In 1999, I got hired to work doing Quality Assurance for PowerOn/Now Software. Among their software offerings was a pair of programs, sold together, called Now Up-to-Date and Contact. They were calendaring and contact applications for true power users. Folks that not only needed a ton of unique features above your average calendaring and contact software but, perhaps most importantly, needed to be able to share that information with others in a team/office/company or even family basis.
The best way to test software is to use it and so I did.
Ever since, Now Up-to-Date and it’s evolution BusyCal (which is still developed by the original developers Dave Riggle and John Chaffee) has been an essential part of my and my family’s life. We often say in our house “if it’s not on the calendar it doesn’t exist” and it’s true. The elegant design of the shared calendaring feature is the only way we can keep track of what everyone is doing and when.
In other words, the software Dave and John wrote decades ago has been a part of my life for almost half of it.
We don’t often think about how important software can be in our lives. How it can make it better. How it can become essential to it. How, by extension, the humans behind that software have in no small way made our lives better.
I thought about that today upon meeting Manton Reece, the lead developer of my favorite blogging tool, Micro.blog. Not only what an honor it was to meet someone who has created something that makes my life easier and better in no small way, but who also developed a little program called Clipstart years and years ago that I used and loved. I got a chance to thank him, in person, for making my life better.
I’m sure there is software and services you use daily that makes your life better. Remember that a human made that. If you ever get the opportunity, thank them.