It’s a rainy, windy day here in SoCal, the perfect kind of day to sit down and write an extended bit that looks back on the ups and downs of 2005.
I’d like to start off saying thanks to all of the individuals who made my first “real” year of software development more of a success than I’d ever anticipated. In the last quarter alone, there were over 22,000 downloads of Yasu. Unfortunately, I don’t have stats for a full year, due to the fact that my previous web host told me to get lost because they wound up in all sorts of legal hot water. Suffice it to say, I’m sure I came close to, if not broke the 100k mark in downloads for 2005. Totally awesome if you ask me. I never thought I’d even come close to half that number. Numbers like that moves one to ponder, “If I had a dollar for every…”
Speaking of dollars, I’d also like to extend a very special thanks to the long list of individuals (over 100!) who thought my humble little app was worthy of parting with their cash. I was very surprised to find out just how much I pulled in once I compiled the PayPal numbers yesterday. Mind you, I’m not even close to ready to even remotely considering quitting my day job, but, through their kindness, I have been able to make investments in the tools of the trade that I’ll need to continuing to grow as a Mac developer and keeping the site running. Thanks you guys!
This year also brought about a long list of cool people that I like to call my “Mac Buddies,” who have proven to be a great resource for feedback (good and bad), support and renewed enthusiasm when the love just wasn’t there due to one too many late night sessions. I could sit here and name person after person who was kind enough to have unselfishly done one thing or another to help me along the path, but that would take up too much space and time, and wouldn’t be fair to the people that I’d inevitably leave out. You all know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help and support.
Here are a few highlights that made 2005 a kicker for me;
- Presenting at the SoCal Mac Gathering, and meeting all sorts of cool Mac users.
- Contributing to my first real magazine article (50 Bugs of OS X 10.4) for MacAddict Magazine; and getting paid for it! (w00t!)
- Covering the WWDC Keynote for MacsimumNews.com, and being there to hear the Intel announcement (which I knew was going to happen long before that).
- Having the opportunity to present to the Orange Apple Computer Club.
- Hooking up with NoName Scriptware, taking over development of Cache Out X and whipping it back into shape for Tiger compatibility.
And to balance it out, the only lowlight I can think of;
- Busting my left elbow in a skateboard accident, putting my whole arm in a cast for nearly two months. The bummer thing about it was, I’m a lefty – which made life tough in general. It’s much better now, but my wrist still bugs me.
2006 looks to be an even bigger year than 2005. I’m working hard to have the 2.0 release of Yasu ready very soon. I’d considered making it a shareware app, but have come to the final conclusion (for sure) that I will not. It will remain free for the taking, with donations accepted.
I’m well into learning the Objective-C language, and have hopes to produce a couple of new Cocoa applications before the year closes out. More on those later.
And finally, I’ll be getting my Apple Certifications. Not that I need to have them as a software developer, but I’ve been supporting Macs for so long, I thought it was time to have the piece of paper that said I know what I’m doing.
Thanks again to all who have supported, inspired, encouraged and put up with me in 2005. I couldn’t have done any of what I was able to do without you. Here’s looking forward to what 2006 is going to be!
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