[ANN] BARCLONE Website Updated

Kick butt plans site!

But why so many different file formats? I can understand having Rocsim format, but you also have a odd mixture of pdf, tif, rtf, txt. Why not just stick with rocsim and pdf?

btw, really like the Apogee II and Hoursefly scale ups.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

Ted,

Thanks for the reply. In the early days of BARCLONE, I was not using RockSim, just PhotoShop Elements. When you run across those TIF and TXT combinations, you're looking at the first batch of designs. All of the most recent designs, from about this time last year forward, have been RKT and PDF files, with a JPG for the thumbnail / large view model image. As I weed through those old plans and run them through RockSim, they will eventually be converted to RKT, and the TIFs will be removed.

In case anyone is wondering about the PDFs, I create those using OpenOffice 2...

Craig McGraw

Ah, ok that makes sense now. Thanx for the clarification.

btw, How's openoffice 2 working out for you? I kinda found the previous version too clunky for me to use but so far everything I've heard about ver 2 states it's a huge improvement.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

Version 2 is far superior to Version 1. It's well worth the download time. Note, you have to look for it, because it's not really played up on their main website, but there are "developer" versions that are more recent than the "official" release. The team keeps the program updated regularly, like every two weeks or less. Far more updating than M$. Is it perfect? No, but neither is M$ Office, either. I have both installed, but I use OpenOffice for everything and only use Office once in a blue moon.

I find OpenOffice to be as easy to use, if not a little easier. And up to now, anyway, M$ has not seen the need to have a publish-to-PDF capability built-in to their software. That feature alone was enough to make me take notice.

Craig McGraw

Microsoft has announced that is going to be in the next release of Office.

More vaporware?

Real reason?

$$$Money$$$

There have been a large number of Open Source initiatives by government agencies around the world (and a few here in the US) that seem to have caused M$ to lose some of its market share. When Sun Microsystems (the corporate sponsor for both StarOffice and OpenOffice) can market a product that does about 95% of what the M$ product does, at 0% of the cost per user, you're going to take $$$ away. It would appear that just taking money away from the "big gorilla" can be equally as effective a corporate strategy as putting money in your own pockets. M$ doesn't have as many options this time...

Craig McGraw

Give me a call. I'll tell you how you can get a legal beta copy.