The Readerware Newsletter

Readerware 1.23

There have been a couple of releases since the last newsletter. Don't forget that you can easily check for updates by selecting Help->Check for Updates from the Readerware menu.

You can always download the latest version from the Readerware web site, http://www.readerware.com. You will find two download links, one for the full install and another for the upgrade. The easiest way to upgrade Readerware, is to download the upgrade file. This is a self extracting file, just double-click on it after you download it to begin the upgrade. Make sure you pick the same directory as you installed Readerware in originally and then click the Unzip button. Your existing Readerware 1.x installation will be upgraded to the latest version. If you prefer you can download the full install instead, but the upgrade is a lot smaller.

What's New

Jumping its way to the top of the Readerware most frequently requested feature list is support for non English books. As you already know one of the most powerful features of Readerware is auto catalog. Readerware auto catalog allows you to input a list of ISBNs, either manually or with a bar code reader and Readerware does the rest, searching the web to catalog your collection. Readerware 1.23 adds support for additional sites in Brazil, France, Germany and Switzerland. It will accept non English ISBNs and provide all the normal functionality. For more see the section on international support below.

Readerware 1.22 was a maintenance release. It fixed the following problems:

• A threading problem that would sometimes cause the database to lock up has been fixed.
• When printing with the flow lines option off, the report will now extend to the full width of the page.
• Bar code and ISBN handling have been improved. Some barcode readers add leading and/or trailing spaces. Others add spaces between components. Readerware will now correctly handle bar code scans with spaces.
• The manufacturer code was incorrectly limited to 4 characters. This has been fixed. You can now correctly map UPC manufacturer codes to publisher codes when scanning.
• Date entered searches now work correctly, this was actually a documentation change.

Readerware 1.21 had some minor UI changes.

Distribution Changes

Beginning with Readerware 1.22 I changed the way the shareware distribution works, the evaluation period is now enforced. Prior to Release 1.22, Readerware continued to function normally even after the evaluation period was over. Here is what this change means:

• If you are already a registered user, thank you for your support. There is no change to the way Readerware operates.
• If you are a new user installing Readerware for the first time you have a 30 day period in which to evaluate Readerware. After 30 days, you have a 10 day grace period. After a total of 40 days, Readerware will require a registration code. You can register online at anytime from The Readerware Web Site.
• If you are an existing user but have not yet registered, the evaluation period counter will be reset and you will have the full evaluation period described above, starting from the date you install this upgrade.
• If you are an existing user, but are not planning to register, please do not install Readerware 1.22 or greater, as Readerware will stop functioning after the evaluation period has expired. Versions prior to 1.22 will continue to work, but obviously there will be no further updates available.
• If you need additional time to evaluate Readerware, please request an extension to the evaluation period via e-mail from support@readerware.com.

New International Support

Readerware 1.23 adds support for non English books. You can now access web sites in Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany and Switzerland. Why these countries? Because these are the countries you requested. If you need support for additional countries, Readerware can easily be updated to include them. Simply send me a list of web sites that are available in your country and I will add as many of them as I can. So what web sites can be used by Readerware?

• The web site must offer an ISBN support option. Surprisingly some don't. It would help if you could send me a link to the ISBN search, it is not always easy to find when the web site is in a foreign language.
• The ISBN link should go directly to the book. Some ISBN searches display a summary results page which is kind of dumb when there is only the one result. It is not impossible for Readerware to support these kinds of sites but it does make it both harder and much slower.
• The web site should welcome other browsers. Some deny access to browsers other than Netscape and IE.
• The web site should not go nuts for non standard HTML

Please send any sites you want added to support@readerware.com

As this is the first release to import non English data I do expect some problems with the way data is extracted. But these can easily be fixed. If you notice problems please send me the site, the ISBN number and what is wrong. Please go into as much detail as possible to help with the language differences.

Readerware is still in English only. I would very much like to offer translated versions of the product so that all messages are in local languages. Readerware has been designed so that can be handled easily enough. The problem of course is the actual translation. Any volunteer translators out there? If you are interested in helping out please let me know.

Finally a tip for those of you who plan to make use of the new web sites. By default the new sites appear towards the end of the available sites but you can easily change that. Select Options->Site Options from the Readerware menu. Then select an item in the Import URL list and use the up and down arrows to change its position in the list. You can easily move your local sites to the top of the list. Non US sites are now identified with their internet domain after the site name, i.e. Livraria Cultura [BR], the BR indicates a Brazilian site.

Support Readerware

You can support Readerware and ensure that the new features keep on coming. Use Readerware when making your online purchases. If you order using the Readerware browser or shopping cart, Readerware normally receives a commission from the vendor. The Readerware browser uses the same encryption technology as the major browsers so you can order online, safely and securely using Readerware. Plus it ensures continued development of Readerware.

Your Feedback

Your feedback is always welcome. Support for non English sites was added because you asked for it. So please let us know what you think of Readerware so far. E-Mail feedback@readerware.com.

Thanks for your support.