Adam’s Peace

I have been working towards this day for a long time now, ever since I first had the idea to turn a joke into a useful tool.

I have reached the first true milestone in the Placebo Project. I am officially in Alpha Testing for the program TimeAgent.

All of the features for the version 1.0.0 release are in place, and I am working with what I am calling version a0.5.0. (For those who are not familiar with version numbers, here is how I’m breaking them down: The ‘a’ at the beginning means that I am in alpha testing. The first zero is the placeholder for significant versions; that is, when I make major changes to the way that TimeAgent deals with information, such as adding in E-Mail and RSS support, then I will bump this number up. Zero here simply means that I have not yet released TimeAgent to the general public, and updating this number to 1 will follow shortly. The second number, in this case, 5, signifies feature additions to the same major version… In this case, I have five main features, the ability to display information, the ability to sort by priority, the ability to schedule items for the future, the ability to save items (so that you can shutdown the program if you wish), and it is currently bug-free (as far as I know… but that’s what the Alpha and Beta testing periods are for). The minor version number gets reset when there is a new major version number (for instance, I won’t go from version 0.5.0 to 1.5.0… I’ll go to 1.0.0), so this second number is only a count of added features since the last major release. The final number is how many times I’ve gone through and fixed bugs or security holes. Even though I won’t be releasing them, I’ll probably have versions 0.5.1, 0.5.2, etc., until I reach Beta testing, and I reset the version to b0.6.0.

Hopefully, the Alpha testing will go so smoothly that I won’t need to have a version 0.5.1, but it is the nature of computer programs to always need tweeks and additions.

So, the current roadmap is, I expect to be in Alpha Testing for another two weeks. After that, I will release the Beta version, and give the testers at least a month to find problems and make suggestions. (If there are a lot of problems that slipped by me, then Beta testing could, and should, last longer than that month.) Once Beta testing is complete, I’ll be releasing TimeAgent to the public, and I’ll be “forking” the code…

Forking the code is just jargon for splitting the project into two peices… One peice will represent the current version, and the main priority for that will be to fix bugs, and if there are easilly added features, to add those as well. The second peice will form the foundation for the next major version, 2.0, and I’ll likely rip out the vast majority of the code, refactor it, and add in the major feature, releasing another beta version and finally a new full version.

So, for the next two weeks, I am looking for Beta testers. I already have some lined up, who have agreed to help me out already…

To be a Beta tester, I have a few specific requirements… You must be willing to test out a program that could crash at any time for at least one month. If it does crash, you must be able to describe how you made it crash. (Being able to make it crash several times in a row is a definite bonus.)

You must be in the target demographic… that is, a person who either spends at least two hours on a computer per day, or who derives at least a portion of their income from working on computers. Examples include, but are not limited to, bloggers, digital photographers, and programmers. This way, you can tell me whether the program is useful or not, and can hopefully describe ways to improve the program so that it will be even more useful in future versions. (Hopefully, it would be more useful in the first general public release. )

Here’s what you get in exchange for being a Beta tester: Free Beta versions for as long as you agree to be a tester… In other words, you get to work with the new features at least a month before everybody else gets to. (Of course, you’ll be asked to give feedback to improve those new features. ) Also, for those who are working on the first Beta version (version b0.6.0), you’ll be getting free public release versions for life. (I may have different incentives for future Beta versions.)

To sign up to be a Beta tester, please use my contact form. Any request to be a tester that is found in the comments section of any post will be removed… This is for your privacy.

Now, I promised a first look of TimeAgent in the title of this post… so here it is: (Click on the thumbnail)

Well, it was a tough decision. There were certainly some good submissions, and I was unable to narrow it down to just one person’s submission, which is why it took so long to decide.

Personally, I would just as soon keep the name Placebo, but I chose that name as an inside joke with only myself… Only those who know the story of how it came to be would understand, and much of my target audience would be put off by such an odd name.

I have learned a lot about managing a project while writing this piece of software, and a lot about the whole creative process. Most of all, I have learned that I need this tool for myself, or at least a tool like it. Other people have expressed that they need this tool as well.

I really wish that I could give a portion of my future earnings to everybody who has helped me out, no matter how small their contributions, but that would simply be impractical. Instead, I’d like to give a free copy to each person who submitted a possible name, and I will be contacting these people in the future to let them know how they can get one. I won’t contact them until I have a working, bug free version, though, so in a couple of months, watch your in boxes.

But, I don’t want to keep everyone waiting… After much deliberation with my wife, we have decided on a name:

TimeAgent

If you don’t recognize this name, well, it really isn’t surprising. Nobody submitted this name. At least, not just one person. Two people submitted parts of the name, and I tied them together.

Jeff Lilly submitted Agent Agenda.

Patricia Singleton submitted TimePeace.

So, rather than say that there are no winners, I’d like to announce that they are both winners.

Rather than have them split the winnings, I’m doubling my offer… Each of them will be getting 10% of the first three months of gross income.

Congratulations to both of them.

It’s nearing the end of September 18th, which means that you only have two full days left of the contest posted in my last update on Placebo.

Just a reminder, to enter, send me as many possible names for Placebo as you would like before the morning of September 21st. I prefer the submissions to be private, such as by using the contact form, or if you know my personal email address, then you can use that as well.

The prize is one free license to use Placebo when I finish it (not long now… I swear. It has, however, entered “software time,” which means that its release date is unknowable.), as well as 10% of the total income from the first three months of sales (the three months start when I actually make sales of the finished product)… This means that you need to include real contact information along with your submission; if I can’t contact you back to set up the payment details, then I’ll pick someone else’s submission for the winner.

Official rules are found in the last update, Placebo Update #3.1415926539. Although, the last two paragraphs pretty much summarize the rules.

And, for those who are wondering just what Placebo is… It is a program that I am writing to manage a to-do list, with the goal to be always available, yet inconspicuous enough to never be shut down manually. More details about my plans are located in the post titled Hindsight, Forsight. (And yes, I know that I misspelled foresight. Sorry, but I didn’t spell check the title before posting it.)

So, get those creative juices flowing… I’m being good to my word, and I won’t be judging the names until the 21st.