Hi, my name is Vil and I’m the guy that wrote all this software and I’ve written a quick little timeline of the progress of the creation of this app and a bit of a log of the last year of my life (seeing as we’ve not really been allowed to be out and about visiting each other etc).
2020
April 2020: Started to Learn JavaScript
Having spent the end of 2019 and the first part of 2020 writing a lot of C programs for the various assignments that were given to me on my uni course (BEng (Hons) – Robotics Engineering) I wanted to build a website that allowed me to upload a CSV file (a file that you would create in Excel) to a website so that I could use that in further calculations (my initial intention was to build an AI calculater interface – a sort of website that can solve problems and predict outcomes based on information you give it).
April 2020: Learning The Craft
Learn about Node.js, express and how a backend API works. Improved on my coding abilities and generally got my head around the madness that is writing a full stack (front end and back end) application. I began wrote a lot of posts on my blog about this at the time (visit Digital Redneck | Programming if you’d like to see) where I made a colour guessing game and wrote the very essentials that I needed to just crack on and have some fun with JavaScript without the need to constantly be referring to other people’s instruction.
May 2020: Decided to Start Writing C4RT
After learning the few things I’d learned up to this point I decided that it would in fact be possible to write an app myself and that before tackling the AI problem, decided that I would be able to write the software that hadd been in my head for the last four years. Truth is I had something like this software in place before (around 2016/2017 I think) but it died out because I couldn’t afford to keep paying the developer and this meant that the app just died a death.
May 2020: Tried to learn TypeScript
I knew that simply writing a static HTML site that was served by an API would be quite very 1995 so I knew I needed to look at some of the “live” type of platforms (let’s not get funny over what they are called) like React.js, Vue or Angular. Seeing as it was created by Google I decided that Angular would be the best option so I decided that I was going to be a “MEAN” stack developer (MongoDB, Express, Angular & Node.js).
May 2020: I Switched to the React.js Library
After a few days of trying it became apparent that Angular was perhaps a little bit over my head and that perhaps React.js would be an easier “thing” to switch over to. Turns out I was right and React (which is written and maintained by Facebook) is literally now the love of my life (apart from my wife obvs).
June 2020: Put my Notice in to Switch Courses at Uni
I decided that I didn’t want to be learning Robotics Engineering and seeing that I had got 92% in my AI assignment from that year I felt that my real calling (something I could persue with more purpose) was Computer Science so I contacted my university and told them that I wanted to switch courses at the end of the year.
June 2020: The Current Version of The Software is Born
Up to this point the front and back end of the website are on around version 300 (I have 300 different snapshots in time of my progress as I saved backups) and it was around this time that I was able to get things working with React and my Express back end. Good times.
July 2020: I Cried & Faced Existential Crisis
July 2020: I Cried Until I Was Blue in The Face
A lot; and then a little bit more!
Aug 2020: I nearly Gave Up Several Times
If it wasn’t for the fact that it was Covid, this software would have never been written #FACT. There were at least three ocassions where I had given up on React.js and the next morning when I woke up, couldn’t face the fact that I could give up when I HAD NOTHING ELSE TO DO! Luckily I pushed through these dark (the darkest) times and have now got to where we are.
Sept 2020: Worked Through Implementing All The Logic
This is where I could now start to write in React on my own without any support from the courses I had bought and was able to implement anything and everything I decided that I wanted in the software. I can honestly say that every part of how the software is a direct translation of the intial vision I had of it at the time of it’s inception all those years ago (and a bit more that I couldn’t have imagined in the beginning).
Oct 2020: Found Out I Didn’t Have a Place This Year at Uni
Yup. Because of Covid and all of the complications with students and problems with getting A Level results (or whatever reason) – computer said no to my place on the Computer Science course happening in the time I’d planned to be at uni. At this point I realise I F…. lol. I realised that I was going to be providing for myself over the next year as I waited for the 2021 intake to come around.
Nov 2020: Cried in Bed a Lot
Dec 2020: Set a Target to Launch by The New Year
Worked furiously at finishing off the c4rt software so that I could actually offer it as a service. This was the time that I was working on the security and all of the encryption and decryption and validation of data (to make sure we’re all safe using this) was pucker.
2021
Jan 2021: Registered my Business With New Enterprise Allowance
Was given three months to write a business plan and have it approved before I could launch and start signing up customers.
Feb 2021: Business Plan Approved
One the 1/2/2021 our business plan was approved.
Feb 2020: C4RT LTD is Officially Launched
On the 7/2/2021 we confirmed with everyone involved that C4RT had officially opened for business and was ready to start taking customers.
March 2021: Created Home Page & Blog
This sentence is the finishing touch in getting the home page & blog sorted and integrated with the software and all customer services and what not. Whoop whoop!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post which is the first of many. If you’re interested in becoming part of this story yourself then visit the C4RT demo page where you can signup.
