2024-04-17 11:33
Change is afoot, and I need your help. Here's the backstory...The BackstoryAt the bottom of the KSD website is the tagline: "We enjoy creating awesome stuff using software & electronics… Read More
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Kea Sigma Delta develops fast photo colour correction software to help you fix up (rescue/enhance) photos that didn't turn out quite right.
2024-04-10 12:15
I've long considered AI to be overhyped, and kind of annoying. All that AI generated content, from over the top articles, through to images that don't look quite right (e.g., a sheep with 10… Read More
2024-04-03 03:54
Last time we had Scarfy cheerfully running around collecting coins. Clink clink clink! But, a problem was looming. Every coin/object was loading its own copy of the textures & sounds tha… Read More
2024-03-12 13:33
I was recently asked what toolchains are, and how they relate to CMake. If you look up "toolchain" online, you'll find definitions that make complete sense to those who already know what the… Read More
2024-02-28 09:53
So, you want to program in C++ on Linux? Here's how to set up your "dev. environment" quickly. It's mostly easy, with one potential pitfall...GCC, CMake & VS CodeHere's what we're going… Read More
2024-01-30 14:12
In the previous RayLib 2D Challenge episode, animated shiny gold coins were spinning nicely. They were loaded from disk using a texture atlas, so adding animated gems or other objects would… Read More
2024-01-17 07:54
They say, "don't judge a book by it's cover," but everyone does it anyway. There's a good reason for that: appearances communicate a lot about who we are. Shoddy clothing communicates someth… Read More
2023-12-19 04:19
After a long delay, I'm pleased to announce that Part III of The CMake Tutorial book is done. Life events got in the way of writing, but that didn't stop me. It just slowed me down. Those wh… Read More
2023-12-04 02:30
Ever wonder what the difference is between CMake and GNU Make? Answers online tend to focus on how CMake is a meta-build system, has a mouse clicky GUI interface available, and GNU make is o… Read More
2023-11-14 00:00
This morning I had to renew my Malaysian drivers license, and I had to do it in person. In typical government office style here, you have to take a number, and then wait for your number to b… Read More
2023-10-02 13:11
I've been working on The CMake Tutorial for the last few months. It's designed to help get people up to speed with modern CMake, quickly. I'm pleased to announce that it's finally available… Read More
2023-08-21 13:02
Having trouble connecting Read More
2023-07-31 08:14
I had a look at the most common questions about CMake that people ask Google. Some of them had rather poor answers. So, here are some rapid-fire answers to the most common questions.What is… Read More
2023-06-19 06:04
in Part 9 of this challenge, Scarfy was happily jumping and running around in his 2D world, and even had background music. That's a great achievement, but rather boring. All he can do is run… Read More
2023-05-16 07:13
A few weeks ago I got curious about the increased interest in AmigaOS 4.x emulation, and decided to run a survey. The results are in. Many thanks to the 447 people who took the time to fill… Read More
2023-05-15 12:58
My previous CMake tutorial taught the basics: how to compile multiple source files into one program. That's great and all, but you're almost guaranteed to need third-party libraries when wri… Read More
2023-04-04 13:14
I've noticed C++ beginners asking how to compile code beyond the usual minimal examples. It seems that many tutorials are so busy explaining basics such as variables, if/else flow-control, … Read More
2023-04-04 12:27
What is file syncing? It's a question I didn't even think of answering, because I've worked with computers so long that it's obvious to me, and it's easy to forget that others don't know (it… Read More
2023-03-21 11:36
I used to Read More
2023-01-18 13:24
In part 8 of this challenge, physics simulation was added so that Scarfy could walk on the terrain. Today, I'm going to add atmosphere with background music. That might sound simple, and the… Read More
2022-12-24 11:42
I wish you Read More
2022-12-23 03:35
Show/Hide the Status Icon (Docky, SysTray Icon, etc.)One user said he didn't want the status icon, and asked how to remove it. Now that he mentioned it, having control over the docky/SysTray… Read More
2022-12-19 11:16
Part 7 of this challenge got a 2D camera working that smoothly tracks the player. Everything looks great until Scarfy walks too far in either direction. At that point it's obvious that the g… Read More
2022-11-07 09:21
What to do Read More
2022-10-26 04:23
The AmiWest Amiga computer show was last weekend, and I unveiled some of what's coming for ZitaFTP Server. ZitaFTP Server was never meant to be "just another FTP server." I always had bigger… Read More
2022-09-26 12:45
Part 6 of the RayLib 2D Challenge got the 2D tile-map displaying, but scarfy could easily walk off the screen. His 2D world is larger than the screen, but there's no player tracking camera… Read More
2022-09-19 08:49
Some users reported having a crash on startup with the new ZitaFTP Server released last week. It was caused by a thread that was missing AmiSSL initialization. AmiSSL requires special initia… Read More
2022-09-12 02:03
ZitaFTP Server v1.34 has just been released, and can be downloaded here. This version marks a major milestone: it's no longer a pre-release.No, this doesn't mean it's perfect. I have plenty… Read More
2022-08-29 09:56
Good news! Tileson can now handle "collection of images" tile maps. At least, my version does. I've yet to share the changes back. Either way, it means we can get to work. Click here to… Read More
2022-08-22 09:10
Today's video was triggered by unnecessary complexity. Ironically, today's video nearly didn't happen thanks to unnecessary complexity. Windows Camera stopped being able to use my webcam, Lo… Read More
2022-08-08 10:10
This is NOT what I was planning on writing. I was going to load the tile map created last time, so that Scarfy had a world to run around in. I'd chosen a third-party library to do the Read More
2022-07-18 12:47
So far, Scarfy has a title screen & menu, and can run and jump with sound effects. It's high time that a world is built for him to run around in. That's what I'm going to today. Watch th… Read More
2022-06-27 13:34
Part 4 of the RayLib 2D Challenge was supposed to be adding an environment for scarfy to walk around in. I'm short of time, though, so I decided it was time to add the game menu. RayLib's ra… Read More
2022-06-21 08:06
I'm pleased to announce that ZitaFTP Server v1.33 is out now, and available for download. As usual, it's got one major new feature, and fixes for a bunch of niggling little issues.Free Autom… Read More
2022-05-31 03:57
The code was starting to get a bit complex, in part 2 of this challenge. Despite my efforts, code for different tasks were getting mixed. It's clearly time to add some structure to the code… Read More
2022-05-16 12:34
A while ago I setup a BTCPay Server so that Kea Sigma Delta could accept payments in bitcoin (and others). If you're considering doing the same then this post is for you. Let's have a look a… Read More
2022-05-09 09:36
I showed my wife the first RayLib challenge, and the first words out of her mouth were, "can he jump?" Uh, no. Scarfy can't jump. So, today I'm going to give scarfy the ability to jump, and… Read More
2022-05-02 09:20
ZitaFTP Server v1.32 is finished, and available for download (click here). It's missing the big new feature I had planned because I couldn't get it finished in time, and didn't want to delay… Read More
2022-04-25 11:22
I've heard great things about RayLib. It is, I've been told, so easy to use that all you really need is the cheat-sheet, and maybe a quick look at the examples. To date, I never got beyond c… Read More
2022-04-12 03:39
I'm pleased to announce that you can now pay for items in the Kea Sigma Delta store using cryptocurrencies. Specifically:Bitcoin (BTC), including with the Lightning Network (LN)
Litecoin (LT… Read More
2022-03-28 05:38
Microsoft SmartScreen is a pain in the butt for developers. It pops up scary warnings for files that it doesn't recognize, telling the user that they're potentially harmful. That's why I got… Read More
2022-03-21 08:38
You're writing a program that connects to a server, and want to store the user's login details for their convenience. How do you do so securely?Short answer: you won't like any of the sugges… Read More
2022-03-07 11:57
The latest version of ZitaFTP makes it relatively easy to get your file server online, complete with its own domain. That way you can access your files from anywhere in the world, including… Read More
2022-02-21 14:23
I'm pleased to announce that the first ZitaFTP Server update for 2022 is finally here! As usual, there are bug fixes and improvements. The big new feature is that you can now use proper sign… Read More
2022-02-07 05:44
T'is the season of technical problems. Last time I talked about software issues that held back progress. This time, it's bugs. Real bugs. Ants, to be precise.I was away for Chinese New Year… Read More
2022-01-24 05:29
Technology. When it works, it's great. Amazing things can be done with technology. When it fails, though, it becomes a frustrating time sucking monster. ZitaFTP's latest update was supposed… Read More
2022-01-17 08:04
Last blog post I mentioned that you should never store passwords in plain text on a server. Actually, you shouldn't store passwords in plain text on any computer, including servers. Here's w… Read More
2022-01-10 07:41
If you're writing a network server like I am with ZitaFTP, then you may be tempted to create a custom encryption algorithm to store some data. Your reasoning would be: it'll be secure becaus… Read More
2021-12-20 05:56
It's nearly Christmas, so I'll be taking some time off soon to celebrate Christmas, and to relax. So, from us to you: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!I know that many people are worse o… Read More
2021-12-13 09:10
There's no ZitaFTP Server release this week, because last week I was busy paying down some technical debt instead of making progress.What is Technical Debt?It's a business/entrepreneur term… Read More
2021-12-06 11:21
A few months ago I started having trouble where ZitaFTP Server sometimes wouldn't be able to bind to its data ports. The error was confusing: "permission denied."Permission denied? What? The… Read More
2021-11-29 07:00
At least two people felt the need to explain the difference between FTPS & SFTP to me in detail after I released ZitaFTP Server. It's a testament to how confusing all these acronyms can… Read More
2021-11-22 09:34
Kea Sigma Delta had its 10th birthday just over a week ago (14 November). I wish I could say that it's been a resounding success, but business and entrepreneurship aren't like that. Most com… Read More
2021-11-01 10:30
I have a new ZitaFTP Server update for you. This one has a major new feature that's almost invisible (and that's by design). The new feature is: countermeasures against password cracking. It… Read More
2021-10-25 11:58
I'm going to Read More
2021-10-20 12:37
I'm pleased to be able to "let the cat out of the bag" about NovaBridge. It's something I've been working on for a while to solve an annoying problem: backward compatibility for old Warp3D s… Read More
2021-10-18 06:05
I created ZitaFTP Server in part because I needed an efficient way to compile my software on one machine, and test it on another (an Amiga). This helps especially with driver development, be… Read More
2021-10-04 05:57
I'm sad to announce that I'm shutting down the DIY MiniITX laptop project. At least, for now. The reason is simple: the chance of recouping the investment needed are slim, and I need to focu… Read More
2021-09-24 05:49
This should make Amiga computer fans smile: alternativeto.net has AmigaOS amongst its list of known platforms. I discovered it while adding ZitaFTP Server to its list of FTP servers. It was… Read More
2021-09-20 08:24
Need a secure file server? Watch the video above to see how you can quickly install and set up ZitaFTP Server on Windows. Or, read the instructions below...Download ZitaFTP ServerIf you have… Read More
2021-08-30 07:53
Yes, it's been a long time coming, and it's finally here! I first hinted at there being a Windows version of ZitaFTP over a year ago. I'm a little nervous about releasing it (always am with… Read More
2021-08-16 07:40
A beta tester recently told me that ZitaFTP Server didn't work on his Windows Home machine. It works fine on my Windows 10 Pro machine (and also Windows Enterprise), so we suspect that it mi… Read More
2021-08-02 02:14
The new USB-C power bank has arrived. So, how did it do as a battery for the DIY laptop?In brief:The power bank delivers plenty of power for the motherboard, GPU, and other peripherals
It ca… Read More
2021-06-28 02:25
The new, slightly larger LCD panel has arrived, as has a PCIe riser plus mounting frame. Someone else warned me that multiple PCIe risers that he tried didn't work, a good reminder that ever… Read More
2021-06-21 08:44
I've been playing around with alt. tech. platforms. So, you can now use some of them to get your Kea Sigma Delta news, if that's your preferred channel...Why Alt. Tech?The tech. giants have… Read More
2021-06-07 07:37
I'm pleased to announce another ZitaFTP Server update is available now. This is version 1.21, and it's primarily a bug-fix and fault tolerance update. Here's what's new:Multiple bug-fixes: F… Read More
2021-05-31 09:42
The laptop project has stalled. I'm waiting for some components to arrive, and I can't order the replacement USB power bank I need, because it's out-of-stock. It's been out-of-stock for over… Read More
2021-05-24 02:59
There's a 20% off coupon available, which I created after a discussion with an existing user. That coupon can be used by anyone, but it expires end of this month (May 2021). So, if you're co… Read More
2021-05-10 02:03
The USB-C battery pack has arrived; let the testing begin! At first glance it looks like the battery pack is working great. I had the machine fully running on battery power. However, there a… Read More
2021-04-26 11:24
Yes, another ZitaFTP Server update has just been released, and it's almost a milestone. More about that later. Here's what's new:The server settings can now be edited via the UI
Security/enc… Read More
2021-04-19 08:06
The original DIY laptop design used a small UPS with a home-made lithium ion battery pack. This works, but has a potential safety issue. There's no way to guarantee that the batteries you bu… Read More
2021-03-29 07:37
ZitaFTP Server v1.19 has just been released. It brings us a step closer to dropping the "pre-release" label with the following updates:Overwriting a file wasn't truncating it back to 0 (i.e… Read More
2021-03-23 00:59
I want to upgrade my DIY laptop's LCD screen, because I've found a bigger keyboard (more about that one later). Plus, I want a true 24-bit colour LCD panel. The current 14" panel is 18-bit… Read More
2021-03-01 05:25
It's important that the DIY laptop I'm designing has enough cooling, or it'll fry itself. So, I'm building a temperature logger that will be able to monitor the temperature in multiple locat… Read More
2021-02-15 07:31
Yes, it's back. The DIY Mini-ITX Laptop project has been restarted. I'm aiming to finish it this year. Watch the video above for more...Get Updates Before Everyone ElseThose who signed up to… Read More
2021-02-01 03:15
I'm pleased to announce that the next version of ZitaFTP Server for AmigaOS is now available to download. Here's a quick summary of what's new in v1.18:The quick configuration wizard now has… Read More
2021-01-18 05:36
2020-12-23 08:17
A new ZitaFTP Server update is available. It fixes a bug that literally prevents completely new users from trying it out. Here's what went wrong...I thought I'd tested it thoroughly, testing… Read More
2020-12-08 09:23
After a very long delay, I'm pleased to announce that the next update to ZitaFTP Server has finally been released! The previous release was back in May. Let's have a quick look at what's ins… Read More
2020-11-02 09:20
Years ago someone asked me if I would add the ability to write shader assembly to the graphics drivers I was writing. My reply was: you really don't want to do that. I've been working on add… Read More
2020-10-27 04:28
The next ZitaFTP update was supposed to be released yesterday. I was on track to finally get this long awaited and much delayed update finished, but then sickness hit. That left me with two… Read More
2020-10-19 03:32
Daily journalling is a key part of how I keep my projects moving. Without it I'd be wasting time every day trying to remember what I was up to, and what I should do next. That wasted time qu… Read More
2020-10-12 07:11
I've written multiple articles about eliminating waste in software development. This time, I'm going to delve into the biggest waste ever, which is:Writing software that nobody wants, or tha… Read More
2020-10-05 02:06
A few weeks ago I decided to check out Raylib, an open-source game engine written in C. It's different from other game engines such as Unity, Unreal, or Godot, because it has no editor to bu… Read More
2020-09-28 10:29
A few weeks ago I watched Ian Cooper's talk titled "Test Driven Design (TDD) - Where Did it All Go Wrong?" In it, he suggests being more like a duct tape programmer (first time round). It so… Read More
2020-09-21 07:24
Last week I stumbled on a documentary about 5G. The title suggested that 5G will bring about catastrophe. So, I decided to watch it...It was easy to watch, thanks to good editing and pacing… Read More
2020-09-14 06:12
I just checked, and it's been over 4 months since the last ZitaFTP Server update! The 5 month mark is approaching rapidly. I distinctly remember saying that I was aiming to have more regular… Read More
2020-09-07 06:28
If you've taken a programming course, the chances are that you've been told to write reusable code when possible. It certainly sounds great. Writing software is time consuming, so being able… Read More
2020-08-31 03:38
I have a confession to make: I didn't feel like recording a video or publishing anything. It's just one of those days where I have a lack of motivation. It happens...Yet, the video is record… Read More
2020-08-24 04:03
When I release software to testers, I don't actually want them to send me bug reports. I want them to tell me that it's working perfectly! Sadly, there's no way to prove that code has zero b… Read More
2020-08-17 04:19
Last week software development was frustratingly slow again. I'd fallen into one of the two major ways to waste time in software development... again. Here's a quick overview of what those t… Read More
2020-08-10 06:06
I recently had trouble with my laptop. The machine became almost unusable while Windows 10 was downloading updates. So, I decided to add more RAM and a faster SSD hard-drive. I'm pleased to… Read More
2020-08-03 04:11
I've recently been looking at ways to boost my productivity. I want to get more done in less time, so I have more free time for family and other things. Well, today I'm going to show you som… Read More
2020-07-27 06:48
Last week I released a video titled "Windows 10 Killed my Productivity." While true, this week I'm calling myself out on it. That's because I was effectively blaming Microsoft for my trouble… Read More
2020-07-27 06:48
Last week I released a video titled "Windows 10 Killed my Productivity." While true, this week I'm calling myself out on it. That's because I was effectively blaming Microsoft for my trouble… Read More
2020-07-20 04:20
I was going to release a ZitaFTP Server update today. Alas, I missed the target for various reasons, the most annoying of which is Windows 10 killing my productivity. Watch the video above t… Read More
2020-07-13 09:20
It's been about a month since I signed up to LBRY, and started syncing my YouTube videos there. LBRY is an alternative video sharing website. I signed up after watching a video about a black… Read More
2020-07-06 08:07
Ever had to put up with long compile times? If you've written software using compiled languages for a while, then I bet you have. Sooner or later, a project's size grows to the point where a… Read More
2020-06-29 05:02
Huh? Are people really asking that question? That was my reaction when seeing the question "Is it okay to use Stack Overflow at work?" But yes, someone asked the question. In fact, there are… Read More
2020-06-22 06:34
Ever felt like you're working like crazy, but getting nothing of value done? Yep, me too. It happens more often than I'd like to admit. There are plenty of ways you can go down a "rabbit hol… Read More
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