10,000 Hit Celebration, Almost Here!

We are a little over 500 views away from reaching 10,000! Thanks to people like you, our site will be viewed over 10,000 times soon. Considering how new we are that is quiet an achievement, we have been getting an average of 60 views a day! Sure compared to Google or Youtube it's not even a drop in the bucket.

To celebrate this milestone (also the site is roughly one year old now) we will be having a week long celebration on our site with daily events. The week long celebration will end with a rather large announcement that many will be quiet interested in. The subject of this announcement will be known at the start of the week and by the end of the week the actual announcement will be made! The smaller daily events leading up to the last day will also be nice little "gifts" to those who support our company and what we do. A detailed list of what can be expected will be posted the day before we reach the milestone (most likely)... And speaking of the date, we aren't exactly sure when we will reach it but the day after it happen (unless it happens early mourning) the 7 day event will begin.

We could expect to reach 10,000 in about 10 days I think.

Quick Review: Programing In Objective-C 2.0

The book is well written and informative, teaching the language under the assumption of no previous programing knowledge gives anyone a chance to learn Objective-C. Though those with previous programing knowledge even a little may have a bit of a head start and may want to just skim the first couple chapters.

I read the book with some prior, minor, knowledge of C++ so it helped a bit. The examples and exercises the come along with the book are both challenging and informative. If you follow along with all the programing examples and complete the exercises you are guaranteed to learn   from the book. I would even suggest for a person reading it to read it twice, as I did, it will give you a even better understanding

As some said there are a few typos but none of which really inhibit the learning process. The writer of the book is very active in his own forums always out to help anyone in need of assistance, and has helped me a few times. Also all the answers (to the exercises) and programing examples are available on his forum as well which is a nice added bonus.

Pros:

• No prior knowledge of a language needed


• Clear cut examples and explanations


• Great Exercises at end of each chapter


• Covers a wide range of topics, including a bit of C and iPhone SDK


• Active online forum with Answers, Quizzes, Examples, and Help


• Well written and concise

Cons:

• Some typos, but all corrections can be found on the ERRATA at the website.


• Some terminology used in the beginning could use better explanations, as it could be overwhelming to some.

From a scale of 1-10 Id give it a 9.5 (Highly Recommended)

Still here...

I have been busy with a lot of things lately and let somethings go a bit. I hope to get everything caught up in a timely manner...

I officially finished the Objective-C book for the 2nd and last time. At this time I can safely say I know a lot of Objective-C gran-tit it will take years to master, but I now know enough to begin iPhone/Mac Development with Cocoa. Now that I have finished the Objective-C part I'm going to start the iPhone SDK book in a week or so, once I finish that, I should be able to start developing iPhone/iPod Touch apps.

But before I start the next book I want to get caught up with a few things, the website needs a few updates, the mobile site needs updating aswell, the blog needs some work, I need to finish the Dashboard Resurfacer widget, and a few other minor things need to done.

I will keep you updated as I move along with the different projects... And for those interested in learning Objective-C I will be posting a short review of the book I read on the blog.

Dashboard Resurfacer v2.0 Video

Created a short video preview of Dashboard Resurfacer v2.0



v2.0 Feature List (As of Now)

~ Improved Graphics

~ Animated Wheels

~ Improved Sound

~ Auto-Detect screen resolution and adjusts the widget to fit (works with just about any screen resolution) and no more multiple files! :)

~ Option to turn update alerts on/off

~ Fixed minor bugs and glitches.

It's an extensive feature list and a demanding update that will take a good bit of time. I hope to release this update sometime Mid-August. Once I get closer to being finished I'll give you an exact date.

Dashboard Resurfacer... and other stuff.

I'll be honest in saying that Dashboard Resurfacer is glitchy, lacks realism, and needs an update!

I have kinda let Dashboard Resurfacer go, in all that has been going on lately never gave it the proper time. I have set to completely rebuild the widget from nearly the ground up. Implementing newer more reliable animation (including wheels that actually spin :), fix all the glitches, improve the sound, and improve graphics. I might (can't guarantee) find a way to combine the screen sizes into one widget so we don't need 4 of them. Hopefully I'll have it done in mid-August...(summer going fast)

Currently reading the Objective-C book for second time (to get a even better grasp of what is being taught) once that is done I hope to begin the iPhone SDK book. If all goes well hopefully we can start to put an App together in late September or early October. Hopefully some of our future apps will be some fun games, I have been researching game engines and have come across a nice free one! Cocos2d is a free open source 2d game engine that uses Objective-C (helps that I don't need to learn another language so soon). As for the physics aspect Cocos2d can be integrated with Chipmunk Physics Engine. The engine uses C as the primary language, so I will need to learn a little C but it's very similar to Objective-C (Obj-C subset of C) and the Objective-C book I own has a large chapter on C and the syntax.

Just a reminder anyone interested in "The Ad Network" still have lots of room for more ads.

New Look!

As you probably saw, the website got a updated look! We improved the graphics, added a few new features and improved the website as a whole. Some notable upgrades; The side scroll box featuring our widgets to show our work without cramming things, scroll box for the news as well to fit more news in a smaller space, "The Ad Network" an advertising exchange program to promote our site and to promote other people's site, and much more!

To further elaborate on "The Ad Network" other companies and websites can offer to advertise us for free, in exchange we advertise for them for free. The ads they supply will appear at random intervals on the main page below, more information on this and a form to sign up is under the Contact page.

I hope to update the mobile site soon to, and DR (Which I'm working on, been busy with a lot of things)...

Scheduled maintenance and updates.

Small bit of news in regard to Pyro Deisn, I released an update for it that fixes a small popup menu glitch. So be sure to download it when you can!

Dashboard Resurfacer update will be coming soon as well to fix some problems with it so expect it within a week.

The website and blog will have scheduled maintenance tomorrow starting at 6 pm Eastern time, the site will remain up and running but problems may occur sporadically until the maintenance is finished sometime Friday night. It shouldn't last to long and will help to clean the website, making everything more efficient.

Some News...

I have yet to mention on the blog, but most of you probably found out that I submitted the PillBox update, it fixes a few minor glitches and gives the option to turn Auto Updates off.

DR and PD are scheduled also to have small updates, PD (Pyro Design) update will fix two glitches... One, when you first install the fireworks don't always start unless you exit and reopen dashboard, The second issue is that although the widget remembers your preferences when the computer restarts or something the drop down menus revert to the default state which needs fixed.

As for DR there appears to be an apparent animation problem and a few major glitches in some of the versions that need to be addressed, not sure why they are appearing now as they appeared to be fine before release. It should be addressed within the week...

After I update the widgets, the website will be next in line for a summer cleaning... although visually not much will change both the Blog and Website need a cleaning/revamping. Especially the server we are using, for it's a tad cluttered with old useless files and such. During this period you may experience problems with downloads and web pages (they should be few and far between). When I get closer to that point I'll give a more definite time frame of when problems may occur...

We reached over 5,000 hit on our website, here's hoping to reach 10,000 by the end of the summer! If we do I might do something  special for the milestone... I'll just have to wait and see :)

ALSO! Pyro Design! is still in the top 50 list and still doing well!

Updates are here!

I have released two new updates for BAS and CAP on our site! I have submitted them to apple and they are awaiting approval.

BAS:

~Option to turn updates off.

~Option to have animated snow fall onto your snowman!

~Minor performance upgrades

CAP:

~Option to turn updates off.

~Minor performance upgrades.

I plan on releasing updates for DR, and PB soon as well. Possibly today maybe tomorrow... I noticed a minor issue with Pyro Design and it might get a quick update aswell!

Speaking of Pyro Design, it is now in the Top 50 position at apple currently at the 40th spot and moving up! Thanks for all the support.

Pyro Design! Coming July 1st

Our 5th widget is just about ready to be released this Wednesday! I made a preview video showing some of the features available in the widget.

The widget uses Quartz composition to create a visually stunning firework show for your dashboard. You can select between fountains and aerials, then you can select the color for the fountains or aerials. Once you select a color click done and enjoy the show!

For best viewing have a darker wall paper!

Video:

Screenshots:[gallery link="file"]

Friday Update: 6/26/09

I haven't been posting in a very long time, but I'm continuing work with both the site/company and the Obj-C.  I have also been busy with work and other responsibilities. I hope to get more accomplished very soon and make a few updates, and as for news we have quite a few topics to cover.

First bit of news is in regards to the three current widgets, I'm hoping to get a update out within the next 7 days for each of them. This update will fix a problem in which a blank box will appear near the widget when the computer does not have Internet access, this causes an aesthetic problem. Also we will have a surprise feature update for Build A Snowman!

4th Of July is approaching and we have been working on the development of a widget for the holiday, this will be a simple but fun widget that everyone should enjoy. At this point its still early in the development and we aren't ready to release any further details other then it should be available by July 2nd or 3rd if all goes well. That only gives us about 6 days to finish the widget and if all goes well we should meet the deadline, we will be putting alot of our energy towards this widget and make sure it is a quality widget. If the widget is not at high standards by the deadline we might postpone it, though the widget will work for just about any time of the year.

JIL, Joint Innovation Lab, who contacted us a few months ago in regards to our Widget and Web Apps have started the porting of Dashboard Widgets for use as Mobile Widgets, very soon our widgets should be added to their large collection of widgets for the mobile device. I will continue to keep you posted on the progress of the our content and JIL.

I am nearing the end of the Objective-C book I have been reading this month, I have been gaining alot of experience in the language and development of programs with it. Once I finish It I have plans to re-read it to further gain a better grasp of the language, and once I finish it for the 2nd time I will be moving onto the iPhone SDK/Cocoa book. If all goes well we might be able to get out a Application for  the iPhone and iPod Touch late summer or early fall!

Now onto the Website and Mobile site, it has been neglected a bit and I  gotten it updated or awhile but that should also change in the coming days as I hope to make a few adjustments and updates to both the Mobile and Regular website, once again I'll keep you posted as changes come.

We have been constantly promising to add more to the Misc. section of the website and we hope to add to that in the coming month with Wallpapers, Screen Savers, and Much More! So expect that very soon.

Phew! that was a lot, after a sorta slow period the coming month will be a very busy one and expect much coming from the company. It should be an exciting time for everyone.

Friday Update: 6/5/09

Summer has officially started for me even though technically the season hasn't started yet.

The two books that I ordered have arrived and I'm working my way through the first one dealing with Objective-C. I'm currently on chapter 10 of the total 19 chapters and so far I feel I'm getting a pretty good understanding and growing knowledge of the language, though I learned a lot so far their is still a lot left to be learned. Much of which will come through use and experience. If I continue at the same pace as I am I should finish definitely by end of June and most likely mid June. Once I complete the book I'll move onto the second book about cocoa and iPhone SDK.

Also once I finish the first book, I'll post a small review on the blog. Describing my views and opinions on the book and maybe influence someone else to purchase the book. So far I'd highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn Objective-C.

I have still been busy with other things, but I'm slowly working on the CAP Web App and to finally get it out Beta. I still need to add a minor update to all the current widget which should be easily done without problems.

And one last small note, we are still accepting donations! In fact we would greatly appreciate any small donation to our company. Any little bit counts, and helps go towards things like the Domain Name, Books, and other expenses that so far we paid with mainly our own money.

Friday Update: 5/29/09

I made a few upgrades to the website and one of the most noticeable one is under the contact section of the website. If you visit that section there is a feature on the bottom that allows anyone to leave feedback or comments. The comments left can be viewed by both us and the visitors, the feedback received can be used to improve our site and what we offer. So If you have any time please leave us a comment telling us what you like and what you don't like!

Coming in mid-June I will be applying a minor upgrade to all current widgets, this upgrade will allow the user to turn off automated alerts (when an update is available) this solves the problem of a blank box appearing when the computer is offline. I'm not sure exactly when you can expect it.

Also next by week I hope to completely finish the CAP webApp and submit it to Apple.com!

The two books have been ordered and will arrive some time Tuesday or Wednesday, and I can begin with the Objective-C and iPhone SDK learning.

Friday Update: 5/22/09

I kinda missed last weeks Friday update, but I really didn't have much to say. I don't have much for today either but wanted to make sure you knew we still cared!

I'm going to be adding some minor upgrades to our site over the weekend and hopefully add more content to the misc. page. I also hope to get CAP webApp out of beta and submit it to Apple.com

Other then that I don't have much left to talk about, been busy with finals and summer is almost here! With summer beginning I hope to purchase two books next week for Objective-C and iPhone Programing, with those I hope to begin the journey of learning Objective-C and eventually offering apps for both the computer and mobile.

Friday Update: 5/8/09

CAP webApp beta is out, and because this is a Beta it still might have a few bugs but generally is complete. Though the background option is not fully ready and currently you can only choose one background. I hope to have it out of Beta within the week and then I'll add it too Apple.com's website.

The webApp was the last planned major release for us in the foreseeable future. At this point their is nothing in the works for the future months to come, but as mention previously I hope to begin learning Objective-C and the iPhone SDK this summer and eventually we can offer iPod/iPhone apps! So you can look forward to that to come in a few months.

I do have a little bit more free time so I hope to add more content in the Misc. section of the site for anyone to use, including desktop backgrounds and perhaps more iPhone background.

That is it for now!

Friday Update: 5/1/09

It has been another quite week with little happening, though as mentioned before the Carve A Pumpkin widget is doing quiet well. As of now it is currently in the 3rd sport on Apple.com's top ten list.

I hope to begin the Carve A Pumpkin Web App this week and maybe have it ready in about 2 weeks or so.I also hope to add more content to the miscellaneous page on the website for you to access.

Lastly I made minor updates to the website and the mobile website, mainly minor visual changes and such.

That is about it for this week!

CAP on the Top Ten list!

CAP made it on the top ten most popular widgets on Apple.com! Thanks for all those who support it.

Friday Update: 4/24/09

Fairly quiet week here at Alternative Visuals, our website just recently reached the 2,000 hit mark and now it's at like 2,130 or something... The site activity has really spiked recently it seems getting about 50+ a day now, and to better analyze our websites visitors we created a site meter account to track our sites activity. These stats can also be view by the public by clicking the small site meter icon on the bottom left of each page in our website.

Direct Link: http://www.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=s14altvis

I will probably start work on CAP web app sometime next week with really no exact date set for release at this time, this will be the last major release from our site as of now, for a while. I think we need a creative break for a little while, which will give us time to improve what we already offer here at Alternative Visuals, and during the summer as mentioned before I hope to begin learning Objective-C and the iPhone SDK.

Other then that not much else is going on, have a great weekend!

Dashboard Resurfacer v1.1 is Here!

Dashboard Resurfacer v1.1 is now ready to be downloaded and it includes these key updates:

• Saves all settings regardless if computer is restarted or something similar...


• Update the AV Logo.


• Updated Help Box.


• Removed the "Default Resurfacer Style".


• Prevent help box from appearing automatically after the first install.


• And other minor improvements.

This was the final widget that needed to be updated. At this moment we aren't planning anything big in the near future and I won't have much to do for the time being other then possibly starting the Carve-A-Pumpkin Web App...

Build A Snowman v3.2 is Here!

Build A Snowman v3.2 is here and can be downloaded on our site or blog, and eventually Apple.com...(Once they approve it)

BAS v3.2 information:

• Settings and appearances save regardless if the widget is closed or the computer is restarted.


• Improved help information


• Improved graphics


• Some minor code improvement

Next planned update is for Dashboard Resurfacer and that will be in the next couple days.