Quicksand a solution to forgotten file problem

Quicksand a solution to forgotten file problem

15 year old Kiwi developer's free Mac app - called Quicksand - will make forgetting an important file, or accidentally deleting it, a thing of the past

Wellington, New Zealand – 10 February 2013 – We’ve all had the experience of finishing an important document then rushing off, forgetting to take along the all-important file. Talented young Kiwi software developer, Sebastian Hallum Clarke, believes his free Mac app - Quicksand - will make this problem a thing of the past.

Sebastian, who taught himself simple programming at the age of 10, has already developed several critically acclaimed free Mac apps, now boasting thousands of users in over 80 countries. However, it seems that Quicksand may be his most useful creation yet.

Install his tiny app on your computer, and every time you open or save a file, a copy is automatically synced to your chosen cloud storage solution. Running in the background, Quicksand invisibly ensures that the 50 files you’ve most recently used stay available online, wherever you go, whenever you need them.

He believes the new idea behind Quicksand - like so many tech innovations that we now take for granted - is powerfully simple: “With traditional cloud storage solutions - like Dropbox and Google Drive - only the files you put in a special folder get synced. Add Quicksand into the mix, and you don’t ever have to think about what gets synced: if you’ve used a file recently, you know it’ll be there, safe in your cloud, and accessible from any internet connection.”

“Quicksand users don’t need to worry anymore about losing precious files through stupid mistakes,” says Hallum Clarke. “If you’re running Quicksand, and accidentally delete or mess up a file you’ve been working on, it’s no longer a problem. The file will be there in your cloud, and you can just go back in time and resurrect an earlier version.”

The germ of the idea behind Quicksand was planted during a dinner conversation with Cawthron Institute scientist, Mike Packer. "From that initial conversation I developed the idea over several months, and I saw that it had real potential to change the way people use the cloud" he says. "But to do it justice I knew the finished app had to be beautifully simple, so that anyone could use it." To achieve that goal he taught himself new programming skills, and then wrote the app during his summer holidays.

Although only released last weekend on his website www.zibity.com, Quicksand has already been downloaded by users in 27 countries. Initial feedback seems to affirm his vision and justify his efforts, with comments including: "What a great idea. Wonderful app by a talented developer", and " First off: absolutely bloody brilliant app. Really great stuff."

For Sebastian, a year 12 student at Wellington's Scots College, such recognition is what makes his creativity and effort all worthwhile. But he's hoping that donations from satisfied users of his free apps will also help him save for his university education. "I really like the creativity of developing apps. You can take an idea, iron out the wrinkles, and then bring it to life. For now, I just do it because I enjoy it. But I'm thinking ahead to my university studies - possibly a degree in engineering, or perhaps in economics. I believe that giving away my apps is the right thing to do. But it's a great feeling when I get that little notification telling me that someone, somewhere in the world values what I've done enough to donate real money!"

Sebastian's other apps include MacDropAny (used an impressive 165,000 times by users) which lets users sync any folder on their computer to the cloud, iClouDrive, an app that lets you use your otherwise unused iCloud storage space for syncing files between your Macs, and Broomstick, an app to tidy up your desktop.

All Sebastian's apps are available free on his website www.zibity.com.

Please visit www.zibity.com/quicksand for more Quicksand information, including download links, videos, and screenshots.
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