I get what you are saying here, but imho, how a user interacts with an app/program should be the decision of the user, rather than the developer. It's been my experience that touch-centric UI's are perfectly usable with a mouse and keyboard... but often it's the other way round that's the nightmare. My suggestion for Hornby here would be not to overthink it, and release it on Windows anyway, and caveat the install with a warning on the UI.RAF96 wrote:Windows has been mentioned but to be effective as an app it needs a touch screen monitor and it takes away the portability aspect of the system. Ditto on a Mac.
Having Windows/Mac access would be great. I'd personally prefer an API to be available allowing direct access to the hardware. That would make it so that we are not limited to simply Hornby's app. It would allow 3rd parties to develop control systems which can interface with all sorts of other things in ways hornby never even imagined, and create some truly incredible interactions.
I'd parallel this with PC Games that allow 'modding'. The mod developers create new tools, experiences etc which serves to improve the user's interaction with the Game, such as allowing further customisation of settings, new additional features and entirely new content. This has the effect that the game has a far longer lifespan, and can generate further income for the developers by encouraging more players to get their game. Some examples of this would be Skyrim, Minecraft (Java Edition), Kerbal Space Program, and Cities:Skylines.
I hope Hornby do continue to develop the HM7000 as a whole system, and open it up to third parties, rather than creating a new walled-garden to trap consumers in.
