Your feedback matters

An interesting trend that I've noticed in the area of software development is that most users generally expect their product feedback (including bug reports) to be ignored when they send it to developers. Generally when those using BulletProof FolderSizes contact me with suggestions, ideas, or a note about some unexpected behavior, they express surprise when I respond to them. I find this state of affairs somewhat absurd, since without its user base, a software product is essentially without value.

So let me just briefly re-iterate a basic fact about the development processes behind BulletProof FolderSizes - they are entirely customer driven. I've received a tremendous amount of input from the user community, in a wide variety of forms, and every bit of it (from defect reports to feature requests) is carefully scrutinized, classified, and prioritized. In this regard, I consider BulletProof FolderSizes to be a collaboration between myself and its users, and I am very committed to that process.

So again, please don't hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, even if it's just to describe how you use BulletProof FolderSizes, and I'll do my best to respond in a timely manner. I also personally guarantee that your feedback makes a difference.

The process

Lately I've been getting quite a few inquiries from users asking about how BulletProof FolderSizes gets the level of raw speed that it does, especially when compared with other products.

Well, obviously I can't give away all my tricks, but I can to touch upon the basics.

• Native code - BP FolderSizes is developed in high-performance C++, compiled down to native machine code.


• Memory tuning - Great care is taken with regard to memory allocation. Less memory consumption means less paging, which means greater speed.


• Thread management - Threads are managed carefully to avoid context switches and maximize user interface responsiveness.


• Stress testing / profiling - FolderSizes is tested under the most extreme environmental conditions and evaluated with sophisticated profiling tools.


• Algorithm tuning - Every data filtering, processing, and aggregation algorithm is carefully scrutinized to maximize speed.

Although this isn't terribly specific (grin), my point is that the performance and stability characteristics of BP FolderSizes are rooted in sound programming practices. Sure, I've got a few cards up my sleeve - but mostly I just enjoy sweating the details. ;-)

The official release brings changes

The official public release of FolderSizes, version 1.5, is finally here. And with it, comes changes.

First and foremost, FolderSizes is now BulletProof FolderSizes, published under license by the good folks at DigitalCandle. Second, BulletProof FolderSizes is no longer freeware.

A quick word about my decision to make FolderSizes a commercial product. There were several contributing factors, and I'm not going to go into great detail about them here. Suffice it to say that I felt the product needed to evolve to this distribution model in order to be viable for the long term. It was simply too expensive and demanding to develop, host, and support FolderSizes for free, especially as the project grew.

If this news disappoints you (and I accept that it may), please be aware that I hope to continue offering future beta releases for free, charging only for the final commercial product. If you decide to support BulletProof FolderSizes by registering it, your decision will be greatly appreciated.

Finally, I'd also like to take a moment and thank everyone that supported me in the transition. Developing FolderSizes and meeting the people that use it has been a fantastic experience for me. And, although I know it's a cliche, the best is yet to come.

As always, I welcome your feedback. Thanks!