SnapshotCM Newsletter for November, 2011

Contents

• New Release, Key Benefits:
  • Windows 7 JumpLists
  • New Installer
  • User-defined Menus
• Recommended Releases
• GUI on Linux
• Links We Like

Editor's Blog

Our newest release of SnapshotCM contains three key features that many of you will find especially beneficial:

Windows 7 JumpList: The Windows 7 jumplist provides quick access to your most recently used workspaces, as well as the True Blue Software web site. To access, simply right-click on SnapshotCM's taskbar icon to see the context menu.

New installer technology for Windows. Our old technology wasn't reliably installing a working SnapshotCM. So we've updated to use the standard Windows install "msi" technology, allowing us to directly leverage Microsoft's recommended solution for installing system redistributable libraries. We expect this to result in a more reliable and better user install experience.

The old version of SnapshotCM must be removed before the first installation with the new technology. This is a one-time requirement, and user settings are preserved, so it should be painless.

The new technology contains all the benefits of the old installer, plus the following additional benefits:

• Reliable installation or updating of Microsoft redistributable packages,
• Automatic firewall configuration,
• Support for Windows 7/Vista/XP and Windows Server 2008/2003 all in one package,
• Easier and simpler update sequence, and
• A signed distribution package to insure its source.

User defined menus: The user defined menus allow you to call arbitrary external programs from the SnapshotCM GUI. Such programs receive information on the files selected in the workspace browser.

The new release is 1.85.0 (A.11.10) October 12, 2011. We recommend that all users update to 1.84.2 or the current 1.85.0 for best stability.

If you are already on 1.84.2, we hope the new benefits and fixes will entice you to upgrade!

For a complete list of user-visible changes, see the Change List, or contact us.

As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas.

Scott Kramer
President

Recommended Releases

The following releases are recommended:

• 1.85.0 - The newest features and fixes.
• 1.84.2 / 1.84.2.1 - A known stable release.
• 1.82.06 (non-windows) / 1.82.07 (windows NT/2000) / 1.82.08 (Windows XP/Vista/7) - stable version with old workspace model, and a multi-threaded database.
• 1.81.01 - stable version with a single-threaded database

If you are running any other release, we recommend that you update to the latest recommended version that your license allows.

GUI on Linux

A few years back, we discussed running the Windows GUI on x86 Linux using the wine emulator. It worked then, but it wasn't pretty. Wine has improved significantly since then, and the SnapshotCM GUI on Linux now is very usable. Here is the white paper for getting it set up. It's not updated for 1.85.0 yet, but what is there is quite good.

For just a few minutes of time, you get a lot of benefit. I highly recommend that linux users give this a try.

Links We Like

Links we find interesting, fun, or occasionally useful.

• Seven Billion people on the planet: Video from National Geographic:
  http://www.flixxy.com/population-7-billion-national-geographic.htm
• Optical Illusions for your enjoyment:
  http://www.flixxy.com/optical-illusion-compilation-2010.htm
• Frazil Ice flow at Yosemite Creek
  http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9V9p4mFEYXc&vq=medium#t=15
• Unofficial NASA video: The Frontier is Everywhere:
  http://www.flixxy.com/nasa-the-frontier-is-everywhere.htm
• A Day Made of Glass: A Jetson's Future?
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38
• Do you know the difference between the United Kingdon, Great Britain and England? Entertainingly explained here:
  http://www.flixxy.com/united-kingdom-great-britain-england-difference.htm
• A radiation dosage chart showing relative source dosages, including some data from the Fukushima plant in Japan.
  http://xkcd.com/radiation/