I've decided to utilize a number of AWS services to implement the backend for Karaoke Cat.   This approach has many advantages even for a small app like KC.

When I first moved Karaoke Cat off of Redhat OpenShift, as they were no longer offering an affordable version for a small operation like mine, I moved the WSGI server to the Pythonanywhere environment as it was written in Python using bottle.  That worked very well but it was not my long term solution as it was not scalable.

I then moved the existing HTTP API to AWS Lambda.  Each route was implemented as an individual Lambda function which basically meant each function was its own small microservice.  The AWS API Gateway was utilized to provide the HTTPS access to the routes and each Lambda function.  The existing JS code required little modification to allow this to work.  It still is using the original HTTP API interface and the same JSON data is returned to the client.   That's how kc-db.com is functioning currently (As of April 2024) . 

MongoDB Atlas was used as the DB server in both the Pythonanywhere and AWS Lambda implementations.

The next step is to implement the KC version 2 HTTP API to support multiple vendors and their venues via MongoDB.  This also means supporting multiple song catalogs.  The development will take an API-first approach with the UI design and integration occurring after the API has been completed and tested.  

There are a number of Low Code/No Code platforms that have been created for developing mobile apps.   

One low code approach to mobile app creation is called Appgyver.  This platform was acquired by SAP.  It is built on top of the REACT web platform.  This means that apps developed in this way are basically hybrid web apps whose code behind is Javascript.   I went thru the online tutorials and the environment was fairly simple to use.   Some concepts were not explained well or were not in sync with the current version.  However, there is a series of videos where the more advanced concepts are explained nicely and example apps are created.  You can find these at Curiousity Lab.

Exploring the Flutter ecosystem you will come across something called FlutterFlow.  This is basically a WYSIWYG development environment which generates the underlying Flutter content for you.  I'm just starting to learn this approach to see how much quicker it will be to develop apps using it verse using just Flutter.   There are many online tutorials and videos for this environment which I have just started to view.  There are also some very nice Flutter dev courses at Udemy.  I am currently looking at two and both do a decent job describing the material.  Not yet sure which to recommend but both seem to adequately cover flutter.  The document set for Flutter is very comprehensive and located at Flutter Dev.  The documents for FlutterFlow are also quite extensive.

There are more platforms but I prefer to have some ability to write code so the no code alternatives are not what I'll choose.  Between these two platforms I'm still in the decision phase but I'm leaning towards FlutterFlow.  Not because its easier to use but because it seems to have a larger ecosystem behind it and more capability for the types of features that I'll want to build into my apps.  However, my final decision on this has not been made.

After a few attempts to restart working on projects for Geosyncracy I am now able to get back to focusing on improving my existing apps and exploring new ones.  After investigating how mobile development technologies have evolved, since first publishing HandsfreeETA and Karaoke Cat, it was obvious that continuing to use the same platforms was not feasible.  Both Cordova and jQuery mobile are not going to be supported so a new approach for cross platform apps to run on Android and IOS was needed.  

The technology that I will be diving into is produced by Google and is called Flutter which uses the Dart language.  While I'm an experienced software developer I know nothing about this new platform.  My approach will be to take a few courses to jump start my ability to redevelop my previous apps using Flutter/Dart.  I'll write additional posts to report on my progress and whether I felt this was the best alternative for writing mobile cross platform apps.

Over the last two months I've been working towards releasing an update to Handsfree ETA.  I'm close to publishing this new version that will make the app useful once again and be worth the download for Android users.   If you happen to read this post use the Contact section to send me a note and ask for a code so you can download the full version and use it for free.  My gift to anyone who has taken the time to read this blog post.

I had not worked on the app in a few years.   The Android OS was only version 2 when I built the original app and it is now at version 6.0.  The app was failing to work on many phones for lots of reasons.   Some were due to new restrictions imposed by the OS and many, admittedly, were due to coding mistakes on my part.  While fixing these issues I've learned a lot about how to support the features that the app requires in the current OS and better methods to test and develop the code.

It's not possible for app developers to test all the devices supplied by such a large number of manufactures.   We test on one or two real phones and we can test in the Android emulator but its hard to cover everything so compatibility problems are bound to surface.  We can only try our best to be sure we have tested enough of the app to ensure it has the best chance of functioning properly from device to device and OS version to OS version.   A very difficult job but an important one.

Once the app is published I'll write some additional blogs on how to overcome some of the major problems that prevented my app from working properly.  The info is available online, if you GOOGLE hard enough, but I want to summarize it, in one place, so it can prove helpful to other developers who might struggle with the same types of issues.  I'll be adding these blog posts over the next few months.

​-Regards

I have been very quiet since initially creating my first app called Handsfree ETA.  I have learned a lot about attempting to use a Hybrid approach to create mobile apps.  The  moral of this story is that no development environment will provide you with complete compatibility across platforms.  Even an approach that uses HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript.  The webkits from device to device, manufacturer to manufacture and Android version to Android version are just not the same.   This causes sublte differences.  One webkit may be more forgiving to a Javascript coding mistake than another.   Testing on as many devices as possible and modifying your program to use Javascript that works across devices is your only real option.   The use of the emulator can help but it was notoriously slow and painful.  Google has supposedly made this faster but I have not yet tried the latest emulator versions.  Is it really faster?  If you know please respond to this post.

However, I've recently discovered that Google has now made their V8 engine the default option for  later SDKs. They did this a while back; I just didn't know cause I didn't look.   Staying current is not an easy task but it's important and can save you lots of tie and frustration if you manage to do it.

I have not given up on the Hybrid approach.  The fact that V8 is now the default for the webkit engine on Android is a real good thing. Hybrid apps will run faster and be more predictable across devices, manufacturers and release.   Users are upgrading away from 2.4 as they buy new phones.  Android versions 4+ versions are now dominating the market so changing your apps to use V8 as the default is a good idea.

I've also been tinkering with some other things over the last year.  Like learning the latest jQuery Mobile version and  coming up to speed on the latest Phonegap releases.  If you stay away from updating the core versions of the open source used by your apps for too long you are looking at a lot of work and very possibly a rewrite of your code.   Open source authors have a desire to make their Platforms/SDKs better and will not sacrifice this for the sake of backwards compatibility.  I don't really blame them for this as they need to compete with similar platforms for market share.

I really just wanted to swipe the dust off my blog and give you a taste of what I've been up to.   I have a lot more to say about my latest project and I will write additional posts about my adventures to move to the latest versions of the platforms that I've tied to my development efforts.   

Stay tuned and we can take this journey together!

I have decided to release a trial version of my mobile phone application called 'Handsfree ETA'.  
The trial is very feature rich and is only limited in the following ways.  There is a limit on the number of trip plans (2) and marked locations (4) you can store.  You can't include a personal message in the ETA updates like you can in the paid version.  And, of course, there are Ads in the trial version.  The icon is a grey scale version of the colorful icon used for the paid app.  The paid version is only a $1.99, so, when you want to store more trip plans and mark more locations, or include messages in the ETA updates, just upgrade.  It's a bargain when you consider the problems caused by texting and driving.  

Oh yeah, if you ride a motorcycle you will really like that the app lets your friends know where you are when your meeting up for a ride, without having to stop!  Works great, I know, I ride too.  It really gives your family peace of mind knowing your safe and making progress to where your cruising takes you!

I was going to produce an expiring trial but I decided to allow people to use the trial indefinitely.  I really believe this app solves a problem that people experience while driving.  The need to text so someone else knows where you are is a real PROBLEM.   It's DANGEROUS and now very ILLEGAL.  People are going to jail when they get into serious accidents texting while driving which many times leads to loss of life.  

There is a campaign to have people take a pledge to never text and drive.  I have taken this pledge personally and I hope you will as well.  This app, now free, can provide you friends and family the information as to your whereabouts so you don't have to text it yourself.

Check out http://www.itcanwait.org/  and take the pledge yourself!  

Try the app and use it, as long as you want, for FREE, as long as you pledge to NEVER TEXT and drive!

Drive and Ride Safe!

The Founder of Geosyncracy and author of this very useful app introduced the app in Lowell at Motorcycle Night!
Watch what he had to say below.

Chelmsford, Ma - July 31, 2012 - Geosyncracy will be hosting a booth, tonight, at Motorcycle Night
in Lowell, Ma on Pawtuckett Blvd along the Merrimack river.  We will demo our first mobile application published yesterday on Google Play called Handsfree ETA.

It promises to be a fun night and there are always some great bikes to see!  We will also be having a very special, free raffle so come out and visit us!  You might just win something very special!

Handsfree ETA sends automatic text message updates to let people know when you plan to arrive to your destination without the need for any direct interaction on your part.  

The image to the left is the splash screen for the first product to be released, in just a few days, by GeoSyncracy. The image reveals the name of the product which will also be the domain name of the apps website.  I'll leave it to your imagination as to what the product does but based on the app icon and name I hope you can figure out it's intended purpose.   Just reply to this post with a guess?

The product will first be released on Google Play and by the end of August the iPhone.  The technology used to develop this product makes multi-platform support much easier.  Look on the about page for more details about how this app was created.

We are also going to be at Motorcycle Night in Lowell, MA on July 31st.  
For those attending I have a special offer that will be announced that night.

Here's the icon for my first app.  It was created by a Mass Art School of Design student who is entering his second year this coming September.  I think he did an Awesome job keeping it simple and relevant to what the app actually does.  Another student, at the same school, also entering her second year designed my splash screen and did an equally impressive job.  I will reveal that screen here as the app gets closer to launch.

I won't say more about what the app does but that it is near completion on the Android platform. A booth is still planned for Lowell Motorcycle Night on July 31st.  I hope to see my friends and former colleagues at that event providing moral support.

I have not blogged much or tweeted as I'm flat out completing the app and preparing it for launch on Android.  You can read about the technology used to produce this app on the About page; I plan to rapidly make the app available on additional mobile platforms soon after the launch on Android.  More on that to come in the next few months.

A recent blog post by  Jesse MacFadyen @purplecabbage  discusses an event held by Microsoft to help developers port their PhoneGap based apps to the WIndows Phone platform.  Jesse believes that the effort, overall, went well but mentioned some issues he noticed the developers faced in their porting efforts.   The post is Windows Phone and Cordova/PhoneGap Hackathon  and well worth the read if you plan on moving your HTML/JS/PhoneGap app to the Windows Phone.  He specifically mentions that jQuery Mobile (JQM) is currently the best framework to use to help support multiple phone platforms since these platforms use different browser engines to run your apps.  GeoSyncracy's first app utilizes jQuery and jQuery Mobile frameworks along side PhoneGap.  This really validates the approach taken by GeoSyncracy to develop apps on all the major smartphone platforms with minimal effort on the part of the developer.   I'll push for GeoSyncracy to attend the next event of this kind.
Very Good News!