Christopher Just a thought, why should it be up to Coordinators to tell new transcribers how to set up WinBMD. Why not have this requirement as a standard instruction on either the TKB or Beginners for Help pages? Allan Raymond ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Richards" <cmr1chards@blueyonder.co.uk> To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 9:12 PM Subject: Re: re Windows Wish List Having read of all the potential problems I think now it is up to the syndicate co-ordinators to tell new transcribers how set up WinBMD so that they save their files in a place where they can find them. Any other solution seems to suffer from the problems of having to find a way to make sure it will work on Windows 98, XP or Vista - which is just added complication. Christopher Richards Ian Brooke wrote: > I do tend to agree with most of these views. It seems to me to be very > simple for those users that have trouble locating their files to create a > new folder someplace they can find it, for example under My Documents, or > under Users on Vista, and just tell WinBMD to use that folder. I can't > really see anyone having serious problems doing that and it saves a lot of > potentially risky code for WinBMD to try to do it. > > Ian > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nowl" <owl.news@zen.co.uk> > To: <FreeBMD-Syndicates@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 9:52 AM > Subject: Re: re Windows Wish List > > > >> Archer Barrie wrote on Wed, 4 Feb 2009: >> >> >>> I think you have a good point, although one shouldn't assume that all >>> existing users know where their output files are! Users can transcribe >>> without this knowledge, until the day when they need to do something >>> special with the file ... and then its location may be problematic. >>> >>> >> Thanks for the reply, Barrie, and yes, I see what you mean. . . although >> it's easy enough to check, since a custom path will be shown in brackets >> after Define Save Path in the File menu. If there's nothing there, the >> default path is being used (or the VirtualStore under Vista). And >> there's always Search :-) >> >> >>> I think the issue of moving files was sparked by Keith Simpson's mail of >>> 28th Jan in which he described instructions to change the default path >>> for transcribers who were having problems because of the current >>> location. I presume it was in response to this that Ian made his >>> proposal to move files in his mail later the same day. >>> >>> >> I see. . . I didn't get Keith's original post -- the lists seem rather >> flakey lately, I often receive responses to an original message that >> never arrives! Having read it now, I wholeheartedly agree. I do >> recommend new volunteers change the default Save Path and suggest >> creating a subfolder in (My) Documents. >> >> I've posted previously on why I think the current default output folder >> location needs to be changed, and (sorry Allan!) agree that a subfolder >> of (My) Documents would be the best place for it -- easy to find for new >> users, conforming to standard practice and solving the permissions >> problems under Vista. >> >> For fresh installs, either by new users or existing volunteers switching >> to a new computer, I think this would be a great improvement. But if >> I've followed Ian correctly, there could be huge difficulties with >> existing WinBMD installations, in both determining the current output >> path and in where to put the new default folder. >> >> What I'm asking is, Is it really worth Ian's time and effort to struggle >> to make this a global change when for a large proportion of upgraders it >> wouldn't be necessary (and could also be quite annoying)? >> >> >>> The only reason I can see for moving files as a result of an upgrade >>> would be because WinBMD is in a better position to do it than users (who >>> may have difficulty finding them). Against this we have the complication >>> of users, who *did* know where their files were, forgetting (or not >>> realising) they had been moved. >>> >> It could well be that I misunderstood the discussion, but it seemed to >> be accepted that moving existing files was desirable. I strongly >> disagree on that one :-) and could see it causing more problems than it >> solved. >> >>> Moving files to the same location shouldn't be a problem. The software >>> would notice and do nothing. >>> >>> >> Ah, that's reassuring, thanks, Barrie.

Raymond I find I have to send a sheet to new transcribers with the absolutely essential information because the FreeBMD help pages have too much information on them. So does my sheet! But by experience I have learnt what has to put in more than once for emphasis. The problem is at that all the information on the FreeBMD help pages needs to be there: but I find I have to be selective in what I send to new transcribers. Once they are up and running the other problems get dealt with one by one. Christopher Allan Raymond wrote: > Christopher > > Just a thought, why should it be up to Coordinators to tell new transcribers > how to set up WinBMD. > > Why not have this requirement as a standard instruction on either the TKB or > Beginners for Help pages? > > Allan Raymond > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Christopher Richards" <cmr1chards@blueyonder.co.uk> > To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 9:12 PM > Subject: Re: re Windows Wish List > > > Having read of all the potential problems I think now it is up to the > syndicate co-ordinators to tell new transcribers how set up WinBMD so > that they save their files in a place where they can find them. > Any other solution seems to suffer from the problems of having to find a > way to make sure it will work on Windows 98, XP or Vista - which is just > added complication. > > Christopher Richards > > Ian Brooke wrote: > >> I do tend to agree with most of these views. It seems to me to be very >> simple for those users that have trouble locating their files to create a >> new folder someplace they can find it, for example under My Documents, or >> under Users on Vista, and just tell WinBMD to use that folder. I can't >> really see anyone having serious problems doing that and it saves a lot of >> potentially risky code for WinBMD to try to do it. >> >> Ian >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Nowl" <owl.news@zen.co.uk> >> To: <FreeBMD-Syndicates@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 9:52 AM >> Subject: Re: re Windows Wish List >> >> >> >> >>> Archer Barrie wrote on Wed, 4 Feb 2009: >>> >>> >>> >>>> I think you have a good point, although one shouldn't assume that all >>>> existing users know where their output files are! Users can transcribe >>>> without this knowledge, until the day when they need to do something >>>> special with the file ... and then its location may be problematic. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> Thanks for the reply, Barrie, and yes, I see what you mean. . . although >>> it's easy enough to check, since a custom path will be shown in brackets >>> after Define Save Path in the File menu. If there's nothing there, the >>> default path is being used (or the VirtualStore under Vista). And >>> there's always Search :-) >>> >>> >>> >>>> I think the issue of moving files was sparked by Keith Simpson's mail of >>>> 28th Jan in which he described instructions to change the default path >>>> for transcribers who were having problems because of the current >>>> location. I presume it was in response to this that Ian made his >>>> proposal to move files in his mail later the same day. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> I see. . . I didn't get Keith's original post -- the lists seem rather >>> flakey lately, I often receive responses to an original message that >>> never arrives! Having read it now, I wholeheartedly agree. I do >>> recommend new volunteers change the default Save Path and suggest >>> creating a subfolder in (My) Documents. >>> >>> I've posted previously on why I think the current default output folder >>> location needs to be changed, and (sorry Allan!) agree that a subfolder >>> of (My) Documents would be the best place for it -- easy to find for new >>> users, conforming to standard practice and solving the permissions >>> problems under Vista. >>> >>> For fresh installs, either by new users or existing volunteers switching >>> to a new computer, I think this would be a great improvement. But if >>> I've followed Ian correctly, there could be huge difficulties with >>> existing WinBMD installations, in both determining the current output >>> path and in where to put the new default folder. >>> >>> What I'm asking is, Is it really worth Ian's time and effort to struggle >>> to make this a global change when for a large proportion of upgraders it >>> wouldn't be necessary (and could also be quite annoying)? >>> >>> >>> >>>> The only reason I can see for moving files as a result of an upgrade >>>> would be because WinBMD is in a better position to do it than users (who >>>> may have difficulty finding them). Against this we have the complication >>>> of users, who *did* know where their files were, forgetting (or not >>>> realising) they had been moved. >>>> >>>> >>> It could well be that I misunderstood the discussion, but it seemed to >>> be accepted that moving existing files was desirable. I strongly >>> disagree on that one :-) and could see it causing more problems than it >>> solved. >>> >>> >>>> Moving files to the same location shouldn't be a problem. The software >>>> would notice and do nothing. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> Ah, that's reassuring, thanks, Barrie. >>> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >