One year later

I wrote this Android keyboard named FlickBoard. A few people even seem to like it, strange as that feels to say.

Since the project is now a smidge over a year old I figured it'd be worth writing about how we got here, and where I'd like to go from here.

A year ago

About a year ago¹, the Android keyboard I had been using for years interrupted me to show a new message. More of a threat, really.

I had been using it long enough. Apparently, it was time to pay up. Now, you can argue about what the correct response is. Surely, I could afford a cup of coffee a month!²

But that's not how it felt, at the time.

This trusty tool that I had relied on for so long; developed a muscle memory for.. reminding me that it had enough control to alter the deal. That it could alter it again. The bridge was burned.

I just felt angry.

Betrayed.

Abandoned.

Disappointed.³

I started to look around for alternatives. I had to. I found one, but it didn't quite agree with my muscle memory. It didn't have all the gestures that I had got so used to. There were also some layouts for super-customizable keyboards like Multiling O, but that seemed even less likely to get the ergonomics right.

Oh well. I mean... how hard could building a keyboard yourself be, anyway?

Well, here we are. And I'm writing this retrospective, somehow.

Now

In terms of basic functionality, the keyboard's in a pretty good place. A few people seem to use it.

Some even seem to like it.

I'd call the initial mission of providing a shelter for old MessagEase refugees a success.

Looking forward

There are always more bugs to fix, rabbit holes to dig into. That almost goes without saying.

But there are two things I'd like to (try to) change in the near future.

Target audience

So far, FlickBoard's target audience has been pretty limited to "people who use MessagEase but don't want to use MessagEase".

The app does very little to teach new users how to use it, and even less to convince them why they should use it. I don't like the trend of how the world of computing is separating⁴ into the "nerds and the proletariat"⁵, and I think FlickBoard could do a better job at welcoming newcomers.

This doesn't mean watering down the mission, adding a QWERTY mode, or autocomplete. But it does mean more emphasis on (accessible) documentation, and trying to give a more welcoming first impression that sells it on its own merits, rather than on what came before.

Funding

FlickBoard has always been a pure hobby project, which limits the amount of time⁶ that I can spend to it.

Don't worry, I don't plan on adding any paywalls or ads⁷, but a tip jar of some kind could help me start to free up more time for it.⁸

These plans aren't super concrete⁹, but maybe there'll be yet another Patreon link here soon.

Finale (for now)

I'm honestly kind of astonished to have made it this far, but here's to hopefully being able to write another post like this in another year.