Developer Notes - Page 2

Dale · 10-20-2008, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by feldon32:

The Marine Aquarium 3 Beta Announcement thread is locked because it is solely for me and Jim to post in.

I really do appreciate the effort people have put into posting bugs and participating in the Beta so that the final version is bug-free and people feel comfortable with it, knowing that it got the testing it deserved. Thanks!

Dale, I've unlocked your other topic. You may post here or there, up to you.

OK. But where's the appropriate place to put comments on the "posting and naming strategy"?

I think it's rather important that anybody (developers, testers, users) be able to determine what they are using. Nobody can do that with the current strategy. The "expired" message seems to be the same, regardless of version. The download file names, as well as the INTERNAL version numbers of the .scr files, seem to be the same, regardless of version.

As I recall, there was a similar discussion about MA 2.6.

feldon34 · 10-20-2008, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by Dale:

OK. But where's the appropriate place to put comments on the "posting and naming strategy"?

This thread is the perfect place for discussion of the naming and version tracking.

The Announcements thread is one that I expect possibly hundreds of people to subscribe to so they receive an e-mail whenever there is a new development or new version of the Aquarium. If we opened that thread to general discussion, no matter how on-topic that discussion it might be, then I've lied to the customers because they'll get a lot of what (to them) would appear to be nuisance e-mails instead of notification of a new download (which is what they signed up for!).

This is why the Announcement thread only allows posts from Jim and myself.

Originally posted by Dale:

I think it's rather important that anybody (developers, testers, users) be able to determine what they are using. The "expired" message seems to be the same, regardless of version.

I agree that the Beta Expired message could be improved, but it is certainly not impossible to determine which version of the Beta you have. Set your clock back to before the Aquarium expired, run the Aqurium, and right at the top on the 1st line in yellow letters it says Beta 2. Also there was a discussion in another thread about the fact that the filename for Beta 1 is MarineAquarium3.scr and the filename for Beta 2 is MA3Beta.scr.

Originally posted by Dale:

As I recall, there was a similar discussion about MA 2.6.

The exact build number in Marine Aquarium 2.6 can be determined by opening the About box and clicking on the version number. I just ran my version of 2.6 and when I clicked the version number, elsewhere in the box (to the right of Prolific Publishing, Inc.), the build number PB30.2.6.37 appears.

Jim Sachs · 10-20-2008, 01:09 PM

The MA3Beta.zip has been replaced by a Beta 3 version. The only differences from Beta 2 are the fact that you can no longer create Fish Sets with blank names, and the outline of the rock against the fan coral has been fixed. The order that the fish are drawn in relation to some of the background objects has also been changed, but this would probably be fairly difficult to notice on most systems.

Note - there was initally a problem with the upload. If you downloaded the file within a few minutes from the time I posted this message, please download it again.

chippy · 10-20-2008, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

The MA3Beta.zip has been replaced by a Beta 3 version. The only difference from Beta 2 is the fact that you can no longer create Fish Sets with blank names.

And it dosn't say "Expired"

Jim Sachs · 10-20-2008, 03:33 PM

chippy - please note my last edit above. Anyone who downloaded in the last few minutes may have recieved the wrong file. Please download again.

Dale · 10-20-2008, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by feldon32:

I agree that the Beta Expired message could be improved, but it is certainly not impossible to determine which version of the Beta you have. Set your clock back to before the Aquarium expired, run the Aqurium, and right at the top on the 1st line in yellow letters it says Beta 2. Also there was a discussion in another thread about the fact that the filename for Beta 1 is MarineAquarium3.scr and the filename for Beta 2 is MA3Beta.scr.

The exact build number in Marine Aquarium 2.6 can be determined by opening the About box and clicking on the version number. I just ran my version of 2.6 and when I clicked the version number, elsewhere in the box (to the right of Prolific Publishing, Inc.), the build number PB30.2.6.37 appears.

1. Yes, I know how to tell the exact build number in MA 2.6 It's interesting that mine reads Q224.2.6.475, which is sure not the same as yours. Which is current?
2. Yes, I know that the filename for Beta 1 was different. That doesn't help (much), now that Beta 3 is out.

3. I presume that you know some of the dangers of setting the computer's clock "back". It's totally unsound practice, deprecated by Microsoft, etc. In addition, consider that (for instance) my computer is running software to automatically bid (snipe) on eBay items. Set the clock back?

The point was - don't make it more difficult than necessary, for your Beta testers to give you complete, accurate information.

Jim Sachs · 10-20-2008, 04:29 PM

By keeping the filename the same for the Betas, the same link will always download the latest file. That seemed easier than making people pour through all these messages for the latest link.

Dale · 10-20-2008, 05:05 PM

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

By keeping the filename the same for the Betas, the same link will always download the latest file. That seemed easier than making people pour through all these messages for the latest link.

Makes sense. Now how about having the "product version" or "file version" or some other internal information in the .scr file, be something other than a uniform 1.0.0.1 -- perhaps even 3.b3, or something.

Also, the "expired" message could say "Beta Version 2 has expired".

feldon34 · 10-20-2008, 05:31 PM

I'm figuring people will use the link at the bottom of my announcement every time I change it, but either way.

I think what Dale is talking about is when you right-click on the Aquarium and go to Properties, under the various information placed there by Visual Studio, the version number is 1,0,0,1. I'm guessing you can assign a version number in VS.

Jim Sachs · 10-20-2008, 06:28 PM

When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired".

I did some research, and I can change the info that shows up under "properties". From now on, I'll put some appropriate info in there.

Dale · 10-20-2008, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired".

I did some research, and I can change the info that shows up under "properties". From now on, I'll put some appropriate info in there.

Exactly what I was suggesting. Since I didn't know exactly what your development environment is, I had to describe it in terms of the version tab in the file properties.

If unique for each build, it provides explicit information without having to run the application.

Thanks for figuring out what I meant.

pvernam · 10-27-2008, 07:17 AM

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired".

To be absolutely precise, it says "MA3 Beta Test 3 has expired". Which brings me to my real question: will there be a beta 4? If not, when will we be able to get the released product? (I really don't want to set my clock back in order to be able to use your wonderful toy. If nothing else, that is likely to screw up my Windows Home Server backups.)

Jim Sachs · 10-27-2008, 08:33 AM

Beta 4 is up: http://www.fish-byte.com/MA3Beta.zip

The only changes are in the FishPicker interface. I think I have fixed the bugs which allowed the wrong numbers of fish and starfish to be selected.

rctneil · 10-27-2008, 09:47 AM

Still no bezel gap adjuster then?

Jim Sachs · 10-27-2008, 11:55 AM

Not yet.

rem · 10-27-2008, 05:09 PM

for multiple monitor situations, there is a setting that says "display nothing on this monitor". however, this actually blacks out the monitor. i can't do any work while running ma3. can there be a setting where you display ma3 on your other monitor(s) but also allows you to work normally on a defined monitor?

cjmaddy · 10-27-2008, 05:15 PM

Press the 'F' key, and have the Aquarium in a window. - Then type away on your other monitor!

glenhny · 10-30-2008, 07:04 PM

Amazing. I loved 2.6 and after reading what you have planned, I cannot wait. ok so maybe i have no choice on that lol. it will be nice to see the see fan and anonome animated.

ericnigg · 11-03-2008, 04:00 AM

Hello everyone!

I would love to see some kind of screen shot or something to tide me over. PLEASE, direct me to a link or post a picture of something for me to view!!!

Thank you kindly,

eric

Tiny Turtle · 11-04-2008, 03:23 AM

Eric,
Here's something. The wonderful 3D effect isn't there, but maybe it'll take the edge off your craving?

10-20-2008, 12:47 PM	#22
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Originally posted by Dale: OK. But where's the appropriate place to put comments on the "posting and naming strategy"? This thread is the perfect place for discussion of the naming and version tracking. The Announcements thread is one that I expect possibly hundreds of people to subscribe to so they receive an e-mail whenever there is a new development or new version of the Aquarium. If we opened that thread to general discussion, no matter how on-topic that discussion it might be, then I've lied to the customers because they'll get a lot of what (to them) would appear to be nuisance e-mails instead of notification of a new download (which is what they signed up for!). This is why the Announcement thread only allows posts from Jim and myself. Originally posted by Dale: I think it's rather important that anybody (developers, testers, users) be able to determine what they are using. The "expired" message seems to be the same, regardless of version. I agree that the Beta Expired message could be improved, but it is certainly not impossible to determine which version of the Beta you have. Set your clock back to before the Aquarium expired, run the Aqurium, and right at the top on the 1st line in yellow letters it says Beta 2. Also there was a discussion in another thread about the fact that the filename for Beta 1 is MarineAquarium3.scr and the filename for Beta 2 is MA3Beta.scr. Originally posted by Dale: As I recall, there was a similar discussion about MA 2.6. The exact build number in Marine Aquarium 2.6 can be determined by opening the About box and clicking on the version number. I just ran my version of 2.6 and when I clicked the version number, elsewhere in the box (to the right of Prolific Publishing, Inc.), the build number PB30.2.6.37 appears. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

10-20-2008, 01:09 PM	#23
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	The MA3Beta.zip has been replaced by a Beta 3 version. The only differences from Beta 2 are the fact that you can no longer create Fish Sets with blank names, and the outline of the rock against the fan coral has been fixed. The order that the fish are drawn in relation to some of the background objects has also been changed, but this would probably be fairly difficult to notice on most systems. Note - there was initally a problem with the upload. If you downloaded the file within a few minutes from the time I posted this message, please download it again. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium Last edited by Jim Sachs; 10-20-2008 at 03:28 PM.

10-20-2008, 03:33 PM	#25
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	chippy - please note my last edit above. Anyone who downloaded in the last few minutes may have recieved the wrong file. Please download again. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-20-2008, 04:29 PM	#27
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	By keeping the filename the same for the Betas, the same link will always download the latest file. That seemed easier than making people pour through all these messages for the latest link. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-20-2008, 05:31 PM	#29
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	I'm figuring people will use the link at the bottom of my announcement every time I change it, but either way. I think what Dale is talking about is when you right-click on the Aquarium and go to Properties, under the various information placed there by Visual Studio, the version number is 1,0,0,1. I'm guessing you can assign a version number in VS. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

10-20-2008, 12:38 PM	#21
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by feldon32: The Marine Aquarium 3 Beta Announcement thread is locked because it is solely for me and Jim to post in. I really do appreciate the effort people have put into posting bugs and participating in the Beta so that the final version is bug-free and people feel comfortable with it, knowing that it got the testing it deserved. Thanks! Dale, I've unlocked your other topic. You may post here or there, up to you. OK. But where's the appropriate place to put comments on the "posting and naming strategy"? I think it's rather important that anybody (developers, testers, users) be able to determine what they are using. Nobody can do that with the current strategy. The "expired" message seems to be the same, regardless of version. The download file names, as well as the INTERNAL version numbers of the .scr files, seem to be the same, regardless of version. As I recall, there was a similar discussion about MA 2.6.

10-20-2008, 02:55 PM	#24
chippy Registered Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Victoria, BC.Canada Posts: 11	Originally posted by Jim Sachs: The MA3Beta.zip has been replaced by a Beta 3 version. The only difference from Beta 2 is the fact that you can no longer create Fish Sets with blank names. And it dosn't say "Expired"

10-20-2008, 04:14 PM	#26
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by feldon32: I agree that the Beta Expired message could be improved, but it is certainly not impossible to determine which version of the Beta you have. Set your clock back to before the Aquarium expired, run the Aqurium, and right at the top on the 1st line in yellow letters it says Beta 2. Also there was a discussion in another thread about the fact that the filename for Beta 1 is MarineAquarium3.scr and the filename for Beta 2 is MA3Beta.scr. The exact build number in Marine Aquarium 2.6 can be determined by opening the About box and clicking on the version number. I just ran my version of 2.6 and when I clicked the version number, elsewhere in the box (to the right of Prolific Publishing, Inc.), the build number PB30.2.6.37 appears. 1. Yes, I know how to tell the exact build number in MA 2.6 It's interesting that mine reads Q224.2.6.475, which is sure not the same as yours. Which is current? 2. Yes, I know that the filename for Beta 1 was different. That doesn't help (much), now that Beta 3 is out. 3. I presume that you know some of the dangers of setting the computer's clock "back". It's totally unsound practice, deprecated by Microsoft, etc. In addition, consider that (for instance) my computer is running software to automatically bid (snipe) on eBay items. Set the clock back? The point was - don't make it more difficult than necessary, for your Beta testers to give you complete, accurate information.

10-20-2008, 05:05 PM	#28
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by Jim Sachs: By keeping the filename the same for the Betas, the same link will always download the latest file. That seemed easier than making people pour through all these messages for the latest link. Makes sense. Now how about having the "product version" or "file version" or some other internal information in the .scr file, be something other than a uniform 1.0.0.1 -- perhaps even 3.b3, or something. Also, the "expired" message could say "Beta Version 2 has expired".

10-20-2008, 06:28 PM	#30
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired". I did some research, and I can change the info that shows up under "properties". From now on, I'll put some appropriate info in there. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-20-2008, 07:47 PM	#31
Dale Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Western Missouri Posts: 960	Originally posted by Jim Sachs: When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired". I did some research, and I can change the info that shows up under "properties". From now on, I'll put some appropriate info in there. Exactly what I was suggesting. Since I didn't know exactly what your development environment is, I had to describe it in terms of the version tab in the file properties. If unique for each build, it provides explicit information without having to run the application. Thanks for figuring out what I meant.

10-27-2008, 07:17 AM	#32
pvernam wobbegong Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nahant, MA Posts: 37	Originally posted by Jim Sachs: When Beta 3 expires, it says "Beta 3 has expired". To be absolutely precise, it says "MA3 Beta Test 3 has expired". Which brings me to my real question: will there be a beta 4? If not, when will we be able to get the released product? (I really don't want to set my clock back in order to be able to use your wonderful toy. If nothing else, that is likely to screw up my Windows Home Server backups.)

10-27-2008, 08:33 AM	#33
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Beta 4 is up: http://www.fish-byte.com/MA3Beta.zip The only changes are in the FishPicker interface. I think I have fixed the bugs which allowed the wrong numbers of fish and starfish to be selected. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-27-2008, 09:47 AM	#34
rctneil Registered Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 239	Still no bezel gap adjuster then?

10-27-2008, 11:55 AM	#35
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Not yet. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-27-2008, 05:09 PM	#36
rem Registered Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: southern ca, usa Posts: 13	for multiple monitor situations, there is a setting that says "display nothing on this monitor". however, this actually blacks out the monitor. i can't do any work while running ma3. can there be a setting where you display ma3 on your other monitor(s) but also allows you to work normally on a defined monitor? another tang

10-27-2008, 05:15 PM	#37
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	Press the 'F' key, and have the Aquarium in a window. - Then type away on your other monitor!

10-30-2008, 07:04 PM	#38
glenhny Registered Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 3	Wow Amazing. I loved 2.6 and after reading what you have planned, I cannot wait. ok so maybe i have no choice on that lol. it will be nice to see the see fan and anonome animated.

11-03-2008, 04:00 AM	#39
ericnigg Registered Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 1	Help a Mac brotha out... Hello everyone! I would love to see some kind of screen shot or something to tide me over. PLEASE, direct me to a link or post a picture of something for me to view!!! Thank you kindly, eric

11-04-2008, 03:23 AM	#40
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Eric, Here's something. The wonderful 3D effect isn't there, but maybe it'll take the edge off your craving? Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.