During his 33 year sojourn in the Computer Science program, Dr. McCoy developed several "free" software applications some of which are still in use around the world. Enhancement and maintenance of these programs is now done by a colleague in Australia , but he continues to be interested in and an evangelist for open source software.

His current interest is in vector graphics, "free" vector graphics software and small linux distributions. The innovations found in these programs often offer insights into system design that are hidden or not yet in mainstream distributions. They are also fun to use and are thus ideal for stimulating intellectual curiosity. Toward that end, he will spread the message that "Computing can be fun" through a vector graphics presentation at the March SHACS meeting entitled "Twisting a Cat's Tail or Bezier Curves are the Cat's MEOW". Two of his favorite open source programs - puppy linux and inkscape.