** SereneScreen Aquarium DECEMBER NEWS **
 

Ok, I'm going to be posting a lot of new info here about what's coming in the future.

One new thing is that the Dual monitor version of the Aquarium is almost done and will be released very soon!!!

The other is that a new product is coming out, SereneScreen Marine Aquarium Time. Here are some snapshots:


https://www.feldoncentral.com/forumpics/MATime.jpg


https://www.feldoncentral.com/forump...ime-Picker.jpg
This settings panel will also make its way into the regular Aquarium in a future version.

Marine Aquarium Time will be $24.95 and there is no upgrade/sidegrade price from the other aquarium products. It's a business product primarily.

Wow! It looks awesome! I can't wait to get my hands on that.

Though, the problem with charging $24.95 for the Time version is this:

You are really just changing an existing product to make two very similar ones. When I purchased my copy of the Marine version, there was no choice between one or the other. I think I would have definately bought the one with an additional time/calendar feature vs the one without it, as most new customers will.

Personally, I'm not going to lose any sleep over not have a clock in my fishtank. :)

Wow, looks great Jim and the perfect idea for the crystal version! A couple of ideas just popped into my head now that I've seen it. Hope you consider using them, especially the second one.

1) Digital readout option
2) A seperate back light (for the crystal only) for low light settings which would illuminate the crystal and it's details

Now comes the hard part. Forgive me Jim, I don't mean to sound ungrateful (far from it), especially after all of the time and hard work that you have put into this project, but I feel much the same way that Pat does. At the very least, for those of us that registered way back when (before 1.0 was it?), I would think that a free upgrade or worst case senario a nominal upgrade fee, would be fair.

The clock is permanent in that version, you can't turn it off.

This is really tailored to offices.

Steve,

There's still quite a few people in the chat, including Reichart.

From the perspective of this concumer, I wish it was an add-on. BEcause I woul have coughed up $5 for that, but not $25.

Seems like if you can market it at $25 for businesses or at $20 + $5 for everyone else then you can sell more of them.

Oh well. Like he said, I'm not going to lose sleep over that option. ;)


PS. Just to be a pest: I assume that Prolific did the work on this one? And that it wasn't at the expense of time spent on my 3D background or the Freshwater I am waiting to buy? :)

Yeah, I understand Jim has tailored it for office use. Still, I would hope that doesn't mean that the rest of need to be left out as a trade off. I think that if you were to pole the people on the forum, you would find that most of them would be interested in getting this version as an upgrade. The only thing I would ask to change would be the option to turn the clock off (visibly removing it from the background) "if" the user wants to, like any of the other options with checkboxes. I too will not lose sleep if I can't get this version, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested just the same. ;)

As for chat, I've wanted to join you guys, but for some strange reason when I go to the chat page, here's what I get which is preventing me from entering chat -

Are you just kidding, Digi?
I had several problems to drop in the chat, but
but to get such strange vers you must have been a bad bad boy ;-)

As Pat said,
Awesome...but almost $45 for both versions is a bit steep. Please reconsider offering this as an upgrade, I for one would be willing to pay upto half my original fee. Why penalise the people who supported this fantastic software from the beginning???

regards
Ian

There is alot more news than this headed for the forum. Once the facts are separated, there will be some interesting items that I am sure everyone will be happy with concerning the screensavers. There will be a thread/threads started containing all the info. In addition, the chat logs will be placed on the forum like other times, so all the people who weren't able to join us will be able to read through them.

I'm very sorry folks, but if that screen shot is accurate, I think it looks hideous, - and who needs another clock?

It's really no better than a sunken galleon, or a diver, or a treasure chest! - Whatever happened to reality?

The part of Morgan's post I like best is, - "I'm going to be posting a lot of new info here" - let's hope it's not about sunken clocks!

I really don't like being negative, and mine is only a personal view of course, but it doesn't even look tasteful. This is not the high standard we have become accustomed to Jim, what happened!

On that screen shot it looks like a broken piece of old concrete with a badly positioned damaged clock on it!

Like others, I will not lose sleep over this one.

I will probably get shot down in flames for these comments, but honestly, I am just giving my views. - Sorry! - As most of you will know, I really love SSA, I hate to see this done to it!

Hi Everyone.
My first reply as I have just this week discovered this incredible Screensaver. I'm a past aquarium hobbiest, having had both fresh and salt. That's been a few years go, however. Recently I discovered the various Aquarium screensavers that are out there. I think I've tried them all. WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS IS IT! This is the most realistic and amazing beautiful thing I've seen on a computer in a long time.( and I've been using computers since 1978) I do not buy much software anymore, but within an hour of looking at the demo, I had made my purchase. I am just now starting to go through all the messages in the forum. I want to comment on the clock addition. It is something that I don't think most people would have in an actual aquarium. I wouldn't. Therefore it is not something I would purchase, not even as an upgrade. I wouldn't even add it, if free. One of the reasons I like SSA is its "realism". I say stick to that, and get on to the 3D version I've seen mention of.

It's accurate. That's also how the corporate Crystal version looks, and they're selling tens of thousands of copies.

As for who wants the clock? Many people. You say "who needs another clock" but the Aquarium ties up the entire screen, so you really only have one clock on the screen with this version.

This Aquarium is not intended for you. It is, like the Crystal version, intended for businesses who will not install the Aquarium otherwise. I'm surprised that you don't find it the most tasteful possible way to put a logo or clock. I know that's how I feel about it. Whenever I see clocks or logos in screen savers, they look abysmal. In the Aquarium, it's subtle.

Once again we are quibbling over something none of us will ever buy. :(

I recently had a 2 1/2 hour phone conversation with Reichart at Prolific. There are now SIXTEEN people working on the Aquarium and other similiar products.

Jim is working on one thing right now--the Freshwater Aquarium. Prolific is working on these Crystal and Time versions, as well as dual monitor support, a new Settings panel, etc. etc.

Michael (Jav400) and I have been quite depressed about the seeming lack of progress and/or stagnation over the last 9 months, but it has only appeared that way on the surface. In talking to Prolific, I understand that Jim had some things to take care of regarding his home during this summer, and that Prolific has been helping Jim as well as working on new products in a similar vein.

The last 9 months were tough for us early adopters, but I think the wait for new things is getting discernably shorter now. I know I am re-energized. :)

Morgan is right, the clock version was done entirely by Prolific, and took no time away from anything I was working on. Regarding pricing -- This is entirely up to Prolific. Personally, I feel the same way as most of you, that prior customers should be rewarded by receiving discounts on upgrades. For example, I like Debabelizer, and bought the Mac version several years ago. It's a handy little conversion utility that should sell for about $49, but instead sells for $449. The fact that I already bought the Mac version carries no weight now that I need the PC version, it's still $449. (Adding to this frustration is the fact that the price of the original copy, as well as all the work I did on the Mac, was totally wasted when the game machine I was developing for went under.)

An informal poll done by Prolific seems to show that people either love the clock version or hate it -- there's no middle ground.

Morgan, Thank you for your prompt reply. You are quite right, If that screen shot is an accurate representation of the clock, then I will not indeed be buying it.

I can not agree with your need for the clock though. The Aquarium only ties up the entire screen when in full screen mode. Under those circumstances I am not using my computer as such, and can use the many clocks around the house to tell me the time, - or even the one on my wrist! - The SSA is a wonderful simulation of a tropical marine aquarium, not an additional time piece to add to the others I already have.

I agree that possibly the most tasteful way to put a logo or clock INTO the aquarium, as opposed to ON the aquarium, would be on a crystal of some sort. - But not that one! .... It doesn't look like a crystal, it looks more like a broken paving stone. The clock is badly positioned and ill-defined. ........ subtle it is not.

If it is not intended for us, I don't see the point of presenting it so prominently on this forum, with the caption ....

"Marine Aquarium Time will be $24.95 and there is no upgrade/sidegrade price from the other aquarium products. It's a business product primarily."

You only use the word 'primarily' - so I assume we could purchase it , - if we wanted to.

Please do not take this personally, as you appear to be doing so, I am only giving an opinion. I respect you for, amongst other things, providing us with this opportunity to have our say in something we feel strongly about.

ps, Jim, - I hate it!

I can't wait to hear the wonderful replies when I start talking about the Goldfish Aquarium. :rolleyes:

Cliff - I can't quite get your broken paving stone analogy. The quartz is transparent; you can see the background color and the purple coral on the right quite clearly through it (also the fish when they swim behind it). Another thing that the static shot doesn't show is the quartz glowing when the lights go down.

As for why the clock face is off-center, I have no idea.

Digital Lungfish, sorry that I thoght you were kiddinhg with your screenshot... I had the same screen as you this afternoon. I just wonder, who writes such error-messages... ;-)

Jim, - I would really have preferred not to go on any more about this. as I have had my say, and I believe in knowing when to let go, as you might say, in a disagreement. But it could also be thought rude if I ignore your comments, as they are directed personally to me. I fully take your point about transparency, and no, I have not seen the glow when the lights go down, The background colour showing through in that static shot unfortunately gives it a dark slab of concrete look to me, which gets emphasised by the rough broken white edging. (can you now see my broken paving stone analogy?) This was one reason why I asked if the screen shot was an accurate representation, I suggest now that it is not.

If we must have a clock, my visualisation would be more that of a taller, chunky glass crystal type mini monolith, irregularly shaped, but not with such rough edges, more with some facets that could catch the light. The hands and hour markings would be more clearly defined, and accurately positioned. Lets face it, a working clock, in an aquarium can hardly be considered natural, so I don't see any need for it to blend too much with the coral. Just a nice piece of cut crystal for the fish to swim around.

I sugest we now draw a line under this, and thank you for your interest in my views.