I will try to keep it short. My first experience with computer programming was in 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. After that with Commodore C64, Amiga 500/2000/4000 and later with PCs with Linux and Windows operating systems.
On the mobile side I started 1992 with a Psion Series 3a, later 3mx and Revo. Later I switched to my first Windows mobile device, an Asus A696 Pocket PC and that was the starting point with the first B4X Tool: Basic4PPC.
What are you using B4X for?
For me B4X programming is just a hobby. I started with Basic4PPC on a Windows PocketPC and wrote a tool as a companion tool for a sports app that could download OptenStreetMap tiles along a GPX track.
Later I wrote a little tool with Basic4PPC that could print out a simple Calendar. I still use this one at work as a journal.
Both tools are still available on a Website: http://www.amberhome.de/index.html but I don't think that PDATileManager will still work.
When it was clear that Windows Mobile will die, Erel switched to Android and so did I. My first project with B4A was a weather app which is still availabe on the PlayStore. I wrote this app because in the beginning of Android all weather apps were absolutely crap.
I have seen that there was many Android stuff around that can't be used with B4A. So I started to learn how to write wrapper libraries for B4A and created a lot of stuff which is hopefully still useful for some users.
When Google released the first "Material Design" guidelines I was very interested in it. I tried to create the material design look and feel with B4A and some time Erel asked me to write tutorials about it and perhaps create a library for it.
It was much work to release these tutorials and the AppCompat library (and later the DesignSupport library) but it also was much fun.
Unfortunately like with many other hobbies, if you have a family, a house with a very large garden, children and so on you don't have much free time for hobbies. So I'm sorry that I hadn't much time for B4X in the last few years. I watched the forum from time to time but I couldn't read all new posts anymore like in the beginning.
Since the children grow up it seems that I will have a little bit more time again in the future for B4X programming.
How did you discover B4X?
Beside programming my second big hobby was astronomy. When I searched for Windows Mobile astronomy apps, i discovered some that were written with Basic4PPC. I can't remember the name of the user who wrote them but he brought me to the forum and a few days later I bought a Basic4PPC license and started my own experiences.
What were you using before B4X?
Basic4PPC was the first programming language I used for mobile devices. Though I have experience in many other programming languages like C, C++, Oracle PL/SQL, Java, Pascal etc. I'm not a very good software designer but I give my very best.
What have you learnt while developing with B4X?
Extremely much. Writing programs with the B4X tools is extremely fast. And if something is missing in B4X you can write a library for it.
The B4X forum is one of the best forums I ever visited.
And what have I learnt? That it is possible two answer hundreds of questions just in a few seconds if you are an alien, an AI or your name is Erel.
What are your future plans with B4X?
I will keep it as a hobby and use programming to keep my mind fit. I always have some projects in my mind I guess I will never have time to complete. Currently I'm playing around with an arduino board and B4R and I'm working on an app for the Infotainment system of my (electric) car (not a Tesla
).
On the mobile side I started 1992 with a Psion Series 3a, later 3mx and Revo. Later I switched to my first Windows mobile device, an Asus A696 Pocket PC and that was the starting point with the first B4X Tool: Basic4PPC.
What are you using B4X for?
For me B4X programming is just a hobby. I started with Basic4PPC on a Windows PocketPC and wrote a tool as a companion tool for a sports app that could download OptenStreetMap tiles along a GPX track.
Later I wrote a little tool with Basic4PPC that could print out a simple Calendar. I still use this one at work as a journal.
Both tools are still available on a Website: http://www.amberhome.de/index.html but I don't think that PDATileManager will still work.
When it was clear that Windows Mobile will die, Erel switched to Android and so did I. My first project with B4A was a weather app which is still availabe on the PlayStore. I wrote this app because in the beginning of Android all weather apps were absolutely crap.
I have seen that there was many Android stuff around that can't be used with B4A. So I started to learn how to write wrapper libraries for B4A and created a lot of stuff which is hopefully still useful for some users.
When Google released the first "Material Design" guidelines I was very interested in it. I tried to create the material design look and feel with B4A and some time Erel asked me to write tutorials about it and perhaps create a library for it.
It was much work to release these tutorials and the AppCompat library (and later the DesignSupport library) but it also was much fun.
Unfortunately like with many other hobbies, if you have a family, a house with a very large garden, children and so on you don't have much free time for hobbies. So I'm sorry that I hadn't much time for B4X in the last few years. I watched the forum from time to time but I couldn't read all new posts anymore like in the beginning.
Since the children grow up it seems that I will have a little bit more time again in the future for B4X programming.
How did you discover B4X?
Beside programming my second big hobby was astronomy. When I searched for Windows Mobile astronomy apps, i discovered some that were written with Basic4PPC. I can't remember the name of the user who wrote them but he brought me to the forum and a few days later I bought a Basic4PPC license and started my own experiences.
What were you using before B4X?
Basic4PPC was the first programming language I used for mobile devices. Though I have experience in many other programming languages like C, C++, Oracle PL/SQL, Java, Pascal etc. I'm not a very good software designer but I give my very best.
What have you learnt while developing with B4X?
Extremely much. Writing programs with the B4X tools is extremely fast. And if something is missing in B4X you can write a library for it.
The B4X forum is one of the best forums I ever visited.
And what have I learnt? That it is possible two answer hundreds of questions just in a few seconds if you are an alien, an AI or your name is Erel.
What are your future plans with B4X?
I will keep it as a hobby and use programming to keep my mind fit. I always have some projects in my mind I guess I will never have time to complete. Currently I'm playing around with an arduino board and B4R and I'm working on an app for the Infotainment system of my (electric) car (not a Tesla
).
