Why I’m Building South Fork Apps (and What’s Coming Next)

Friday, May 23, 2025

I’ve spent over two decades working with tech, but I’ve never built anything of my own, until now. I plan on using this blog to write about my journey in creating apps. I have an idea for my first app, but want to explore making others while charting my journey here. I’m not sure where the destination is other than getting apps on the App Store.

Development

I have never developed an app before and would like to at least learn the basics so that I understand what is going on with the app. I think that “vibe coding” will play a part of what I do as it seems that is just the new form of Googling what is going on with the app and then copy/pasting code from Stack Overflow or GitHub, and learning by doing.

The idea for my first app is a five-minute task manager. I use Todoist every day but would love to have a list for all my short tasks that take less than five minutes to complete. I have simple things like changing the air filter or I think users could even have a morning check-off list of getting ready. These tasks should not be clogging up your personal and definitely not your work to-do list.

Years ago in a previous job, I forgot to set out a microscope for a cancer case review. It was a five-minute task but skipping it meant doctors couldn’t meet. They weren’t able to discuss the current cases because I had forgotten to come in a little early and take five minutes to roll the microscope into the room and connect it to the computer. That moment stuck with me. It’s what led me to Todoist and the realization that even tiny tasks matter. **The problem? **Todoist eventually became overwhelming. I noticed that I had recurring short tasks and while I have them in a separate project, I think a separate app is what is needed. Finally, I have decided that I would create what could help me and hopefully help others. I’ve got some ideas like a counter, a shuffle button, work and personal sections, but I’m interested in what users will come up with as well. I am excited for the journey as much as the end product.

Why South Fork?

I created South Fork Apps because I have always lived near the South Fork of the Holston River. I have lived in different towns around the area, but while each town is a bit different, the views and people are mostly the same. I do not want to get too personal here as I want this to remain about the apps and the process around creating the apps. I have other outlets for getting personal happenings out into the world.

I think this is important to know where I am coming from because I do not know of any famous people coming from Northeast Tennessee unless they were a country music singer like Kenny Chesney or Dolly Parton. So, I think that it’s time for someone from this area to create something interesting and prove that folks in the mountains can create great technology. I have worked in conjunction with IT folks and have a degree in IT, but have never used it to create something as nerdy as creating an app. I feel like for this area, I am well versed in computer technology but I’m not going to lie in saying that this feels daunting and scary to make this a public statement of my intentions.

I guess my purpose for creating this is that it might inspire someone else to break out of their comfort zone and try something new. I have always been interested in creating apps, but felt like I wasn’t smart enough to learn. Now, I am making this a public announcement so that I can hold myself accountable in learning and growing as a developer.

There aren’t many great tech creators from this region. That doesn’t mean there can’t be.

Learning

I have started the Stanford CS106A course (for free) and plan on taking Stanford CS193p next. While I understand some of the concepts on the Stanford CS193p _Developing Applications for iOS using SwiftUI _course, it had the CS106A course as a pre-requisite, so I thought I would jump in on the ground level and build a good foundation of skills before learning more advanced (but is really introductory) classes. I heard about this course from a Relay podcast where Stephen (I think it was Stephen, I could be wrong) mentioned that almost every developer started on this free Stanford course. I was late to the class as it started a month before I found out about it, but all the course documents are still available to learn at your own pace. The idea of vibe coding is taking off and the idea for the app has been rattling around my brain, so I think all the arrows are now pointing in the same direction to get me on the correct path to get this done and get South Fork Apps started.

So, as I said, I want this blog to be a journal of my journey along this path. I will discuss what tools I use and what I like and don’t like. I will also share progress of my app(s) in hopes that it can inspire someone else while also keeping me honest on my progress.

If you’ve ever wanted to build something but felt stuck, I hope this blog helps you feel less alone. I’d love to hear your thoughts, advice, or just a quick keep going. You can reach me anytime. Let’s build something great!