PigPen

19 November 2017

I’ve spent my spare time during the last few weeks writing another app, this one for the pnut.io social network. It enhances the failures of my first app, for 10centuries.org. Yes, more social networking, surprising for such an antisocial [expletive deleted.]

https://github.com/bazbt3/PigPen

It’s a Python program, application; heck call it an app if you must, I’m old. I began programming in the early 1980s, a time at the beginning of the UK’s home computer boom, and a time when one had to program to make computers work. And then came the Sinclair Spectrum and its awesome games and all was lost for me by the mid-eighties.

Back to the present…

Yes, I’ve gone for feature bloat rather than iterate through the creation of bulletproof functions, but it’s so satisfying when something works, when something clicks into place in my head, and when someone helps me understand something. That’s the very best bit, cooperation!

FAQ (usually means ‘frequently asked questions’):

So what does it look like? Old-fashioned.

How advanced is the graphical user interface? There isn’t one.

Does it have a SnapChat plugin? Er… a say what now?

Does it have the ability to– Wait! It’s written in Python 3.5; in good hands it can do pretty much anything a computer can do–

Ok, can it– No. I’m on but the second rung of the ladder, I can see snakes from here.

Roll 1d6 Oi! You f[CARRIER LOST]

Ok, the main thing I’ve gained from my progress so far is an enhanced understanding of the effort involved in the creation and maintenance of all the apps and services I’m using right now.

Respect.