The Readerware Newsletter

Readerware 2.70 is now shipping. Finally, Readerware works with the wheel mouse. A new Java runtime and lots of Readerware improvements.

The CueCat, RIP. New newsgroups and The British Library is back.

Readerware 2.70 Now Shipping

Release 2.70 is now available for all products (Readerware, ReaderwareAW and ReaderwareVW), and all platforms, (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux). A full list of the changes included in 2.70 is available online:

• Readerware 2.70 changes

A common request has been for wheel mouse support. The hold up has been underlying Java support for the wheel mouse. Finally it is available, Readerware 2.70 ships with the new Java 1.4 runtime (Windows and Linux only). Now you can scroll the Readerware table view and all windows by turning the wheel. Just position the mouse over the window you want to scroll and twist away.

There is more in the new Java runtime, performance is improved, the file selection dialogs are much better. There is a downside however, it is larger. You must download the full install in order to get the Java updates. The upgrade install has been disabled but will return with the next release.

Moving forward I plan to offer a new Web Start installer which will make downloads a lot faster and easier.

The new Java 1.4 runtime is currently only available for Windows and Linux. On Mac OS X, Apple includes Java support in the OS. They have not yet announced when Java 1.4 will be available for OS X. But Apple have just released an upgrade to both OS X and their Java support. I recommend you accept both the OS X 10.1.3 and Java 1.3.1 Update 1 updates via the software update tool. You will find Readerware is faster, the screens are more compact and a number of bugs were fixed. This includes a printing bug that truncated reports to a single page.

In addition to the Java updates, there are a number of Readerware changes, all by request. The highlights are:

The wizard progress dialogs are now integrated into the wizards themselves. They no longer open in a separate window obscuring the wizard results.

Readerware auto-catalog now has an option to increment the number of copies when it detects a duplicate ISBN/UPC. With this option on you can also enter the same ISBN/UPC into the auto-catalog wizard multiple times.

Fixed a problem with the Ctrl-V paste command, it would paste twice into the comments field.

Numeric fields now sort correctly, value, copies etc.

Readerware no longer selects the field contents when a field gets focus. A number of users reported it was too easy to accidentally delete the contents.

The report writer now uses separate directories for each product rather than storing all report templates in the same location.

Added an option to display the report writer output directly in your default browser, bypassing the Readerware report writer window.

Major performance improvements in report generation, large reports could be very slow.

So, something for everyone in Readerware 2.70.

• Download Readerware 2.70

CueCat, RIP

Well it looks as though the CueCat has exhausted all nine lives. Radio Shack no longer carry the CueCat and have disposed of their entire inventory.

The Digital Convergence web site appears to be down and apparently no longer accepting orders. If you are looking for a CueCat, there are some for sale on eBay. There are probably thousands of CueCats lying around somewhere, if I find a supply I will let you know.

In the meantime I am looking for a supply of good low cost barcode readers, there are a number to choose from. More in an upcoming newsletter.

The idea behind the CueCat was always pretty dumb and it was probably inevitable it would end this way. It is a shame though because those critters were pretty good barcode readers.

Readerware User News

Two new message forums have been added:

Enhancements - A place for you to discuss new features you would like to see in upcoming releases. There are lots of ideas already there, join in the discussion add you $0.02 and post your enhancement ideas.

User to User - I get requests from users who would like to contact other users in their area. Privacy concerns prevent me from giving out contact information. The data you provide when you register is strictly confidential and will never be disclosed to anyone. So if you are looking for a nearby Readerware user, post here. All users are encouraged to check this forum.

On a related subject, it has been suggested that it would be a good idea to form a Readerware Users Group. After over two years on the market there are a lot of Readerware users out there. Users fall into a number of different categories, collectors, dealers, small libraries. So maybe there is a need for several special interest groups, (SIG), in the Readerware User Group.

Is a Readerware User Group a good idea? I think it could certainly be a very useful resource for all users and for Readerware. I think a users group could perform a valuable role in helping define the direction of the products.

Readerware can provide support, but ultimately I think this is something that works best coming from Readerware users. So if this is something you think would be useful and you would like to volunteer, please let me know. You can also use the User to User forum to air your proposals and discuss ideas.

Finally, I suggested in a previous newsletter that it would be a good idea to contribute Readerware Report Writer templates. I could make them available on the web site. Contributions have been slow in coming, but I know a lot of you have some pretty fancy templates for both reports and web page generation. So why not send them in. I plan to add the page soon so now is the time.

They don't even have to be that fancy. Some users are not HTML wizards and just need simple templates to produce the reports they need. So if you have some Readerware Report Writer templates, share them!

AOL/Compuserve problems

There appears to be a problem with the AOL/Compuserve software and/or network. A number of users reported that the received an invalid magic number error when launching the Readerware installer. This indicates that the download was corrupted. It doesn't matter which Readerware site they download from, it gets corrupted every time.

Fortunately there is an easy workaround.

The solution is to avoid using the web browser that's built-in to AOL/Compuserve software. Instead, minimize AOL, open up Netscape or Internet Explorer from the desktop or Start menu, and download Readerware that way. You should delete the original corrupted file first rather than trying to overwrite it.

If you have this problem, I would be very grateful if you could report this to AOL/Compuserve support. It is becoming a real problem for a lot of developers. AOL need to hear from you and work through the problem, I have spoken with AOL support but there is not much they can do with being able to reproduce it. If you have the problem, they will work though it with you.

I apologize for any inconvenience.

Readerware is Moving

Readerware is moving! The move is scheduled for the end of this month.

This will not effect the web site at all, it will remain up. However it will delay e-mail for a while. So it may take a little longer than usual to reply to your support and sales e-mail. I apologize for the inconvenience and will ensure that delays are kept to an absolute minimum. There will be a note posted on the web site when the move is in progress so you will be able to see when things are back to normal.

If you have an urgent question, don't forget the newsgroups, the answer may already be there or another user may be able to help you.

Thanks for your patience.

Site News: The British Library is Back

You may remember that I had to remove support for the British Library when they reworked their web site to require frames and JavaScript support.

It looks like the British library have seen the light and have added a text based interface along with their new site format. I am sure this was in response to their users requests, if you took the time to write the British Library, thank you.

The British Library is now back with Readerware 2.70, auto-catalog and drag and drop are supported.

• British Library

Your Feedback

Your feedback is always welcome and does make a difference. Please send in your comments. E-Mail support@readerware.com.

Thanks for your support.