Comments for the Build 452 changelog

**Zoë** · 17-Apr-2008, 03:13 PM

Hi Christoph,

Originally posted by chrroe

Now a nag-screen appears during startup once a day displaying the remaining days?

I hope you're not suggesting we should just not beta test the trial mode support until we send out the final release...

It will be possible to get real registration keys soon, and if it really bothers someone we can work something out earlier than that. It is just once a day too, and doesn't show up the first day, so hopefully new testers won't be too put off by it.

Originally posted by chrroe

Bash scripts, Microsoft Excel worksheets and Open Office documents are used quite often on my PC, Cobol, Delphi and Visual Basic almost never.

We want to keep the file format list from being too overwhelming, so we took out some that we considered less universal. We are looking into ways to make the default list for Linux and Windows different, in which case the Linux build would re-gain Bash and (probably) Open Office and would remove the Batch Files and Registry Dump ones.

As for the "Microsoft Excel" one, we had two in previously, one associated with the data comparison and one with the text comparison, so we just removed the text comparison one to promote the data viewer.

Originally posted by chrroe

Hmmpfff, it's always a matter of taste, but I don't like the new [shell extension icons].

If you have any icon ideas of your own you're welcome to send them in.

Personally I liked BC2's the best, but Tim's trying to avoid making them look to similar to avoid confusion if both versions are installed. I think the "green" you're referring to was actually the '3' we had overlayed on the BC2 arrows.

**Tom** · 17-Apr-2008, 09:31 PM

I like the new icon, except that it's much darker than the BC2 one. Maybe it's just my monitor, but I think it'd look better with just a hair more "gamma".

BTW, Synchronize to (left/right) is still coming, right? The new official name and registration/trial dialog implies to me that it's about to become a release candidate. Am I being a bit premature?

**Zoë** · 17-Apr-2008, 09:51 PM

Aside from some possible interface tweaks the synchronize commands are done. The full directory syncs is in as the sync session, and synchronizing a selection is included as Mirror/Update Left/Right. They're in the Actions->Synchronize submenu by default, and can be added to the toolbars using the Tools->Configure Commands (or something similar) menu option.

We're aiming for a July release. We just wanted to get the official name change and the registration code in before we released to the public.

**Michael Bulgrien** · 18-Apr-2008, 12:52 AM

Originally posted by Craig

If you have any icon ideas of your own you're welcome to send them in.

My contribution...

**mgillespie** · 18-Apr-2008, 04:27 AM

The nag screen is annoying. I have gone from registered BC2 (which I uninstalled, as Cirrus was doing everything BC2 and, and plenty more) and nagfree Cirrus to a naggy BC3.

I appreciate that it's all part of beta testing, but I also think it's annoyance. I would have appreciated being warned about it, as I may have reconsidered moving from a dual Cirrus/BC2 setup to sole BC3 beta.

As a suggestion, how about allowing BC2 registration keys during the beta phase? Then simply change the key at a late stage.

Would that not solve this one? or give us BC3 keys :-)

**Michael Bulgrien** · 18-Apr-2008, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by Michael Bulgrien

My contribution...

By the way, I do like the icons that Tim used in build 452.

I just thought I would submit an idea that uses a slightly raised look (using highlights on the upper-left edges, and shading on the lower-right edges of the arrows).

But I think I still like Tim's better.

**Michael Bulgrien** · 18-Apr-2008, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by Craig

hopefully new testers won't be too put off by it.

I certainly don't consider a once-a-day dialog to be a nag screen. A reminder, perhaps, but not a nag. True nags come up every time you run a program...the really bad ones interrupt program functionality by nagging you multiple times in the middle of your work! I think BC3 trial mode reminder is reasonable for the beta.

I don't know what triggers the trial reminder...but I would suggest that it only display the first time (daily) that BC3 is not launched via command line parameters. In other words, the only time I would be annoyed by such a reminder is if it interfered with an integrated version control operation.

**Michael Bulgrien** · 18-Apr-2008, 09:15 AM

One idea is to display the reminder with ever-increasing frequency:

First reminder: 7 days after installation
2nd reminder: 6 days later
3rd reminder: 5 days later
4th reminder: 4 days later
5th reminder: 3 days later
6th reminder: 2 days later
Subsequent reminders: once daily.

This would mean that the daily trial-mode reminders do not begin until the trial installation is 28-days old.

**ron** · 18-Apr-2008, 10:19 AM

re: the nag, welcome to Beta testing. That means testing everything. Once a day is not that big a hassle.

I like Michaels idea, I've encountered something similar before. Sort of gives you a free run for a while then the reminders kick in.

**Tom** · 18-Apr-2008, 11:23 AM

Originally posted by Craig

Aside from some possible interface tweaks the synchronize commands are done.

Thanks! I'll try 'em out.

Originally posted by Michael Bulgrien

One idea is to display the reminder with ever-increasing frequency:

I definitely agree with a gradual increase and an initial "quiet time" (at least after the first notice following installation). While not putting people off by any perception of nagging, it also gives folks a chance to gradually become dependent on the program before they're faced with having to give it up if they don't register it.

**chrroe** · 18-Apr-2008, 01:31 PM

Icons for the context-menu

Originally posted by Craig

If you have any icon ideas of your own you're welcome to send them in.

Personally I liked BC2's the best, but Tim's trying to avoid making them look to similar to avoid confusion if both versions are installed. I think the "green" you're referring to was actually the '3' we had overlayed on the BC2 arrows.

Yes, you are right. Today I used the windows built-in screen-magnifier to examine the old Cirrus icons and the new ones from build 452. Before that I hadn't realized that it was a "3" over the old BC2 icons.

Well the new ones seem in my opinion too flat, there is no plasticity. Since I'm no graphic designer I can't contribute any artwork directly, but googling for "mini icons" brought me to some interesting websites, which could serve as a source of inspiration:

http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/

http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Desktop_Project

At least I would like to see the style elements of a colour-gradient and some kind of drop-shadow.

In the end I must confess that this is an absolutely low-priority-nice-to-have issue which might be solved one day before public release of BC3. But from my experience the artwork of an application's GUI influences me personally whether or not taking a deeper look in an unknown programm.
All the other icons in the BC3 GUI look well, IMHO.

Bye
Christoph

**Tom** · 18-Apr-2008, 07:00 PM

Originally posted by Craig

Aside from some possible interface tweaks the synchronize commands are done.

Found 'em -- thanks. Is there a way to change the toolbar icon order?

Also, the button description (just under the list) runs off the end of the dialog.

**Zoë** · 21-Apr-2008, 04:34 PM

We'll fix the descriptions soon. There isn't a way to rearrange the toolbar right now, sorry.

**Tom** · 21-Apr-2008, 08:00 PM

Thanks, Craig -- no rush for either. Just checking.