand... I try to treat the application like a piece of art, as though I were doing a "painting in C++."