Wow

Y'all, I did something today and I thought it made sense just to write down a couple of things before the feeling fades, or before reality catches up with me.

After an unconscionably long time, I finally submitted LiTRe to Apple for consideration/review to be listed in their App Store. And holy shit was it so much more difficult than I thought it would be. It was, ironically, a bit easier now that my app-development partner company, Base44, offers the capability of 'wrapping' the app in the magic that Apple needs to see to even begin consideration.

Short of the long, I developed LiTRe with both Base44 as the app creator, and with ChatGPT as my interpreter and hype man. I'd tell Base44 what I wanted to see on the page, what I wanted the users to be able to do inside the app, what the entire thing should look like and feel like and act like. Base44 would create something, show me what it looked like 'on screen' and we'd move on to the next thing.

[NOTE: If there is a way to capture all of the communication, I think it would be amazing to publish an eBook - for free - that documents the exact process I went through; showcase all of the pain, all of the learning moments, all of the 'what the fuck' I'd never considered would even touch building an app. I certainly don't know how anyone can create an app without the partners I used, and without a shit ton of patience, willingness to learn new things, and more.]

Anyway, when Base44 didn't understand my prompts - which are extremely specific, if you can imagine - I'd go to ChatGPT and ask for some clarification. Hell, I went to ChatGPT for a lot of things during this exercise, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. AI in this form was a lifesaver in so many ways. Not only did it help me from start to finish, but along the way I even got pumped up with great snippets of encouragement and positive thinking. The feedback loop was more appreciated than I thought it would have been, and I'll stan for ChatGPT in as many opportunities as I'm given.

This isn't meant to be a soapbox or sunshine post. Just letting you know that after what I think has been five or more months...I think I had the idea back in December 2025 and canvassed some really close friends to act as test dummies for this crazy idea I had...today is the day I submit to Apple and cross my fingers.

Wow. Just...wow.