The Future of the GtkDcoding Blog

[Ron Tarrant]

In 2006, I started a blog on PHP-GTK 2.x that ran for 40 posts 
before the blog site I was using closed its door. By then, I was 
caught up in writing Corkboard, the first full-featured 
application I'd written for my own amusement in nearly 20 years, 
and so I just let it slip away.

Last year, when I decided to update my knowledge to GTK 3.x, the 
resources I found were few. Each had a handful of examples and 
most went overboard, cramming dozens of GTK features into 
single-app demos. Prying relevant code from such crowded demos 
isn't my cup of tea, so I decided to write my own.

So, using D as my newly-adopted favourite language, I wrote 
single-purpose GTK demos for every feature I thought I might find 
useful for creating cross-platform desktop applications. The idea 
was to make single-file demos that incorporated no more than 
absolutely necessary to demonstrate the feature of the day. While 
I was at it, I made notes as a memory aid so I could re-grasp the 
details as quickly as possible because I knew it might be months 
before I got around to using this resource, the idea being to 
preemptively cut down on wasted time when I did get back to 
serious coding.

And that's what ended up becoming the GtkD Coding Blog. I was 
sure I wasn't the only person who would benefit from this, so I 
bought a domain and set up a schedule to post twice per week.

Coming up on the end of 2019 and quickly approaching the 100th 
posting, I'm contemplating the future of this blog. Will I 
continue to post? And if so, will those posts still go up twice 
per week? Or maybe I'll move on and write the killer screenplay 
outlining utility I've been mulling over for the last few years. 
Or maybe I'll finally retire and go power-watch old episodes of 
Star Trek or something. So many choice!

But the small audience I have managed to attract has given me 
encouragement, suggestions, and more than a little moral support. 
I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. And even if I don't 
continue to post or only post from time to time, I'd like to keep 
it easy to find (i.e. continue to use the https://gtkdcoding.com 
domain name).

So if you like the blog and would like it to be available for 
future reference, please sign up as a sponsor. I've revamped the 
sponsor tiers so they aren't so scary. (I don't know what I would 
have done with a $500 sponsor anyway!) You'll be helping me cover 
costs as well as give me the feeling that it's all been 
worthwhile.

Thanks,
Ron Tarrant