Thanks, everyone, for your feedback about the Desktop Analytics software.

I’ve made the following platform choices:

Initially, the embeddable client library will strictly provide a C interface for Windows. In future versions, I’ll also provide wrappers in popular high-level languages, starting with C# and Java. At some point, the library will also be available for Linux and Mac OS X.

The server will be developed as a standalone Java server (i.e., without requiring Tomcat or JBoss or anything like that) with a MySQL backend. Future versions will enable more database choices (probably starting with SQL Server), though I won’t develop a non-Java version.

In a subsequent version, I’ll also release a “reflector” module in PHP/MySQL. The reflector will be a dumb server component that listens for events from the embedded client library and stuffs them into a database. Periodically, it will connect to the main server and send a batch of data. The purpose of the reflector module will be for developers who don’t want their users to see an outgoing HTTP request to an unfamiliar domain, but who don’t want to actually host the main server themselves. At some point, the reflector will probably also serve as a load-balancer and/or a failover mechanism.

The reporting client, with all the fancy charts, will be developed in C# using the .Net 3.5 framework, for maximum WPF goodness.

Thanks again for your help in choosing platforms!

I know not everyone is interested in getting a truckload of business intelligence about the users of their software. But for those of you who think the Desktop Analytics project is pretty cool, tell me a little bit about your development platforms.

Do you use Java or .Net to develop your desktop software? Or are you maybe using C++ with MFC or WxWidgets? Anyone selling desktop software built with Ruby or Python?

Do you have a server? Is it Windows or Linux? Do you have your own server, or do you use a VPS account? Or just a shared web server, with PHP/MySQL? Do you have permission to install your own software into your server environment? Are you already running a Java app server? Tomcat, or something else?

Whatever platforms people seem interested in are the ones I’ll focus on in my development, so express you preferences here!

I’d like to solicit some feedback on a GUI mockup I’ve put together, for the deskop analytics project (click to enlarge):

Without any additional commentary on my part, what do you think of that design? I’ll answer questions in the comments section.

First of all, let’s start by assuming that you love hilarious tee-shirts.

Something, perhaps, to express your knowledge of contemporary video-game pop culture, while simultaneously making an ironic commentary about being a complete social misfit. Not just a run-of-the-mill computer nerd. But maybe a former a member of an actual high school band. Brass section.

Maybe something like this…

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A handful of steadfast readers out there may remember that, a few years back, I challenged myself with developing a list of 30 unique business ideas in 30 days, with the goal of launching a product and building a business.

During that time, I did a lot of blogging (sometimes as late as 3am, to write a blog entry while on vacation, after everyone else had fallen asleep). The whole endeavor really got me into a mindset of wide-open possibilities, to the point where it was hard to stop thinking of new ideas and actually focus on just one.

(I’m going to make a bold statement: The people who complain about a lack of software ideas have never really spent a significant chunk of time going through a methodical brainstorming process.)

Now, after two years, I’m finally making good on the implied promise of that brainstorming month.

At the end of June, I’m going to release a new product.

Later this afternoon, I’m going to write my first line of code.

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