state of the SW universe?

In my opinion, do not upgrade to 2008. Wait for 2009 SP1 or SP2 to come out. At that time, it will be worth it. There's a lot of new features and capabilities being added to 2009 that will make the transition worth it. There's a lot of "Why didn't they do that years ago" stuff in 2009.

Matt Lorono

If you mean mirror a sub and some other parts that are mated to it and check the box to carry those mates through, no, apparently not on SP4.0EV.

WT

=2E..The noise Jon creates is much like riding in a car with the muffler dragging the ground. You can't carry on a conversation without talking over the noise. You kinda get used to the noise, but every once in a while you pull over, stop, and give that muffler a few kicks for good measures. Then your back on you way until the next time. That's Jon, and sometimes he'll squeak like a loose power steering belt... all he wants you to do is notice him....

=2E..WE SEE YOU JON....NOW PUT THE BAG BACK OVER YOUR HEAD AND BREATH DEEP =2E..and keep saying.....I think I cam, I think I cam.

CC

CC

neil,

All trolling aside, SW2008 is nothing more than an intermediate release between 2007 old school and 2009 art nouveau.

SolidWorks is convinced of a couple of things that I don't think their users are on board with:

- SW thinks they are listening to customers, but they interpret what they hear in funny ways

- everybody has, uses and likes RealView, and that is the way of the future

- people want CAD to be as realistic as possible all the time, and have turned their backs on a certain amount of "abstraction".

- the majority of users are artists, and the aesthetics of the interface matters to them

- the majority of users don't care about performance as much as the way the software looks

- it is ok to swallow 50% of performance with bullshit interface crap and make a 5% gain in some obscure corner

- SW users are not too concerned with consistency

- it is more important for the software to be visually exciting for the first 5 minutes you see it than to be predictable

SolidWorks 2008 should have been bagged altogether. It is literally only half done. 2009 finishes the stuff started in 2008. No wonder there was such a wail of despair from users. Those who said 2008 was great are going to look pretty silly, because when 09 comes out, it will be obvious that 08 was only half the story. In the end, SW has not been able to finish the story, and 2009 turns out to be as much backpedalling to appease pissed off users as anything.

There isn't any excuse you can make that makes it ok to release software literally half done.

Daisy.

neil wrote:

** Posted from **

I myself would love to be able to contribute, but I'm still a learner. Have SW 2007 Student version loaded at home and took a junior college class in it. Since I'm an SW lightweight, I'm in the lurker class.

Mark

2007 SW Student version (I don't laugh at your car, don't laugh at my software.....)

I've been using Usenet for a long time and have found most groups are like this. You have to filter out the chatter in order to find something useful. Not criticizing anyone in particular, it's just the nature of Usenet.

Something I can relate to, having made many trips to Bangkok. There, they even sell the software in the major shopping malls. Nothing like looking at AutoCAD for $4(US) in the air conditioned mall......

I've just started using 2008. I haven't spent the time to try and tweak in the user interface, so I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out where stuff is. Other than that, it seems to be OK. I haven't done any serious surfacing yet, but the improved surfacing was one of the reasons we planned to make the move when we started the next big project.

We still have crashes. For a few weeks, as the other two of us got started using it seriously, they didn't seem to have nearly as many as in previous releases. As we get more beef into the models, the crashes are coming back, so I think it was just that we weren't stressing it enough to bring it down.

I can't tell about the speed yet. It feels like it may be a little faster than 2007, but that may be because I haven't built anything complex enough to slow it down.

Jerry Steiger

ok thankyou everyone for your input - good to see some familiar names come out of the woodwork to offer some views :)

I have decided to pick up a subs for 08-09 because: a)it is actually good deal money wise as offered b)from 05 to 08 there is a fair bit to catch up on

-although it has problems and has half done stuff as usual there is a lot of useful stuff particularly for surfaces which I need/use. (any longer and I think the learning would be too steep or it would almost be as easy to switch programs altogether.) c)I regard the realview and UI stuff for better or worse as largely in there now and not likely to occupy substantial development resources again d)it brings me up to date so as to keep recent compatibility with other businesses and brings back worth to my initial substantial investment and also time spent learning it e)the failings that annoy the hell out of me are regretibly not likely to be fixed anytime soon

-untechnical help notes

-the big bug suck

-marketing crap and massaged forums/pet blogs

-semi useful VAR

-metallic lipstick UI

I wouldnt regard my choice at this time as any endorsement of of SW08 as a desireable item rather conditions just suit at this time for me to jump forward I dont have in mind that this means I will pick up subs on an ongoing basis SW will have to show they actually have laid the gotchas to rest for that to come back into consideration and of course add new stuff I really can use in a sizeable dose.

how will I get around the issues I have? a)install only sp5 of a release when it comes out for the year b)come here to discuss SW issues and help others - still the best darn place to come despite the noise ;) c) buy my VAR a dress and send him out on the streets to earn some real money :)

thanks Neil

btw visiting matts blog I found the most useful link he has posted yet...now heres something fine from America to share with the rest of us :) later all

Probably the best way to deal with SW. Here's hoping that 3.1 isn't too much worse than the last release.

I find I spend more time on the Forum now than here. Partially because it takes me longer to read through the posts I want to read, but also because there is an awful lot of good content and not much trash.

Your VAR must be considerably better looking than any of the guys at my VAR.

Jerry

Jerry,

Seems that if you don't go at the pace of the UI you will crash. I have to pace myself. After using it quite a bit you come to realize that it isn't just what you put your mouse pointer on but how long and how fast you get there that the software is reading. It would seem that the next new technology for computers would be a man/computer interface chip that would do all the sensing of the mouse/ mouse clicks and timing and leave the CPU for crunching numbers. Maybe SW can figure out how to put that on the second CPU.

TOP

lol I just thought it could help drag the customers in - the lipstick doesnt seem to be doing it as they hoped...

actually further to the sp5 timing - I wont be doing any beta testing, reporting bugs, doing surveys, making any enhancement requests or development suggestions, talking to any SW people, or.. .participating in closed forums.

all I want is the last sp of the release, access to the relevant technical info, and as a last resort a VAR.

Neil

I'ld like to use the SolidWorks Forum sometimes, but that is one I can't use unless I fork out money on Jan. 1 for a product I won't upgrade to until probably July. One way or another in a small way, I wanted to make my point about wanting to pay maintenance for a product I can use.

SWks considers a customer to be just paying maintenance for the version a customer uses, and not necessarily the latest version. If I alter my thinking to that method, then I look to what I would be getting from the maintenance on my older version of SolidWorks. Well, the answer is, I really am not looking for answers at this point, so there is not anything I see to gain right now, other than paying now a smaller amount less in maintenance than I would pay later. Of course, I am then paying SWks maintenance & penalty & then being covered by maintenance for only 6 months or so. Not good in that light.

It is SWks ballbark, and they set the ground rules. I can accept that. Still, SolidWorks has to pull in the customers, and I still think they need to come out with more thoroughly vetted SP0 products. That means faster and better programming, error checking and testing, and I surely hope they get it.

Bo

Bo,

I d> >>> how will I get around the issues I have?

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00,000 Newsgroups

I checked and found a big "padlock" icon next to the forum. Wish it were otherwise, but that is SWks policy.

Bo

Bo,

It's just you. Everybody else can get in. Even Banquer gets in. It's just you.

Daisy.

** Posted from **

Bo, Visit the forums directly at

You will be able to set up a user name and password and access the forums.

Richard