Hello world, and introducing a new orchid management app

[Orion]

Hello OrchidBoard from Ontario, Canada.

I have been a long time lurker of this wonderful and resourceful forum, and I have finally decided to register.

My grandparents who were avid gardeners first introduced me to orchids, and I have many fond childhood memories of their greenhouse. My favorites are Cymbidiums, and I am just beginning to rebuild a very small collection after recent move.

As part of the move, I had to part with my orchid collection. With a bit of downtime and no orchids, I decided to try and learn something new - programming for the iPhone.

I wasn't satisfied with the available softwares and apps for orchid management and journal. I love OrchidWiz and Orchid Plus for their photos and data, but the journal function is lacking. I liked AKNicolle's Orchid Album, but I needed something a bit more powerful. I wanted something that combined the best qualities of them all.

Today, I am proud to present to OrchidBoard, OrchidSense, a new free orchid management and journal app!

Edit: Screenshots for version 0.2

Screenshots for version 0.1

My initial goals for the app are:

• Easy to set up and organize an orchid collection
• Easy to enter and view journals, and use it as a to-do list
• Automatically and intelligently schedule maintenance tasks
• Include a database of culture information
• Backup everything online

Now, the app is coming along nicely, and I am aiming to ready it by the end of the year.

I am also planning to work on the following features, in no particular order:

• Better iPad support
• Allow the culture database/wiki to be publicly editable
• Allow users to submit photo to the wiki
• Make photo/journals/collections easily accessible to others online
• Implement the orchid clock
• Provide a FAQ for orchid culture

I have considered the following features, but they require more effort and co-operation. If there is enough interest, I could certainly try to see what I can do:

• Vendor information
• Society and show information
• A more comprehensive wiki beyond culture information
• Connecting to home sensors to track the growing environment and fine tune task scheduling

I would love to have a few beta testers for the app. If you are interested, please let me know here. I would also appreciate any requests, suggestions, or comments.

Thank you, and cheers!