Sixteen Years

Much has changed during the last sixteen years. Surprisingly for a software company, our core focus has remained unchanged. We continue to create energy saving software. I continue to enjoy helping those who rely on our efforts to get the most from their purchases.

Sunflowers in our local park.

When we started DssW, Apple’s System 7 operating system was in use and some of the technologies we today consider established were in the process of being created. The shift from System 6 to 7 was large and such a leap would not be repeated until the move from System 9 to Mac OS X many years later.

Today our efforts tend to require a blend of approaches. Power Manager, the product that started it all, has grown up with the Mac environment and does a nice job of combining the UNIX underpinnings with a true Mac experience. Much of what Power Manager does is to weave a thread between the depths of the operating system and offer possibilities previously not possible to the user. To bridge those worlds has not always been easy.

There are single checkboxes I still look at with a sense of awe. The amount of work that occurs when one of those checkboxes is clicked is incredible but that effort is completely hidden from the user; it just works. Which is as it should be.

It Takes Time

Time has allowed us to build up and upon previous work. Revisiting, refining, sometimes rewriting sections to provide the behaviour we want.

Oddly, some sections stand out more clearly for my wife than for me. Mentioning AppleScript will evoke a shudder of “oh no” from Megan but I have fond memories of adding AppleScript support into a daemon based product. It was difficult but enjoyably so. Megan saw the effort and struggle to get AppleScript right. But she could not easily share the relief and reward of making AppleScript just work.

We quietly run experiments and evaluate new technologies but experience has taught us not to rush into every new technology and say no more often than yes. We have remained a focused company and the lack of distractions has kept us serving our customers well.

The Thrill Remains

Even sixteen years on, I continue to have a clear idea what DssW is and does. It has been great to help so many people and there is a thrill at hearing from customers with unique challenges and environments.

We frequently get customer e-mails saying thank you, or delighted comments of surprise that what was thought impossible is actually just a built-in feature. Your feedback is great and a huge boost when we are struggling with obscure technical details.

So thank you for your support. It is great to know we are able to help and make your life easier.