Nick Bradbury
Software developer (FeedDemon, Glassboard)
Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Nick Bradbury and I'm a software developer. I started my career as a cartoonist, but switched to programming after random chance proved it kept a roof over my head more reliably than cartoons did.
I created HomeSite, TopStyle and FeedDemon for Windows, then switched to Android development a few years ago and created the Android versions of Glassboard and NewsGator Social Sites.
What hardware do you use?
My main development machine is a 27" iMac with a 21" secondary display. When I travel, I bring along a 15" MacBook Pro.
I have a growing collection of Android devices, including the latest Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 (which I love), plus a smattering of older phones running various versions of Android for testing. A while back I bought an incredibly crappy, low-end LG Android 2.2 phone to make sure my software runs well even on slow devices. I also have an iPhone 4S, which I use to keep up with what iOS developers are creating.
My closet is full of the skeletal remains of all the Windows systems I used over the years before switching to the Mac. Somewhere in that mess lies a dusty old TRS-80 Color Computer, which I taught myself BASIC & assembler on when I was a teenager.
And what software?
Far too many programs to mention! The desktop software I rely on the most is Eclipse, Google Chrome, 1Password, Parallels, Dropbox, MacHG, SourceTree, Acorn, Skype, ColorSchemer Studio, Balsamiq Mockups, and Delphi (when I'm running Windows).
On my phone, I use Glassboard an awful lot, not just because I helped create it but also because it's so useful for private group conversations. I have a board with my co-workers and another with my family that I post to several times a day.
Before I had kids I was an avid gamer with a love for Quake-style games. I dropped that addiction because once I became a dad, something had to go.
What would be your dream setup?
A telepathic version of Google Glass that could read my thoughts and write the software I imagine without me having to do all that tedious coding.
Uses This is supported by ZSA, makers of the Moonlander, ErgoDox EZ and Planck EZ keyboards. They also publish an awesome newsletter.