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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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Branding: "Making Unix Easy on Mac OS X"

One of the things you'll notice at my main website is a new branding emphasis: "Making Unix Easy on Mac OS X." All of the programs I write provide graphical user interfaces to Unix command-line utilities on the Mac. Two of the programs--PortAuthority and Phynchronicity--provide an easy way to manage the installation of Unix software on the Mac, with GUI's for the MacPorts and Fink software packaging systems. The third program, PacketStream, provides a similar interface to the tcpdump network monitor.

All of these command-line tools are powerful and can be easily accessed if you have Unix command-line chops. However, many Mac users who might be interested into tapping into the power of these applications don't necessarily have the command-line knowledge to do so. That's where my applications come in; users are willing to purchase them to tap into the power of the command-line.

For me, this is the real joy of programming on the Mac. It's the combination of the insanely powerful Unix underpinnings and the elegant Aqua interface. This commercial niche simply doesn't exist on any other platform. There are lots of command-line tools on Unix, and a large number of graphical interfaces for them--but Linux users simply don't pay for software. And while Windows users do pay for software, the Windows command-line environment is pretty anemic; there simply isn't much there for a GUI to tap into.

Many Mac developers praise the Mac because of the cool things afforded by the Cocoa programming environment. That's great for them. But I'd also suggest that the Unix foundation of the Mac is a secret weapon for the platform as well; at least, it's where I've found a very fruitful place to work. And I'm only just beginning!

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Website update

As you've probably noticed if you are looking at this blog, I've tweaked the look of the blog--adopting the standard Mac font, Lucida Grande. But that's only a small change compared to the major update at the main Code by Kevin site. The new site is much cleaner, more modern and Mac-like, easier to navigate, easier to digest, and (good for me) easier to maintain. Thanks to many folks at the Mac Software Business list for a lot of feedback.

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