I put a hold on learning new languages until I can clear my head and concentrate better to read the docs and manuals and books for the new languages. I'll have to CDR the files to a disk for later, but I will try and get back to Smalltalk and Delphi, etc. later on.

What I need is a project I can work on and complete to make me feel good. Not one I can sell, but one my friends can use. We play Traveller [link|http://www.farfuture.net/|http://www.farfuture.net/] [link|http://www.downport.com|http://www.downport.com] [link|http://www.travellerrpg.com/|http://www.travellerrpg.com/] for references to the role playing game.

Anyone long ago it accured to me that there is no program that can enter characters into and then print out a character sheet on them. This would be a great gaming aid because players and game masters always lose character sheets and then there is an argument on who had what and what the character has in skills, attributes, etc. With this program there can be no more problems, just update the character in the database when it changes and then print out the character sheet. Lost the sheet? Print out a new one. No more fights with the GM and other players, all records are kept in a database and the player is responsible for keeping it up to date. Later on I can find a way to get the database migrated to be used by a GM and send updates via a file to update the GM database with the player changed records.

But anyway it is a start, I just wrote my first ADO recordset from scratch, not looking at any other programs I wrote for any ex-employer. This is totally from scratch. I had an ADO issue, but I resolved it after looking it up at [link|http://msdn.microsoft.com/|http://msdn.microsoft.com/]

I suppose when I am done I can always convert it to Smalltalk, Delphi, Java, C++, or some other language. As long as I figure out the logic, and code and forms to be used with this program in Visual BASIC.

Learning a new language would take me too long at the current state of mind I am in. So I can hone in my VB skills for now, and learn the other languages later.

The program can be adapted to keep track of GURPS and AD&D characters as well. I don't think that they have a character database program either.

So far I am using ADO 2.6, Access 2000, and VB 6.0 to create this program. I have a copy of Crystal Reports 7.0 I can use for the reporting part of it, IE printing out character sheets, etc.

you have to show them some value for using your program, or have a catchy web banner that you can pay someone to show for you.

Even giving the service away for free doesn't always help if hardly anyone knows that your web site exists nor does your product exist. Who outside of IWETHEY really knows about it anyway? How have you promoted it? Are you reaching your target clients somehow? It doesn't sell itself, it takes someone to sell it for you. If you cannot sell it, even for free, then you aren't going to have any customers using it.