[MA2.6 Bug] Widescreen -- cannot modify 8th fish

[Overlord]

Hello everyone! This is my first post so bare with me. This is not a reply to anything but a minor problem I am having with the 2.6 upgrade that I have not seen posted anywhere on the forum since the rollout. When I go to the widescreen I have 8 fish on the screen. When I go to the fish select control I only have 7 that I can change. I noticed that the 8th fish (regal tang) is on the screen but can't be removed or changed out. Not what I would call a major problem but wondered if anyone else had this. I upgraded over the 2.5 cd with the full version also but no resolve. Tech support is supposed to be getting with me by phone but just curious if anyone else seen this deal before.

[ESHIREY]

First let me welcome you to the forum. I'm sure you will like it here. As for your problem, I haven't heard of that but I'm sure someone will help you soon.

Again, WELCOME.

[Jim Sachs]

Yes, this problem has just been confirmed and Prolific is looking into it.

[Ralph]

?? On my copy I can modify (add.. change etc.) all 8 fish. Version MA2_6.scr dated 11/17/05.. Is that version now obsolete...?

[Jim Sachs]

Yep. It's obsolete. It has everything but the error.

[Edgar]

That copy is still good. The new version had some changes for some other hardware. If that works for you then you should keep it.
I sent Schnaaps a new executable that fixes the 8th fish. It should be available early next week.

Edit: Unless you want the error like Jim says.

[Dale]

Originally posted by Edgar:

That copy is still good. The new version had some changes for some other hardware. If that works for you then you should keep it.
I sent Schnaaps a new executable that fixes the 8th fish. It should be available early next week.

Edit: Unless you want the error like Jim says.  

Question: how will we identify the new version?

That seems like a funny question, but in the past, different versions have been "published" with the same version number, and the same internal version numbers - and the only way to tell them apart was that the downloads were different sizes.

[Jim Sachs]

You can always click on the version number in the About screen and the full version number will be displayed.

[cjmaddy]

I think what you may require can be found by clicking here ...

Edit: Damn, - he beat me to it!

[Edgar]

Pressing the S Key while the screensaver is running and the option "Exit on Mousemove" unchecked will show the full version at the top together with other information.

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Yep. It's obsolete. It has everything but the error.  

I WANT IT ALL

[Dale]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

You can always click on the version number in the About screen and the full version number will be displayed.  

Sorry - I apparently didn't ask the question correctly.

The question is how I know the version number that's available for download. So that I can compare it with what I have?

Let's say that, right now, I click on the version number in the About screen, and it says the version number is 2.6 [That's what it says - although as I recall when I looked at 2.0 there were a lot of "point" numbers]

Let's say I go to the SereneScreen site and look, and it says Version 2.6 is available for download.

So, do I have the latest version?

Of course, I suspect I do for 2.6 - but I recall in the past that there have been several versions of 2.0, but the web site always just said 2.0.

As far as I could tell with 2.0, the procedure was:
1. Find out what version I have - using "about" or the S key.
2. Download the latest stuff from the web site.
3. Install it.
4. See if the version number changed.

A "shortcut" was to compare the file size with the size of the version I previously downloaded.

[Dale]

Originally posted by Edgar:

Pressing the S Key while the screensaver is running and the option "Exit on Mousemove" unchecked will show the full version at the top together with other information.  

Comment: That shows the version as (apparently) Q216.2.6.439 -- so does that mean it's version 2.6.439?

Comment: Clicking on About, as otherwise suggested, shows the version as 2.6

Question: Why the difference between the two ways of displaying the version?

Question: Why do you say "and the option 'Exit on Mousemove' unchecked"? As far as I can tell, the behavior of pressing the S Key is the same, regardless of whether that's checked or not. Or at least on my system, that's how it works.

[Jim Sachs]

Comment 1: Yes.

Comment 2: Are you saying that clicking on the version number (2.6) in the About screen does not cause the full version number to appear beside "Prolific Publishing, Inc"?

Question 1: Edgar did not need to tell you to turn off Exit On Mouse Move. The "s" key works with or without it. Earlier, I had cautioned someone to uncheck the box when using the brackets keys, as those are not Hotkeys. Why they are not, I do not know.

[Dale]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Comment 2: Are you saying that clicking on the version number (2.6) in the About screen does not cause the full version number to appear beside "Prolific Publishing, Inc"?

Question 1: Edgar did not need to tell you to turn off Exit On Mouse Move. The "s" key works with or without it. Earlier, I had cautioned someone to uncheck the box when using the brackets keys, as those are not Hotkeys. Why they are not, I do not know.  

Oh. I mis-read what you wrote. Yes, when I click on "about" and then click on 2.6, it does show the full version number. -- now if I can just find out what version number is the latest one posted...

===================

[feldon34]

He's saying there's no way to know exactly which version is on the website. I know you want to keep unnecessary downloads under control, but I've always felt that posting a build number with a list of bugs addressed/solved might be in order. I would hope, although maybe I am too trusting of people, that by listing bugs, someone could see that there are no new features and not unncessarily grab another copy of essentially the same thing.

[Dale]

Originally posted by feldon29:

He's saying there's no way to know exactly which version is on the website. I know you want to keep unnecessary downloads under control, but I've always felt that posting a build number with a list of bugs addressed/solved might be in order. I would hope, although maybe I am too trusting of people, that by listing bugs, someone could see that there are no new features and not unncessarily grab another copy of essentially the same thing.  

Thanks for explaining what I meant.

I have several programs that have an easy way to say "check for updates", within the program. When I do that, the program automatically checks the version/build that I'm running, against the vendor's web site, and either tells me "you have the latest build" or "update is available". One of the programs will even tell me what things have been updated, and let me choose whether I want to update.

[semi-rant] I also believe that it's poor practice for any vendor to have several DIFFERENT builds that have all been (at various times) posted as "version 2.0". In my opinion, if there's a new build, it was done to fix something - and the vendor should make it easy for the purchasers to (1) determine that there's a new build - version 2.0.1; and (2) make it easy for purchasers to see what changed.

I can't easily understand how "tech support" would want to have to say: "what version are you running" -- "2.0" -- "oh, click on about and then click on the version number and tell me what it says" -- "it says 2.0" -- "NO, I said to then click on the 2.0, and tell me what it now says on the next line". -- "oh....."

Sorry for the rant.

[Jim Sachs]

It's actually pretty common for software makers to make silent updates while keeping the major version number the same. Versions with minor bug fixes which affect practically no one simply replace older ones with no hoopla to avoid confusion among the vast majority of semi-computer-illiterate users.

(I'm not including any of you fine folks in that category, just saying that this product - more than probably any other in the world - attracts them.)

[Dale]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

It's actually pretty common for software makers to make silent updates while keeping the major version number the same. Versions with minor bug fixes which affect practically no one simply replace older ones with no hoopla to avoid confusion among the vast majority of semi-computer-illiterate users.
 

Agreed with respect to the "major version number". However, in my experience, most software makers make it relatively easy and transparent to find out what the latest MINOR version number (build number) is, and what the changes are.

In particular, I find the phrase "affect practically no one" to be interesting. Of course, if they notify me of all fixes that affect me, that's great. But that has seldom happened to me.

I'm also not sure that some practice being "pretty common" is necessarily a good reason for following that practice.

Although it's off-topic, I'm interested in what software makers you are referring to? IBM/HP/Sun/Dell/Intel? Microsoft/Apple? Forte(Agent)? Executive Software (Diskkeeper)? Computer Associates? Mozilla/Netscape/Firefox?

[BTW - I signed up a long time ago to have SereneScreen notify me of the availability of new versions of MA, and I haven't heard anything yet about 2.6 - but perhaps they are concentrating on running the scripts to find those eligible for free upgrade, rather than those who will have to pay as I have already done]

[Dale]

...and I would still like to see a reasonable method for telling what "point version" is available for download.

It could be as simple as making the download filename MAquarium2_6_439.exe (or whatever).