After giving the code, individually, to many of the people who showed interest in Inklog I received no helpful or critical comments in regard to how it was written, how it works, or the overall design goal of the application. So I decided to release publicly. And still I received no comments, helpful, critical or otherwise, regarding it's operation. Additionally, only a small handful of people wandered to the test site, and most of them simply tried to "hack" it into misbehaving as opposed to looking at it for what it did. And none of them bothered to let me know what they thought.
But that's okay. I only expected as much. But that leaves me in a difficult place. Without feedback, the only direction I can proceed in is the one in my head. Without input from others, I can't make the application suit the needs of more people. So, Inklog will proceed, but with less emphasis on the "user" and more emphasis on the "developer". This is software that I need to make my life easier and make my job easier. I figured that I should try to cater to the needs and wishes of others to ensure a strong user base, and, in the end, more modules, more functionality, and more developers. But, without others willing to even comment, I certainly can't cater to their needs.
So, Inklog will proceed my way. Updates on its progress will occur only if I should feel the need to vent or rave about it. And when the release comes, it will do everything I want but have very little of the fluff that other users might desire. For instance: I had planned on writing an admin console module to allow users to more easily access and understand all of the features available. But I know all of the features available, so I have no real need for such a console. So, that will be put on hold. I also have no need for a simple theme installer that would allow users to easily change the look and feel of their site without having to know HTML by simply installing a pre-written theme and configuring a few options within it. I know HTML and any theme that could be pre-written isn't going to be the theme that I want since my tastes are specific to me and I know how to build them. So I don't really need this option. I had planned on having an installer module available that made it easy for users to upgrade existing modules and install new modules without having to download code or access their system shell. But, installing modules is easy for me, so I'm not going to waste my time building this feature.
So, in a nutshell, Inklog is still moving. But, unless a particular feature is asked for by a truly interested party, if I don't need it, I'm not going to bother coding it.
I'm not upset. I actually kind of assumed this would happen. The code is too complicated and the GUI isn't (yet) flashy enough for pseudo-developers to understand it or desire to understand it. And I don't have enough real-developers reading my weblog. I've always had this problem, really. I've always been surrounded, in one way with another, with very intelligent and interesting people (and a handful of ignorant and/or boring people as well). However, never have these people taken interest in the things that I find important or interesting. I'm not sure why. Maybe they aren't intelligent enough to understand me. Maybe I don't explain myself well enough to allow them to understand. Maybe they are so busy with what interests them that they don't have the time or desire to have a conversation about something new or different from their conventional line of thought. But, regardless, I've rarely had anyone near me that could hold a real conversation about something that really interests me.
There are a few exceptions.
With programming and software, Matt is an exception. He understands what I'm talking about and he's willing to talk about it with me. And I think Mike T. would be as well if he and I ever had time to just sit around and talk.
With photography I know several people who can almost understand. They're still learning and, when I see something I can teach them, I try to do my best. And Tony understands photography very well. But we have different philosophies behind the photography (his being the more commercial aspects of it, while mine are more amateur/enthusiast/artistic).
I all but stopped writing poetry, having no one to really share with. I used to have a friend named Kelly, who really understood. We'd spend a lot of time reading poems to one another and talking about what made them good and what made them bad and which ones from other people we really liked. I used to have a friend named Emily that was the same way. In fact, I think that, somewhere, in a box, I still have a poem she wrote for me, covered in coffee stains from the night we spilled our drinks on it, too drunk to control our hands.
With guitar and music in general, I have several "mentors" I can talk to. Several people in my life who really understand how it works, how to play, and what it all means in the end. However, that's not the same. Because my level of ability is no where near where they are at. Any conversation we might have would be a request for help from me. Some day, when I put enough effort into really learning how to play, I might be able to discuss something deeper with them and, in that, learn from each other.
I could go on, but it would be pointless. The gist of what I'm trying to say is this: I'm used to learning on my own, and growing on my own, and doing things on my own. Why should this be any different?
