What are your three favorite features in Kepler?
1. Features: Kepler simply has more features than other programs and information is presented in ways that are really useful and helpful to the astrologer. A few of Kepler's features are the time line format for forecasting, AstroSignature forecast, Treasure Maps and other AstroMaps, Art Wheels, extensive Vedic features, advanced technical calculations for fixed stars, primary directions, assumptionless research, etc., a large database that includes thousands of charts of companies as well as thousands of charts of famous people, a comprehensive interactive learning system, 9 interpretive reports, graphic and text ephemerides, learning system, graphics library, etc. Features like the degree meanings report, Vedic interpretation, and online chart wheel are just a few of the unique features that make Keple the most powerful and feature-rich astrology software available.
2. Ease of use: The layout of the screen is elegant, simple, and powerful with color-coded icons at the top, current entries in the upper right and selected reports and listing in the lower right, the practicing astrologer can, for example, effortlessly jump from an AstroMap of Jill to a Time Line Forecast of Jack, create unusual charts like a composite of Jill's solar return with Jack's progressed chart, view a graphic ephemeris, etc. Once you get accustomed to having the 'history list' of previously selected listings and reports, have worked with the time line format and AstroSignature forecast graph, have an ephemeris page open at the same time, and be able to obtain other information that you want quickly and easily, as well as have gorgeous graphics, art wheels, innovations like the Live Mini multimedia interpretations and other features at your fingertips, other programs will seem cumbersome and limited in comparison to Kepler.
3. Customer service and the company behind the software: We have a team of programmers and customer support people working to provide our customers outstanding support and service. If you talk to owners of Kepler and owners of other programs, you will see that our commitment to our customers and the quality of staff really is exceptionally high. I don't draw a huge paycheck from the company, revenue goes back into the business, and I work tirelessly with the rest of the team of programmers, authors, graphic artists, and the business management staff to make our software and our service to our customers the very best we can. Kepler software is not a 40-hour-a-week job for me; it has been, and will continue to be, my passion.
Are there any areas of astrology that hold a special appeal to you and thus may be covered in extra depth in your program?
Kepler is written for our customers, not for me. I have some very strong interests in astrology but this is not evident from the program. My greatest interest in astrology is what I call 'cosmic tapestry', a sophisticated system of interpretation based on harmonics, symmetrical astrology, and some ideas from modern psychological astrology, Vedic astrology, and modern physics, but these areas are not represented more in the software than other areas of astrology.
David, how did you get into the business of building astrology software?
I believe it was in 1973 that I began programming astrology on a mainframe computer at a local college. I developed an extensive number of calculations and even interpretations for my own consulting business and astrology services. Around 1981 I moved this code from the mainframe computer to a home computer. The software evolved from mainframes to the TRS-80 to DOS to Windows, and now also has some accessiblity over the Internet. In the early 1980's I wrote some software to produce calculations and interpretations for astrologers who were unable to find the features they wanted in other programs. Creating astrology software that can do what astrologers, astrological researchers, and students of astrology want and need became the focus of my life, and it still is today.
What is your vision for the future of astrology software 5-10 years from now?
I see two developments: (1) The number of features in programs continues to grow. Astrology software is becoming a vast resource of astrological information. Whether you want something simple like a chart wheel, a calculation based on ancient western or Vedic techniques, or modern approachers like the Huber method, or cutting edge research tools, all of these features are being added. (2) Programs are now producing information, not just data. Features like AstroSignature research, especially AstroSignature forecasts, assumptionless research, time line forecasts, Treasure Maps, and the Live Mini MultiMedia interpretation assemble vast amounts of data into coherent graphic presentations and information that conforms to the ways that astrologers think. Greater ease in rearranging and assembling information in ways that are helpful and useful is a part of this evolution of astrology software from producing simple calculations and data to becoming tools that integrate data into useful information. A very simple example of this is the way that users can simply check all desired vargas and resize the varga chakras in the Vedic section of Kepler. The improvements in the way that information can be presented and accessed can be as simple as this or as simple as the 'history list' of selected listings and reports in Kepler's main screen, or as dazzling as the assembling of enormous amounts of data in the assumptionless research and AstroSignature features of Kepler. In many ways, sometimes technically simple and sometimes technically complex, astrology software will continue to evolve in the coming years from producing calculations to producing information. Future releases of our software will not only have a huge number of new features, but the very sophisticated and elegant ways in which information is presented and can be customized and organized by the user will make it possible for astrologers to practice a far more sophisticated and accurate astrology than is possible today.
