What is new in version 5?

rblaursen · Post by **rblaursen** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 19:04

Hello
I have been playing around with the try-out version of Diving Log on my PC and is seriously htinking about ordering a serial number. But before I do that I would like to know what vrsion 5 will bring.

I have searched the forum, but have not found the answer. Is it possible to get list of new things in version 5?

I have a couple of suggestions for improvements:

1) Gas:
It would be nice to have e seperate sheet for gas information. Just like the six shhets releady in the program.
It would be nice to be able to enter information about gasses in a table format. Each line holds information about one tank/db. set with pressure, content, type etc.

2) Dive plan:
It wound nice to have a new sheet where a diveplan could be entered in a table format. This could be a deco plan or just a normal non-deco plan. The plan entered should be displayed in the profile sheet along the the diveprofile from the dive computer, so it is possible to compare plan and profile. This is a great way to learn from ones dives.

3) Dive gear:
It would be nice to collect all information about dive gear in one sheet. Some of the attributes in the Logbook-sheet should be moved into a gear sheet and some information in the Additional-sheet belongs logical to the Logbook-sheet. The Additional-sheet could perhaps hold both gas and dive plan information.

4) Overview list in right side:
It could be nice if the list holds information about Max. Depth and Dive Time in addition to Dive No. and Date.

I know this might be bigger changes, but I think this will make the log book even better. Let me know if I sould try to make a "muck up" on this. I'm not a programmer, but I should be able to make a "muck up".

By the way - Diving Log is by far the best e-logbook I have seen yet. The suggested features will just make it harder to beat

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Post by **divinglog** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 19:06

Hello Rene

Thank you for your suggestions!

At the moment there is unfortunately no complete feature list, only some main points:

- New development platform (.NET 2.0) to be ready for the next years
- User Interface improvements
- New database with more data tracking options
- Better TEC diving support (multible tanks, gas changes in the profile,...)

The new version will be also a good new base to make further improvements. I think it's better to make only the main changes in the first release and then release other nice improvements in later updates. The most work for me is the development platform change but that's nothing what the user will see.

But everything is in a very early state, so version 4.0 will be developed besides to keep the waiting period short. I'm currently planning that it will take until end of this year. The update will be free for all who buy version 4.0 in this year, so you don't have any disadvantages.

By the way - Diving Log is by far the best e-logbook I have seen yet. The suggested features will just make it harder to beat

Thank you

Best regards,
Sven

reefhound · Post by **reefhound** » Mon May 07, 2007 01:37

divinglog wrote: - New development platform (.NET 2.0) to be ready for the next years
- User Interface improvements
- New database with more data tracking options
- Better TEC diving support (multible tanks, gas changes in the profile,...)

Aarrgh! Say it ain't so! I've spent the past few weeks downloading and evaluating log software and had about decided that Diving Log was the best one out there.

I have been using Scubase, which is an excellent and robust program, but it has gotten ridiculous in it's size and system requirements. But the last "upgrade" also required a .NET 2.0 upgrade, SQL install, Windows Update install, and Genuine Tracker install. This isn't the place to debate the pros and cons of .NET 2.0 but suffice to say I despise it. It took weeks to get my previously stable OS back and I can no longer use Scubase at work because I don't have user rights to make those upgrades.

OK, I can live with .NET 2.0 but what scares me is the "new database" part. Please tell me you are not changing from Access to SQL. The number one reason I like your software best is it uses an Access database I can access directly. This allows me to do direct table imports/exports, something I consider absolutely mandatory and the reason I have eliminated many good products like Sharkpoint. I can also write custom macros to interface with my data.

Please tell me you will continue supporting the Access database. This could be a dealkiller for me.

Todd

Post by **divinglog** » Mon May 07, 2007 02:10

Hi Todd

Don't fear, I'll keep the Access database format in future and it will be open for everyone who wants to access the data in any way.

What I meant with "New database" is simply more tables and new fields. I also don't like the SQL server and it's way too overloaded for a dive logbook with not more than 1000 dives for most users.

Regarding .NET 2.0: It is already integrated in Windows XP SP2 and Vista, so most users won't need to install anything else. There will also pass several month until version 5.0 will be released, so then almost everyone already have the .NET framework installed. In the meantime version 4.0 will be further developed. I know, the framework has pros and cons, but in the long term I have no other choice because VB6 won't be supported by Microsoft forever.

Best regards,
Sven

reefhound · Post by **reefhound** » Fri May 11, 2007 16:08

I just bought my copy. FYI, I looked at a lot of logbook apps and there are some nice ones out there, but all of them have things I feel is missing or needs improving. Even Diving Log. There are two key reasons I chose Diving Log over the others.

1. You are very active in developing the software and responding in this forum to questions and suggestions. It's surprising how uncommon this is. I feel this is where I have the best chance in getting features added or improved. Or maybe just learning how to better use existing features.

2. The unencrypted Access database means that no matter what happens with Diving Log, I can get to my logbook data (assuming I keep backups to guard against data corruption), both directly and programmatically. The option to write forms, queries, and macros in Access VBA allows me to do custom stuff.

Thanks for all your hard work and I'm sure I'll have tons of suggestions for you as I migrate my data and start using the program in depth.

Post by **divinglog** » Sat May 12, 2007 01:50

Thank you for your order and I'll do my best to realize any improvements. Mainly it's only a question of time.