DESIGNING A NEW PROGRAM
"There is a thrill to designing a really good software program ...One that does things no previous program has done." John Kirkish
Using a modern, high-speed language that gives any user full freedom to do what he or she wants...
Using his own Fast, Relational Database...
Which operates the way an estimator thinks...
Responds in the blink of an eye, and...
Works without codes!
Added Extra Features
And he added extra features to facilitate the estimating process, such as:
Dimension Windows:
To store frequently-used dimensions.
"In using other programs up to 50% of estimating time can be wasted looking up & typing codes.
No one should have to look up codes or think about how to use the computer.
A program should function intuitively and respond as fast as you do.
Ours does."
John Kirkish
Pop-Up Calculator:
-- John figured ...why should an electrician have to total his measurements on a different sheet of paper?
... Why not enable him to calculate on the computer as he is estimating the job?
No Wasted Time Retyping Numbers:
Automatic Number Transfer between estimate, calculator and dimension windows eliminates the busy work of retyping the same numbers over & over.
Notes:
-- Why should an Insurance estimator write notes on a separate paper, why not put notes directly into the estimate?
The Needs Of A Contractor
By the end of 1989, they had designed Turbo Estimator, a program which reflects the concerns and needs of a contractor and which is designed with the expertise of a software designer.
Using Turbo, Ed produced clear, presentable, and accurate estimates with the result that his business more than doubled after the first year of use.
Turbo Users Speak Out...
Seattle architect, Felix Misch, says: "Using Turbo completely dispelled the tedium of modifying estimates -- it's responsive & works the way I think it should"
San Francisco interior decorator, Momi Fong, says: "I've set up the program to handle my estimates, too, and it's really been great."
... And The Critics Say:
"This contractor-written estimating program is fast and easy to learn."
says Larry Stewart
Construction Equipment Magazine
"It's fast. It's flexible.
I've seen letters from remodelers praising the program's ease and the responsive tone of the company.
This is a software program for professionals."
declares Lawrence Oakley
Qualified Remodeler Magazine
John Kirkish started as a software designer with building experience, and has been winning awards for easy-to-use software ever since.