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Code by Kevin: Programming, code, business, and other pursuits

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Kevin Walzer, software developer.

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AquaEthereal 1.2

The first program I've released since coming back to coding (this blog is called "Poetic Code," after all) is an updated version of AquaEthereal, a little utility that launches the Ethereal network monitoring program on Mac OS X. Getting Ethereal itself installed is a complex process, and it has to be run from the command line, meaning that you have to type lots of cryptic commands into a DOS-like console (for those of you readers who use Windows). AquaEthereal provides a convenient double-click method for starting Ethereal. The new version, written in the Python programming language, is a "universal binary," which means it will run on both the PowerPC and the new Intel versions of the Mac.

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Getting back into software programming

If you've read my blog in its earlier iterations, you know that I'm an avid amateur software developer. My programs have all been free (as in no-cost) and open-source (meaning the source code is available for others to see and possibly learn from). Earlier this year I tried to turn this enthusiasm into yet another business (my day job, as co-editor of WordTech Communications LLC, being the main business) by releasing a "shareware" program--a low-cost, closed-source (meaning the source code isn't available for anyone to see) program. It was an utter failure; I sold only a few copies, the reviews that came in were overwhelmingly negative, and I decided to cut my losses rather than become distracted from my main career, publishing.

After this, I took a long break from programming to decide whether I even wanted to continue programming at all, and if so, in what capacity. I ultimately realized that I enjoy programming a lot--in no small part because it exercises my brain in such a different way than reading and editing poetry--and that I enjoy it most when it's detached from any business considerations. So, I'm easing back into programming, but in my previous mode: doing free and open-source stuff. I program for fun. The itch to release software commercially has been thoroughly, and unpleasantly, scratched.

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