Authors Note





BluePrint 2 would not have been possible without our customers, and my colleagues (Mike, Robert, and Rachel).  I would like to thank you all.  (Oh, and I can't forget the cat, Jerome; he used to stay up with me all the late nights).



We began this project in November of 1997, with the creation of a detailed and concise plan with little room for error.  I'm happy to say the plan worked, and we have succeeded in implementing the new vision we saw for a portable project manager.



Through the past year and the official "drop of the Newton" in February 1998, morale among the Newton community dropped dramatically.  You are not alone in feeling the way you do about the Newton.  That day saw more casualties than just the Newton.  We lost many developers, and many advocates of the Newton.  The life of many small companies, Sine of the Times included, also hung precariously for a few days.



Never in my life have I felt more torn than after the first few days of the announcement.  I felt like I had just lost a close friend.  I couldn't decide whether to keep working on BluePrint 2, or give up.  Then I saw the light of course...



I picked up my first Newton in the spring of 1994 when I was 20.  I soon bought "Programming for the Newton" because I love to dabble!  Soon I wrote my first project (the matrix solver for QuickFigure Pro, Pelicanware) with the demo Newton Toolkit, because I couldn't afford the full version of the Newton Toolkit (back then, it was $750 US).



I cannot tell you how much joy it was for me to write my first little "hello world" program on the Newton and use it with a pen.  I felt like I was using a computer from the next century.  The Newton is still far ahead of it's time.  I haven't seen another PDA which can match it's capabilities, and also provide the incredible programming language to complement it.



I spent almost every weeknight and weekend for my first 4 months while attending school working on the Newton as a hobby.  I got little or no support from family or friends, most of whom I neglected (I stopped answering the phone), and who didn't understand my fascination with the tiny Newton.  Most still don't know why I bothered especially now after the cancellation.



But I can't share some things with other people.   I can never share fully with you the elation after having our first product (PowerSet) published in a box, or seeing a product of ours on a store shelf.  I can't share the adrenaline rush I got when I first turned on my stereo with  ShowMate :)



The Newton is a rich and unique computer, and most importantly: a personal one.  It's the first and only computer which belongs to the user in both use and personality.  And I truly believe it has defined a standard for much of what many of us expect in the future.



A bit about BluePrint



The original BluePrint has a long history - it was started twice, and twice stopped in 1996.  Finally on the third time (late 1996), we succeeded in defining a modest but usable plan for a project manager.  While the original BluePrint may not be as powerful as MS Project or even some of our ex-Newton competitors, it was Sine of the Times first "built-to-spec" product.  Nonetheless, competition has encouraged us to be better.



MathStar soon followed, and while this has nothing to do with the original BluePrint, the concepts I learned while writing MathStar, are the pillars of technology behind BluePrint 2.



BluePrint 2 is my most ambitious project ever, and by far the one that has tested my skills, patience, and perseverence.  In return we have gotten satisfaction and confidence given to us through customer comments, and continuing customer support.  I truly believe that BluePrint 2 is a "good" product, because myself and the team have given 110% into writing it and supporting it.



The remarkable thing is that customers are writing us still, asking to add new features to BluePrint 2.  As long as there are people using it, we will keep working on it.



I hope you find the features of BluePrint 2 fill your needs beyond what you expect.







Keep using your Newton!



I read an issue of Pen Computing magazine a few months ago, in which they list 350 developers for the Newton.  Only about 25 of which have promised to continue development (including us).  Surprisingly enough, most of these formed around the same time that we did (give a few months here or there).  We were there at just when the Newton was starting out, and we are here while it takes its place in history.



These companies may have be successfully commercial in nature, but I believe they formed because they believed something else.  They were so inspired by the Newton, that they had to be part of it.  They may not be the most successful companies now (especially after writing software for the Newton), but they have, and always will have the Newton at heart.  These are the companies you should thank for making the Newton a successful computer.  And it is still the most successful PDA, with some of the best applications out there, discontinued or not.



Our hats are off to fellow Newton developers who have given their time and hearts into writing Newton software, and to you, the great customers who've stuck by us, encouraged us, and made it worth our time.  We even thank Apple for giving us the Newton, even if the stay was short.  It still is my dream.







Ashish Mishra

Vice President & Partner,

Sine of the Times