Multiple Downloads

[Programmer]

Hi Rhutobello,

I thought it would be best to start a separate thread about the multiple downloads issue, the other thread was getting a bit overloaded anyway...

Just to confirm, when you are talking about downloading more than one deck, do you mean you are selecting more than one deck on the list to begin with, then bringing up the download form and using it for each deck one after the other? In this case it should say Multiple Selection in the Save As box when you first open it. Also it should not offer you to start using the deck.

Or are you clicking on a second item in the list when there is already a download in progress and then trying to download that in the same way as the first? This is not something I have tested, mainly because the decks download so quickly with an ADSL connection that there isn't ever time to start a second download before the first one ends. It is interesting because if people are doing this it might account for some of the other strange behaviour that people have reported so far, for example the file locking problem reported by Alisa.

Cheers

Richard

[jambalaya]

No Richard, I am talking about downloading a single file, deck or otherwise. I am not clicking on a second item in the list, just one nor have I ever been offered the choice of starting to use the deck (or the background that the program assumes is a deck), I don't get such messages at all.

Actually, I was thinking about this while dropping off to sleep and I think I may know what it's about.

I got an error message my first time using version 7.2. After skimming it, I assumed it was about deck names, but I think it was talking about my computer name.

You have made it necessary for users to name their computers through Windows in order to keep track of licensing of the program. However, I don't have a name for my computer and when I registered version 7.2 I put a random 3-digit name in. So now, Orphalese is trying to match my computer's name with what I registered and it doesn't match, so it won't let me do stuff.

My computer does not have a name and no other software company on earth forces me to name my computer, so I don't see why you are insisting on it. I am not going to give my computer a name, period. It's a very simple task, done through Windows, I've done it before on an older system and I don't like it. I don't want my computer to have a name. So I guess no matter how much people pay to buy the program, they can't properly register it without giving their computer a name?

I understand why it's impoirtant to you to protect your licensing, but I don't agree with you telling me I have to name my computer.

[jambalaya]

Poor guy! Richard, I hope I don't sound too testy. I just noticed your other note, and yes, it is still happening.

I'm pretty sure the problem is that Orphalese now expects users to have their computers named through Windows, and many of us don't.

Did you not try this out in Beta with people registering the new way?

[Programmer]

Hi Jambalaya,

Don't worry, I can see why you would feel put out, given that is how you interpreted the business of the machine name. When I released version 7.1 I forgot to put any explanation for those new fields (Nickname, Machine Name etc). There was a help button but it didn't do anything. This is fixed now, but me explain about the Machine Name here.

When you register the program you are entitled to have it installed on any three machines for your own use, e.g. a machine at work, one at home, a laptop etc. I can keep track of these machines by recording the serial number of the hard-drive. When someone attempts to register the program on a fourth machine they get an error telling them that they already have it registered on three others. But it might well be that they have sold or junked the first computer they had the program on so that no longer counts.

What would happen in the past is that people in this situation would email me, and I would try to identify which of the three registrations related to the computer they had sold/junked and delete the record corresponding to that machine. Then they would have a space to register the new machine. The trouble is that this was quite time consuming for me and also quite hit and miss, because obviously nobody knows their hard drive serial numbers and I would have to rely on the users memory of which order they registered the machines.

The reason I am asking for a name for the computer is simply so the user can recognise it. The name does not have to be the same as the Windows computer name, it is just so the user can identify it for themselves. There is a new tool in My OTZ which lets people manage their own computers. If they named a computer My Dell and they sell that and buy an HP or whatever they can easily find the Dell in their list of machines and deactivate it, thus making way for the new one. It is only used in this way, not for validation at any moment.

I am not sure what that message was that you got about names, if you see it again it would be helpful if you could get the exact wording. I am not sure it would be to do with illegal characters either, from memory most of the names of the other files are simply letters and maybe some numbers.

Regarding the save button remaining greyed out, I am beginning to get an idea of what this might be about. I think it is to do with how the program is being used. The way I have used it while testing is to select a file, press download, press save on the download form, wait for download to finish and then close the form. I wonder if people are leaving the form open and then pressing download again? I will have to play around with this and try to recreate the problem. I tried both switching to the deck and not switching to the deck but I could not get the button to remain greyed, even though this was happening to Rhutobello and Marvin maybe too.

I am going to be bringing out a 7.2.1 update in the next few days, once I have solved this and a couple of other bugs which are occurring to some users. It will also have a bigger preview window as requested by a couple of people now. This update will not make the button flash on the OTZ homepage, but it will be available for people who are experiencing these problems. I will post about it here when it is ready.

Cheers

Richard

[Rhutobello]

This is how I got saved button grey.

1) if you download 1 deck and start the next before the first are finish (as I belive...your program have to open several download windows if this should be an option, have it on Audible...used it twice....it goes faster to download 1 and 1)

2) In order to provoke the save button I tried several things and here is the one that make it.

Program option
unmark unzip deck after download

Now when you have downloaded 1 deck the save button stay gray and you have to close the program and start agein to download next....(at least that what I had to do:))

Fix
Mark unzip deck after download

I asked if this was the issue for Jambalaya's error or if it was several deck at once that made it...or maybe none of those.

[Programmer]

Thanks Rhutobello I will look into those.