The leading edge is not always cost effective !

It has been interesting reading much of the news about things like “the Post PC world” and “Windows 8 not selling well” and the like. I am just as interested about where the computer world is headed as the next guy, but with one difference.

In a tough economy, we have to count are pennies !

An old saying I often like to repeat is “a penny saved is a penny earned”. For years when I helped local businesses computerize that was often a key goal in how I approached their needs. I didn’t want a customer to spend money he didn’t have to.

You can also see this in my own choices when I buy computer hardware and software for my own needs.  Programmers are notorious for wanting the leading edge in computer hardware. Myself though, I prefer to spend as little as possible on new computers (and software) which means learning how to get the most out of minimal hardware. Maybe others are learning this lesson too, since you just can’t seem to get some businesses to get rid of their old Windows XP computers (and for good reason). You know the old saying “if it isn’t broken, why fix it”.

By saving the old, you have more to spend on the new when it makes sense.

Personally I have nothing against a business wanting to get some of the latest computer hardware. Even if you are using Windows XP and like it, there are some benefits from getting a new Windows device (ie. more mobile and rouch friendly). They key though is to spend your money wisely. For example, rather than upgrade a bunch of computers from Windows XP to new Windows 7 (or 8) PC’s just for the sake of upgrading, why not find ways to extend the life of existing computers as long as possible and then use the saved funds to purchase newer and better computers when it really would make a difference, rather than enmass. Also consider when a low cost solution would suffice (ie. netbooks or low cost laptops) and then use saved funds to only buy more powerful hardware when it really would make a big difference (ie. where performance would significantly increase productivity).

Small footprint, minimal resources ! Software that makes a difference.

Do you realize that when I mention things like building software with a small footprint, which requires minimal resources, that I at times get laughed at by my own peers (other programmers) ? It is my experience that programmers tend to have a different mindset than the average person. It is so easy for a programmer to just say to end users “if the software runs poorly, you really need to buy a better computer”. Well, I have a different opinion. Having worked with small “mom and pop” local businesses over the years, I have tried to appreciate how hard they work for their money and that it is the programmers job to help them make their computers last as long as possible. So maybe we should expect programmers to be more concerned about help end users get more out of their existing computers rather than expect them to always have the leading edge stuff.

EZGUI, was designed with this in mind.

If you haven’t checked out my web site yet ( http://cwsof.com ) , please do and you will quickly notice that my primary product called EZGUI 5.0 Professional, was designed just for this purpose. I designed EZGUI so it would run very well on older versions of Windows with minimal hardware. When most programmers were developing their software on a Windows XP computer, I was developing on an older Windows 95 computer just to make sure it would run well on a legacy PC.  Today while most programmers are developing on Windows 7 or 8, I have been developing my software on Windows XP until just recently I switched to Windows Vista Home Basic because my XP computer died. I do have more modern computers, with Windows 7 and Windows 8 (and even a tablet), but I do most of my work on an older PC, because I want to make sure my software runs well on legacy computers first and then I test it on a newer one.

One can use EZGUI today, to build apps which run even on computers as old as a Windows 95/98 PC. Yet, it was designed to tap into the newer features of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 8 when available. An even if you have a newer operating system, the kind of hardware you run it on may be minimal, like the recent netbooks which were popular. The Intel Atom CPU is no powerhouse, but yet well designed software can run very fast even on the minimal hardware like this. EZGUI was designed with CPU’s like the Atom in mind. Minimal memory is required as well.

By combining the power of the PowerBasic compiler with a GUI engine like EZGUI 5.0 Pro one can build applications with a minimal footprint which can even get the most out of legacy PC’s. You can even build applications which are truly portable. Just copy to a jump drive and your app can run on an computer with a USB port. No need for special frameworks (iel dot.net). No need to have components registered with the operating system. Just copy and run. EZGUI apps are also so small in size, you can even use very small jump drives for the apps.

This means that using EZGUI can be cost effective for software development. Imagine building apps which run just as well on a ten year old Windows XP computer as it does on the latest Windows 8 computer.