Andrew Welch

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Andrew Welch is the president of Macintosh software development company Ambrosia Software. A self-taught programmer, Welch's most notable personal programming accomplishment is the writing of the pioneering shareware game classic Maelstrom in 1992, which he wrote as an undergraduate in Photojournalism at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This shortly led to the formation of Ambrosia Software.

1 Ambrosia Software
2 Outside of Ambrosia
3 Rules of Shareware Development
4 Programs
5 Associations
6 External links

[edit] Ambrosia Software

After writing Maelstrom, Welch chose to focus on finishing school rather than immediately working on further shareware development. On August 18, 1993, soon after graduation from college, he founded Ambrosia Software. Under Welch's direction, Ambrosia created and distributed many software utilities and games, such the company's flagship product Snapz Pro and the popular Escape Velocity series. The common theme for games is one of reviving classic games and their inexpensive cost, though several titles are essentially original in scope.

One guiding business principle Welch decided upon for these games is aiming at users who typically play pre-installed computer programs like Solitaire or Hearts, but don't normally purchase other leisure programs as a rule. Welch is considered outgoing and hardworking, having been largely responsible for Ambrosia Software's marketing success and stable growth over ten years of existence.

Ambrosia Software is now one of the premier shareware companies and some programs now come bundled with new Macintosh machines. The company still principally focuses on the Macintosh market, though several new products have been ported to Microsoft Windows. The source code to the original Maelstrom has since been released as open source software and has been ported to platforms including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Andrew has managed to hire some of the most unique group of employees making Ambrosia very distinct out of the Software Industry.
David Dunham -- Problem Solver and Leg Breaker - Technical Support
Evan Smith -- Genius and hired Goon - Technical Support
John "Magnus" Champlin -- Shmoozehound - Media/Reviewer Liaison & Public Relations
Bernard Cockhern -- Money Man - Accountant & Office Manager
Matt Slot -- Bitwise Operator - Programmer
Dominic Feira -- Code Monkey - Software Engineer
Mike Blaguszewski -- Cocoa Hacker - Software Developer
Rudy Richter -- Hack-meister Extreme - Software Developer
Marcus Conge -- Digital Crayonboy - Artist
Ben Adams -- Root Monkey - System Administrator
Charlene Poletto -- Office Alpha - Front Desk/Receptionist

[edit] Outside of Ambrosia

Welch is a frequent world traveller and contributes much of his free time to charity, including volunteer work at the Lollypop Farm. Details of his many exploits can be found on his personal website.

[edit] Rules of Shareware Development

Welch has a set of three principles that should guide the shareware developer. These principles follow, in his own words:

Provide a quality product. This seems like common sense, I see many programs out there that are complete garbage and the author is asking $25 for it! Then he or she is disappointed when it doesn't go over well.
Maintain the product by listening to what people want and improving it. People will be much more likely to support you if they see that you are actively working on improving your products. Free updates are a must.
Make it easier for the person to register. I think the reason many people don't register for shareware programs isn't because they are dishonest, they just don't get around to it for one reason or another. With the number of things we all have to deal with in our daily lives, this is understandable.