Hmm. One of the things that I’ve been struggling with is that while I want to run my current sites with Elements, I have other sites that were done in Sandvox, and that product stopped working after macOS Monterey (it also had issues in Monterey, but it was still functional). Sometimes I do have to go in and make an edit/change/deletion/addition on those old sites, and running Sandvox in a virtualization works, but is a PITA.
After all the chatter about ArtCraft and how they had reproduced Adobe, Microsoft, Avid, and Autodesk programs with AI help, I decided to play around with Claude trying to figure out how Sandvox worked. As it turned out, the underlying data structures are easily understood and well designed. So I set out to rewrite Sandvox in Swift for modern macOS versions.
It’s a little more modern looking than Sandvox (which I prefer), but functionally equivalent (at least up to the level I need; I left off a few things I don’t use). What you see here is one of my sites in edit form from 2025, and using Bluebell’s Reactive CSS for the site design, as before. NewBox is already functional and able to make changes, though I still have some bits and pieces to fix, and I haven’t yet hooked up the font panel and publish bits. Currently working on preferences.
I’m also discovering that rewriting a program like this allows for some additional bits. So, for instance, instead of just Insert Page in the page structure, I’ve added Insert Markdown Page ;~). This adds a convenient feature to the program that was never in the original.
The real issue is hitting some critical mass. Fortunately, I had enough uniques (1m annual) that I could just quietly promote from my site and that was enough income for me (my RMDs these days are ridiculous). I don’t do social media. I may have to for some upcoming products (including a game).
Once you start marketing, CAC (customer acquisition cost) becomes the critical factor.
Before going on, you should know that I put myself though college by playing trumpet in the Spokane Symphony (initially second chair, eventually first).
My advice is that you need to go where trumpet is studied. If you can get a current symphony player or university instructor that has a big enough following doing social media about your products, that would be the biggest win, I think. The other route I’d look at, though much harder, would be to hook up with a trumpet maker (Yamaha, Besson, Getzen, Selmer, etc.) and give away something with each purchased instrument.
Been too long since I was an active player for me to know the actual dynamics of trumpetdom these days, but there has to be a path into the niche that triggers the boost you need to get visibility.
Yes - the trumpet is a wonderful instrument and I’m glad I got to meet you here on the forum… very nice that it put you through college!!! Very impressive. I was digging through my filing cabinets and found my old Hummel from 45 years ago…
I’ve probably got 200-300 books? Or more to sell - just the idea of taking a picture of each - stops me every time… tons of sheet music 45-50 years of collecting… time to let them go…
back to apps…
I’ve made 10? Apps - 2 are trumpet - the rest are general utility apps - pdf - image - safari extension - rename files - transfer files folder check - etc…
so only 2 the game and the main practice app are trumpet…
Really tried to fill niches of unserved utilities and productivity apps
Yeah, “general” apps is tough. But I’d try to find a place/niche/social where each might get some life, and try to find the people who could help promote each.
but how do you promote your apps? Do you do anything special? Try social media?