Comments for Blog@Surfulater http://blog.surfulater.com Surfulater, the journey continues... Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:49:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. by David http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/#comment-123591 David Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:49:39 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=250#comment-123591 Hi Neville - Like Joan, I also feel uneasy about the future of SurfULater ... which I use as a knowledgebase for a wide variety of information, both business/technical and personal/hobby topics. I moved to SurfULater after Microsoft acquired [and subsequently killed] Onfolio, which was a truly wonderful, flexible and stable product. Being in the software development business, I understand your decision process in moving away from 'traditional' C++/Windows desktop development ... but I hope you will pay very close attention to performance, stability and data integrity as you move forward in your product development. Personally, I would like to see another release [or 2!] of SurfULater based on it's current C++ codebase, but with a 'better' [from my perspective, and in terms of future data access] database behind it. The obvious choice is Microsoft SQL Server Express [2008 R2 or whatever the most current flavor is ...] This would make me more comfortable about being able to get my information back out if [G-d Forbid!!!] SurfULater goes away ... and perhaps even open doors for integration in to broader environments as a shared knowledge tool. You need to run your business as you see best, and develop products accordingly ... I just hope you'll keep these and similar thoughts in mind as you make your decisions. I'm cautiously optimistic about the future of SurfULater, so far you've done a great job of improving the product and evolving it from it's initial release ... but to paraphrase The Who ... I don't want to get fooled again. Thanks and best regards, -dmm Hi Neville -

Like Joan, I also feel uneasy about the future of SurfULater … which I use as a knowledgebase for a wide variety of information, both business/technical and personal/hobby topics.

I moved to SurfULater after Microsoft acquired [and subsequently killed] Onfolio, which was a truly wonderful, flexible and stable product.

Being in the software development business, I understand your decision process in moving away from ‘traditional’ C++/Windows desktop development … but I hope you will pay very close attention to performance, stability and data integrity as you move forward in your product development.

Personally, I would like to see another release [or 2!] of SurfULater based on it’s current C++ codebase, but with a ‘better’ [from my perspective, and in terms of future data access] database behind it. The obvious choice is Microsoft SQL Server Express [2008 R2 or whatever the most current flavor is ...]

This would make me more comfortable about being able to get my information back out if [G-d Forbid!!!] SurfULater goes away … and perhaps even open doors for integration in to broader environments as a shared knowledge tool.

You need to run your business as you see best, and develop products accordingly … I just hope you’ll keep these and similar thoughts in mind as you make your decisions.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of SurfULater, so far you’ve done a great job of improving the product and evolving it from it’s initial release … but to paraphrase The Who … I don’t want to get fooled again.

Thanks and best regards,

-dmm

]]> Comment on What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. by Gerard http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/#comment-122577 Gerard Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:54:31 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=250#comment-122577 Sounds good, Neville. Sometimes big changes like this just have to happen. Being in a similar proces, I can relate to your explanation. I am sure the resulting products will be great. Cheers! Gerard Sounds good, Neville. Sometimes big changes like this just have to happen. Being in a similar proces, I can relate to your explanation.

I am sure the resulting products will be great. Cheers!
Gerard

]]> Comment on What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. by nevf http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/#comment-122257 nevf Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:35:44 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=250#comment-122257 Hi Joan, my plan would most definitely be to enable existing Surfulater Knowledge Base's to be imported into any future replacement application. You've raised a point that afflicts most all applications people are using though. As long as these applications keep working you are fine, but should that cease to be the case you are likely to be in trouble. An application may well have some method of exporting its content, however the likely hood of being able to import that into some other application is small. There are no easy answers to this issue, other than going back to writing everything down on scraps of paper. Neville Hi Joan, my plan would most definitely be to enable existing Surfulater Knowledge Base’s to be imported into any future replacement application.

You’ve raised a point that afflicts most all applications people are using though. As long as these applications keep working you are fine, but should that cease to be the case you are likely to be in trouble. An application may well have some method of exporting its content, however the likely hood of being able to import that into some other application is small. There are no easy answers to this issue, other than going back to writing everything down on scraps of paper.

Neville

]]> Comment on What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. by cyberqueen http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/#comment-122247 cyberqueen Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:04:10 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=250#comment-122247 Neville, though I'm uneasy--no, make that terrified--about what this means for Surfulater, I'm also excited about the new possibilities that lie ahead. My primary question right now is whether the "ideal Surfulater type" programs/products you're hoping to develop will be able to import databases from Surfulater, or whether all the information people have carefully saved there will be stranded on a deserted island. Neville, though I’m uneasy–no, make that terrified–about what this means for Surfulater, I’m also excited about the new possibilities that lie ahead. My primary question right now is whether the “ideal Surfulater type” programs/products you’re hoping to develop will be able to import databases from Surfulater, or whether all the information people have carefully saved there will be stranded on a deserted island.

]]> Comment on Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? by nevf http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/09/02/trial-limitations-is-it-really-that-bad/#comment-122230 nevf Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:14:09 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=244#comment-122230 Hi Jim, Please see my new post http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/ Neville Hi Jim,
Please see my new post http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/12/05/whats-happening-with-surfulater-whats-neville-up-to/

Neville

]]> Comment on Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? by What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. | Blog@Surfulater http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/09/02/trial-limitations-is-it-really-that-bad/#comment-122229 What’s happening with Surfulater & what’s Neville up to. | Blog@Surfulater Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:07:55 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=244#comment-122229 [...] Surfulater Home Surfulater, the journey continues… ← Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? [...] [...] Surfulater Home Surfulater, the journey continues… ← Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? [...]

]]> Comment on Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? by Jim Parker http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/09/02/trial-limitations-is-it-really-that-bad/#comment-122207 Jim Parker Sun, 04 Dec 2011 18:05:05 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=244#comment-122207 I decided not to buy surfulater. It wasn't because of trial limitations, but instead because development on the product has slowed to a crawl. There are tons of features that could be added to surfulater, many of which exist in competing products. However, what updates have been done to surfulater in the past year? The only updates have been necessary changes to get the product to work with newly released browsers, no new features whatsoever. You really have to go back pretty far in the product's history to see when the last actual new or enhanced feature appeared. With this kind of complacency, the product is not likely to attract new buyers at all, and the existing base of product users will slowly move to competing products that are not dead. It could be that Neville is hard at work on a new version that includes a slew of new features. However there is nothing to indicate that anywhere on this website. I might come back an reevaluate surfulater if there is ever another actual upgrade to the software instead of 'just another browser compatibility update'. I decided not to buy surfulater. It wasn’t because of trial limitations, but instead because development on the product has slowed to a crawl. There are tons of features that could be added to surfulater, many of which exist in competing products. However, what updates have been done to surfulater in the past year? The only updates have been necessary changes to get the product to work with newly released browsers, no new features whatsoever. You really have to go back pretty far in the product’s history to see when the last actual new or enhanced feature appeared. With this kind of complacency, the product is not likely to attract new buyers at all, and the existing base of product users will slowly move to competing products that are not dead.

It could be that Neville is hard at work on a new version that includes a slew of new features. However there is nothing to indicate that anywhere on this website. I might come back an reevaluate surfulater if there is ever another actual upgrade to the software instead of ‘just another browser compatibility update’.

]]> Comment on Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? by Herneith http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/09/02/trial-limitations-is-it-really-that-bad/#comment-122146 Herneith Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:12:51 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=244#comment-122146 Correction;Would prefer not to pay! Correction;Would prefer not to pay!

]]> Comment on Trial Limitations – is it really that bad? by Herneith http://blog.surfulater.com/2011/09/02/trial-limitations-is-it-really-that-bad/#comment-122145 Herneith Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:12:11 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=244#comment-122145 Nef, it is like this; the people who make these complaints would prefer to pay for a product period, else, they wish to pay next to nothing. I have been using Surfulater for a few years and it's cheap for what it does! Keep up the good work Nef! Nef, it is like this; the people who make these complaints would prefer to pay for a product period, else, they wish to pay next to nothing. I have been using Surfulater for a few years and it’s cheap for what it does! Keep up the good work Nef!

]]> Comment on User feedback is so important by nevf http://blog.surfulater.com/2010/08/25/user-feedback-is-so-important/#comment-121738 nevf Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:18:54 +0000 http://blog.surfulater.com/?p=164#comment-121738 In the [AppData]/SAIG/Surfulater folder you will see a file named Surfulater.SurfulaterPatch which contains all of the templates which are used by all Knowledge Bases. See Help | The Basics | Backing up my Knowledge Base for info on the AppData folder location. First make a safe backup copy of this file. Then copy the Template that most closely matches what you want, paste that at the end of file before and then modify same. To see your changes you need to restart Surfulater. When you are finished ensure you make a safe backup of the changed file as it can get overwritten by future releases. -Neville In the [AppData]/SAIG/Surfulater folder you will see a file named Surfulater.SurfulaterPatch which contains all of the templates which are used by all Knowledge Bases. See Help | The Basics | Backing up my Knowledge Base for info on the AppData folder location.

First make a safe backup copy of this file. Then copy the Template that most closely matches what you want, paste that at the end of file before and then modify same.

To see your changes you need to restart Surfulater. When you are finished ensure you make a safe backup of the changed file as it can get overwritten by future releases.

-Neville

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