QuickDecision
Quick Decision is an only slightly serious program to help you make decisions quickly and (pseudo-) randomly. Quick Decision is available for download as a precompiled binary and as source for GCC for Pilot.
Origin of Quick Decision
My wife wanted a program that could be used to generate random decisions. She figured it would be useful in meetings for breaking deadlocks or making a fair choice between equal alternatives.
After searching various PalmPilot websites, I determined that nothing really met her needs. I had also been looking for an extremely simple project to get started in PalmPilot development.
How does it work?
Quick Decision uses the PalmPilot's builtin pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) to make decisions in one of four ways. Each would be useful in making decisions in a different context.
- Coin Toss
- Displays heads or tails with approximately equal frequency. Good for deciding between two equal choices.
- Pick a Number
- Chooses a number from a specified range. Good for selecting among several equal choices.
- Percent True
- Displays True some configured percent of the time. Good for deciding between two non-equal choices.
- The Oracle
- Ask a yes or no question of the Oracle and receive an answer. Good for a laugh. (Okay, maybe only a chuckle.)
Using Quick Decision
When you launch Quick Decision on the PalmPilot, the main form is displayed. This form contains four buttons representing the four functions of the program. The form also contains four output fields; one for each function. To use the program, all you do is press the appropriate button and read the result.
Configuring Quick Decision
There are three options on the Options menu. Each displays a dialog box that configures some portion of the Quick Decision program. Any configuration option you change is saved, so that you do not have to reconfigure the program every time you use it. The configuration options are Set Range, Set Percent, and Seed Generator.
The Set Range dialog allows you to set the upper and lower values of the range of numbers that Quick Decision uses for the Pick a Number command. After selecting the Set Range menu option, select the field you want to change and enter the new value.
The Set Percent dialog allows you to set the percent of True responses that Quick Decision returns for the Percent True command. After selecting the Set Percent menu, option, select the field and enter the appropriate percentage. (whole percentages only)
The Seed Generator dialog allows you to set the current seed for the builtin PRNG. No software PRNG is actually random. It is a function applied to some internal data. If the generator has been defined well, the output of the PRNG will be difficult to predict. The internal data in many PRNGs is called the seed. This function allows you to enter two numbers that are passed to the generator as its new seed value.