About Jon Castle
Ah Ha Software Limited is the company behind a group of independent web projects created in the Surrey Hills by Jon Castle.
I have been designing, building and developing websites and internet projects for many years, combining software development, search engine knowledge, visual design, directory building and practical business ideas.
Rather than working from a single product template, my projects tend to grow from problems, observations and opportunities that I notice while using the web. Some begin as technical experiments. Others start as practical tools for organising information. Over time, they develop into larger systems with their own purpose and audience.
Ah Ha Software projects include Property Bookmarks, SiteAtlas, Homm, Reuses, Selling Points and other specialist directory and information websites. Although they cover different subjects, they share a common approach: making useful information easier to find, organise, verify and understand.
Much of my work is built around the idea that websites are not just addresses or search results. They are living records of businesses, organisations, services and ideas. Through screenshot archives, monitored links, specialist directories and structured information, Ah Ha Software projects try to make that online activity more visible and useful.
I am particularly interested in projects that sit between software, directories, search, property, reuse, local information and long-term web records. The aim is not simply to build websites, but to create practical systems that help people make sense of information that would otherwise be scattered, temporary or difficult to manage.
Ah Ha Software Limited is independently run and independently developed. That independence has allowed the projects to evolve over time, without being shaped by short-term fashion or outside commercial priorities.
Background and skills
Ah Ha Software is based on many years of software development experience, from blue chip corporate systems to independent web-based projects.
I began my career in the early 1980s, working in London on patent annuity systems written in COBOL.
In 1985 I moved to Stuttgart, working for Ericsson and later Nokia on the Intext text editor, first in COBOL and Assembler, and later in C.
After returning to England in 1996, I worked for Fidelity Investments on Defined Contribution pension systems using C++, and later for Prudential, also on DC pension systems. While at Prudential I won the Pru Excel Award 2005 for single-handedly rebuilding the National Neighbourhood Watch website.
Soon afterwards I started Ah Ha Software, developing practical web projects using PHP, Java, HTML and database-driven systems.
My work now includes property tools, specialist directories, link checking, screenshot archiving and other original software services.
Can Ah Ha Software help with your project?
Alongside developing my own projects, I am interested in hearing from companies that need practical web development, website improvement, specialist directories, data organisation, link checking, screenshot monitoring or other software-based problem solving.