Life has been intense lately, so I wanted to take a moment to share what’s happening across the entire ZFordDev ecosystem. This is the first official news update, and it felt fitting to open with the classic line every developer prints when they’re starting something new.
This update covers the personal side, the technical side, and the future of SnapDock, SnapBoard, SnapDock‑Pro, Thrift3, and StaxDash — all in one place.
I’m a solo parent with young kids, and I’ve recently taken on full‑time work to stabilise life and fund the upgrades I need to keep building this ecosystem. Between parenting, work, and the general chaos of life, development time has been extremely limited.
But I want to be clear:
I’m not gone. The ecosystem is not dead. Nothing is abandoned.
This is simply a season where I need to step back, rebuild my foundations, and make sure I can afford the tools and hardware required to keep pushing forward. (Have you seen RAM prices lately? I swear they’re powered by dark magic.)
The slowdown isn’t due to lack of interest or burnout — it’s purely practical.
To keep building:
So I’ve taken on work to fund the essentials. Once things settle, I’ll be able to return to a healthier development pace.
This is a temporary slowdown, not a shutdown.
SnapDock continues to receive weekly patch updates.
Could I freeze it? Technically yes.
Should I freeze it? Absolutely not.
Electron on Ubuntu is… let’s call it “adventurous.” Keeping SnapDock updated helps maintain stability across platforms and ensures security patches keep flowing.
Even though SnapDock doesn’t use much of Electron beyond the updater, staying current matters. It keeps the LTS branch healthy and predictable.
SnapDock remains:
SnapDock‑Pro is real, but it’s not ready.
To build it properly, I need all three core components:
Only when all three exist can they be unified into a single, premium, convenience‑focused app.
And to be clear:
SnapDock‑Pro will never gatekeep features.
It’s not a paywall — it’s an ease‑of‑use upgrade that brings everything together.
It’s also the path from “poor indie dev” to “sustainable creator,” which would let me focus full‑time on building this ecosystem.
SnapBoard works conceptually, but the moving parts — drag‑and‑drop folders, virtual workspaces, card interactions — take time to build properly.
Time I simply haven’t had.
The architecture is aligned with SnapDock, the vision is clear, and the alpha is functional, but it needs focused development time to reach beta.
It’s not abandoned.
It’s just waiting for life to give me a window.
Thrift3 is being positioned as:
It’s intentionally different from SnapDock and StaxDash — more personal, more grounded, more “real‑world people solving real‑world problems.”
The domain is being secured, and a holding page will go live shortly.
StaxDash is planned to be the packaged ecosystem builder:
But for now, we’re keeping it quiet.
It’s not ready for the spotlight yet, and that’s okay.
The holding page is live, and the rebrand is underway.
The philosophy has always been:
Online features will come eventually — but they will never be required.
This ecosystem is built for everyone, not just people who can afford subscriptions or constant connectivity.
For the next little while:
And I’ll be working hard behind the scenes to fund the upgrades needed to keep building.
If donations, app sales, or content revenue start flowing, I’ll be able to step away from the day job and return to full‑time development. That’s the dream — to focus entirely on the ZFordDev experience and bring this ecosystem to life at the pace it deserves.
Thank you for your patience, your support, and your belief in this ecosystem.
Thank you for using SnapDock, testing SnapBoard, reading the docs, and being part of this journey.
This is just the beginning.
“Hello, World!” — and hello to everything that comes next.