Project R² Diary 1

Yes, yet another pet project. Yes, again good intentions and lots of preparations. Yes, I expect everything to go down the drain again when the kids get sick yet again (which is basically today). Nevertheless, let’s try to kick this of because I already learned a lot while just thinking about it.

First of all… when thinking about a project/app name, run your wording through a translator! I almost ended up going with something that was correct in itself but could just as well have been a tool for people with bowel movement issues 😉 I thought of a name I think is much better and actually tells everything about the app. I don’t want to spoil much about the details yet, as usual, hence the codename R² for now.

Second, really think about the actual purpose of what you want to build. I thought about this and that over and over again and couldn’t land on really specific details. Until I sat down and actually wrote down the purpose of the app. What do I want to accomplish with it? Why do I think this is a good idea? Why and how should it help me? Writing this down is crucial and provides me with a guidance that makes many things along the path easier to grasp. For example I‘m finally able to scribble the UI in more detail now, something I thought about for a couple of weeks now.

Third, it’s important to remember that whenever there’s some (for me personally) new technology involved, I can’t expect myself to produce amazing code and structure right from the start. I will need to go back and rewrite lots of code anyway, whether I read about every little detail or simply jump right in and try it out the best I can. And that’s what I‘ll do.

Not sure about open source plans for this project, but I‘ll keep it in mind and prepare the project from the beginning.

So… back to the drawing board. I‘ll try to put together the UI structure first. As some of this stuff is new to me, it’s easier and probably more logical anyway to really start top down again this time.

PS: I‘m still working on Blockout. It’s still very much in dire need for me personally. Tranquil is on hold for now, but not dead, R² has a higher priority for the little time I have to spare. Not so sure about Papertrail. I’m currently not using related tools much anymore and don’t see a real need for it. It’s still something I might get back to in the future though.