Last week I gave you all a heads up that things were about to change here at KSD, and asked everyone to give me their input via a survey. Today I'm going to show you the results, and talk briefly about how that impacts the future.

Results Analysis

Skill Levels

Here's the pie chart showing the software development skill levels.

Survey Experience Level ChartFirst up, a bit of a surprise. I was expecting most people to be at the more beginner end of the programming spectrum. But, the largest group of people are already writing software professionally. Almost all of those are interested in AmigaOS, which isn't surprising considering how involved I've been with AmigaOS over the years. We're quite a technical bunch.

The majority are still non-professionals, though, spread over the full range of programming levels. You guys don't make this easy for me...

Interests

The top interest was for more AmigaOS content. About 81% of you selected that option. We'll talk more about the Amiga later, because I want to look at the rest of the data first.

The top categories (aside from AmigaOS) are:

  • Game Programming
  • Learning to code
  • Writing desktop apps
  • And writing games/apps with RayLib

I think those 4 could work together quite well...

The least interesting categories were:

  • Mobile apps - I don't mind this one being at the bottom
  • Creative tools
  • Running a business as a tech. founder - which is a bit of a disappointment, because it's something I care about

But, this is about what you want, not me.

Here's the actual chart:

Survey Interests Chart

The Remaining Questions

Responses to the open-ended questions were a bit all over the place, but there is general interest in topics such as:

  • Behind the scenes
  • Networking
  • Databases
  • Good programming books, code templates & examples

What's Next

So, what am I going to do with all this feedback. I hinted previously about setting up a membership site. The goal is to create something that will give me the financial means to keep creating content that will:

  • Speed you on the path to software writing mastery
  • So that you can create awesome stuff, and
  • Be able to earn a living in a software career

No, I'm NOT talking about just creating more information or yet another "learn to code" series. We're already drowning in such an overload of information that it's hard to find the info we need.

I want to create something that can guide you on the right path, and deliver the right information at the right time. That's quite a goal, but I'm up for the challenge.

Click here to join the waitlist.

When will this happen?

I'm hoping to have the basics up and running next week. Founding members will get a special deal, plus the privileges that go with getting in first. I highly recommend signing up to the wait-list, because that's the most reliable way to be notified when the doors open.

Sure, I'll post about it here, on Facebook, Twitter, etc. too, but they're nowhere near as reliable as email.

Click here to join the waitlist.

Amiga Fans, We Need to Talk...

Some of you Amiga computer fans are very supportive, and for that I thank you. You clearly love the platform, and some survey responses are pushing quite hard for me to focus on the Amiga.

But, the cold hard reality is... there simply aren't enough of you to sustain a business. My company and writing software is what I do full time. This is it. There's no day job or alternative income in order to keep my family and I fed and sheltered. And, doing this full-time instead of on the side is why I've been able to deliver what I have delivered.

Meanwhile, I've had people me that software that took me 100s to 1000s of hours to build is worth less to them than a coffee and a doghnut (that were served in minutes). I've had passive-aggressive types tell me that I must give my hard work away for free as open-source. MUST. Heck, there's one guy who even felt it was morally wrong to pay for graphics drivers. Yeah, morally wrong to pay me for my work because, software?

My point is this: If I were to do what you want, then I'd run out of money to buy food, then I'd die, my family would cry, and most importantly for you...

Dead men write no code!

What's that? You don't care? You think it's my problem. Well, you should care because: dead men write no code!

No code for you...

Dead Men Write No Code T-Shirt

Go buy the t-shirt (link). Wear it as a reminder that software developers also need to eat.Yes, even those who generously make their code open-source and give it to you for free. NOTHING is truly free. Why? because dead men write no code!

Ah, I feel better getting that off my chest. ;-)

So, obviously being exclusively Amiga isn't going to work. There just aren't enough of you to make it sustainable. But, so long as there's enough interest, I'll maintain an Amiga corner. So there will be some content tailored just for you.

Also, if I'm going to help people master writing software, then I want them to be able to take those skills and earn a living from them. You're much more likely to be able to do that if you can write multi-platform software. Definitely a lot more than being AmigaOS alone. Multi-platform is where it's at, so multi-platform is what it shall be.

Quick Reminder

  • I'm hoping to get the basic membership platform up and running next week
  • Founding members will get a special deal, plus the privileges that go with getting in first
  • Signing up to the waitlist is the best way to be notified

Click here to join the waitlist.