Data Virtue - History

A Brief History of Data Virtue and its Flagship Nevitium

Since I was eight years old I have operated my own computer (Tandy Model III 128k, floppy, tape drive, CP/M), I'm now thirty years old.  At the age of thirteen I was allowed to work for the family bookkeeping business because of my initiative and desire to participate.  During that time I was getting heavy into computing and I could not tolerate the thought of not knowing how to control them.  By the time I was thirteen I was already programming using BASIC (GWBASIC/QBasic, QuickBasic 5.0) on my Tandy 1000 under DOS 2.0 – DOS 5.0 all self taught.  This went on for three to four years, at the age of sixteen I got my first real computer virus (Monkey?) a destructive and very infectious virus.  It wiped out all my work from the previous four years. 

After that extreme disheartening setback I couldn’t muster the will to reprogram my tool library I had been using to build applications.  When I was fifteen years old I produced a concise address management and label printing application that I distributed on the internet (the web had no websites like it has today) through my connections to a well run BBS in Cincinnati. Some of the users mailed me letters thanking me, an especially nice letter I received was from a Banker in California and I was amazed.  A short time after this limited success all of my code, supporting libraries and backups were destroyed by the virus.  The virus got onto my backup floppies and kept propagating until many computers were infected. 

It was at the age of fifteen that I felt a hunger to produce business software and databases.  During this time I moved from tedious bookkeeping tasks to supporting the businesses’ information systems and network under the tutelage of my grandfather.  He taught me the importance of procedures, conservativeness, analysis, and patience. As he taught me these things he pointed out the waste and trouble caused by those who do not observe these principles. This was priceless instruction for someone with my aspirations of supporting technology systems in a business. We were always tinkering with computers, different databases and performing data conversions, probably mostly for fun!  I was also sent with other business advisors in the company to help clients with their computing needs. 

After the loss of my computer code and first full blown project I did not program again for seven to eight years.  The loss of my projects and research was devastating.  I did not stop studying and during that time I took jobs away from the family business.  I wanted to start programming again but for some reason I didn’t want to create applications unless everyone could use them regardless of their operating system.  Along came Java and the Internet in 1995 – 1996.  For a few years I went to work for a restaurant franchise and was trained to be a professional short order cook, prep cook, and manager in a high volume store. I loved my job there but at the age of eighteen I left after being appointed a trainer and assistant kitchen manager in several high volume stores, I was salaried and was known to be making more than some who had been with the company for ten years or more. 

After leaving Reading Restaurants I hung out and studied modern networking and trained myself while living at my mom’s apartment in Cincinnati.  When I had a good grasp of Novell 3.x – 4.x I went to work for the American Red Cross Cincinnati Chapter.  There my studies paid off and I was put in charge of the network, backups, and general user support at the age of nineteen.  After I got settled in and replaced all 100+ workstations with new PCs on Windows 95 I tackled the botched up network that was in place and installed and managed a modern high-performance network complete with company internet access and email.  I had the privilege of modernizing their entire information system infrastructure and getting them connected to the Internet.  I had to collaborate with outside vendors and service providers when necessary to update our interoffice connectivity amongst the myriad of other duties one has to perform when working for a non-profit or small-business.  Everyone at the Red Cross was a joy to work with and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. 

I left Red Cross and joined MicroAge of Cincinnati where I was exposed to manufacturers, health care facilities of all kinds and various laboratories.  I had to support many different systems in all of these facilities.  The company paid for my testing fees so I obtained my Microsoft Systems Engineer Certification (MCSE) while I was with them.  MicroAge unfortunately kept inventory of hardware which it sold to its customers.  This didn’t fruit out in the tech bubble; they were left holding a bunch of out-of-date hardware and they went bust.

So after that I couldn’t stomach hunting down another tech job in the corporate world so I  fell back on my exciting profession as a cook and went to work again for Reading Restaurants.  It was at this time also that I started to form Data Virtue. Almost immediately I was appointed as a Supervisor and given a shift to run on the weekends.  During the week I trained myself in Java while I supported small businesses, some factories and single entrepreneurs. After a year at Reading Restaurants I went full time with Data Virtue doing onsite support.

I also worked for the family retail business and was put in charge of new products, ordering, customer relations, record keeping, payroll and taxes.  During this three year period (2002 - 2005) I conducted daily research with Java on the design and implementation of business applications.  I also designed a lightweight database engine to integrate with my applications and tinkered with hosting this website at my home with a dedicated IP address internet connection.  During this time my first son was born. 

After three wonderful years I left the family business and bought a house in the countryside of Highland County Ohio.  My wife went to work full time while I stayed home with my son and designed and built Nevitium over a two year period.  Nevitium was released on February 17, 2007. 

Nevitium is a summation of my life experience in business and technology.  Like me it is not perfect but it solves a lot of problems and will only get better.  Developing an application and distributing it is a large undertaking for one person to handle by themselves.  I have to study marketing, write the user manual, update the website, and answer email from users, make tutorials and build videos.  All of this on top of programming Nevitium, building each release, making icons, and creating other assorted graphics.   

But its Freedom In Action and I love every minute of it.

. . . As I reread this document over and over again more will be added to it.