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Full Update — May 2026

The Alignment Update

Last month was about breaking a loop.
This month was about building and improving.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been focused on raising issues and clearing them — small steps toward bigger goals.

A huge part of that progress came from the community.
Issue reports, questions, and PRs shaped this month more than you probably realise.

So before anything else: 🌟 thank you 🌟.


How the Ecosystem Fits Together

This month wasn’t just about clearing issues — it was also about defining how everything connects.

There are three “ranges” inside ZFordDev, each with a different purpose:


1. The Snap Range — Flagship Tools

These are the core productivity apps.
They’re designed to work together and eventually form a unified workflow.

SnapDock

The core editor — where everything comes together.

SnapBoard

A companion workspace for cards, notes, attachments, and virtual workspaces.

SnapDM (upcoming)

A local network messaging service (think decentralised Discord).

SnapPublish (upcoming)

A publishing pipeline for Markdown from SnapDock — aiming for a controlled, Git-like experience.

SnapDock-Pro

A paid bundle that combines everything into one polished experience.

Important: every feature in SnapDock-Pro is also available in the standalone apps.

No feature gating. No paywalls. Just convenience.

SnapDock-Pro is the all-in-one version — not the only version.


2. The Plus Range — Learning Projects

These exist for a different reason: learning and growth.

MathPlus

A lightweight Rust calculator.
Simple, fast, and a great way to explore Rust + egui.

SchedPlus

A Python project that demonstrates real software evolution:
Tkinter → JSON → logic separation → PyQt → packaging.

These were originally built for my son — a safe space to learn Git, contribute, and explore development without pressure.

They’re intentionally small, friendly, and educational.


3. StaxPing — The Wild Card

StaxPing doesn’t fit into Snap or Plus.

It’s the “what can we actually touch?” project — exploring networking, diagnostics, local discovery, and system-level behaviour.

It started as a learning tool and has become surprisingly useful along the way.


Ecosystem Cleanup — Complete

Every repo is now aligned with its roadmap:

  • SnapBoard → Beta
  • SnapDock → V2-LTS strategy doc
  • StaxPing → v0.3 feature wave
  • MathPlus → v1.2
  • SchedPlus → v0.3 logic separation

This is the most organised the ecosystem has ever been — especially with this many active projects.


Project Highlights This Month

MathPlus — v1.1.1 Released

  • Session memory
  • Full keyboard shortcuts
  • Installer temporarily removed (returns soon while I review update options similar to SnapDock)

SnapBoard — Foundation Locked In

  • New card system
  • Markdown support
  • File attachments (early — easy to break)

StaxPing — Stabilised

  • Local network detection (getting there 😅)
  • Packaging fixes
  • Roadmap for Monitor Mode + HUD Mode

SchedPlus — v0.2 Complete

  • JSON persistence
  • Official schema

SnapDock — One Issue Remaining

Only the V2-LTS strategy doc remains before V3 begins.


A Quick Personal Note

Life is still busy — driving a truck doesn’t leave a lot of time for development.

I’m not actively chasing dev work right now, but I’m also not closed off to it. If the right opportunity came up, I’d take it — it’d let me step out of the truck and focus more on building.

I’ve heard the suggestion: “why not just charge for your apps?”

And yeah, I get it — but monetising the current stack too early would devalue what these projects are meant to be.

Right now, the focus is on building things properly.

If anything, doing dev work would sharpen my skills and feed back into everything here — which is a much better long-term play.

Between parenting, work, and everything else — I just want to say thank you again for the support, the issues, the emails, and the advice.

It genuinely helps more than you think.


What’s Next

  • SchedPlus v0.3
  • SnapBoard Beta prep
  • MathPlus v1.2
  • StaxPing v0.3
  • SnapDock V2-LTS strategy doc
  • Installer rebuilds
  • A unified Snap ecosystem
  • A stable Plus range
  • And StaxPing doing whatever StaxPing does

The foundation is set — now it’s about putting in the hard yards.

If you ever want to reach out, ask questions, or just chat — send an email.
I’m always happy to talk and help where I can.

(Discord exists… I’m just terrible at checking it 👻)

P.S. Some docs are still rough or out of date. If you spot something unclear, flag it — I’ll update it when I can.