11/05/02 -- New Vista beta version released.

[+Team Headrush]

Changes made from versions 2.41 Beta to 2.42 Beta:

 

Improved usability of Ownership entry page.

 

All fields now accept alpha-numeric entry.

 

Corrected potential calculator page lockup.

 

Improved usability of Jumpmaster.

 

Added "yards" label on trip computer page Big Numbers mode.

 

Added support for India position formats.

[+Alan2]

Just what I've been waiting for.

 

Alan

[+LarsThorwald]

Here's a question: do most people go ahead and upload beta versions, or wait for them to become "official?" For some reason I wait...

 

Charlie

"One should never begin a journey by heading in the wrong direction."

[+Team Headrush]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alan2:

Just what I've been waiting for.

Alan

---

 

With four caches hidden in India with only one of them being found, it seems that the update was long overdue.

 

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boys life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure. -- Mark Twain 1876

[+Alan2]

That's why I've been waiting for it. Now I can go after the other three.

 

Alan

[+st_richardson]

quote:

---

Originally posted by LarsThorwald:

Here's a question: do most people go ahead and upload beta versions, or wait for them to become "official?" For some reason I wait...

---

I like living on the bleeding edge of upgrades also. I even sync the Garmin download page to my palm so I can check it daily.

[+Alan2]

I don't usually load up beta versions, but now that the India position formats are out, well...

 

Alan

[+apersson850]

I download them as soon as I get hold of them. Why wait? A beta version is usually not inferior to the others, it's just that they haven't informed the customer support guys yet, so they may not be able to answer questions about it (yet).

 

Anders

[+LarsThorwald]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Anders:

I download them as soon as I get hold of them. Why wait? A beta version is usually not inferior to the others, it's just that they haven't informed the customer support guys yet, so they may not be able to answer questions about it (yet).

 

Anders

---

 

I was under the impression that the betas were sort of a final test of not-yet-perfected versions. Am I wrong? Are they waiting for people like Anders - ones who are really paying attention - to point out jumpmaster problems before they're foisted off on the rest of us? Or do they not end-up making changes before they hit full release?

 

Charlie

"One should never begin a journey by heading in the wrong direction."

[+Team Headrush]

beta test

 

In software development, a beta test is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out. (Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet.) Originally, the term alpha test meant the first phase of testing in a software development process. The first phase includes unit testing, component testing, and system testing. Beta testing can be considered "pre-release testing." Beta test versions of software are now distributed to a wide audience on the Web partly to give the program a "real-world" test and partly to provide a preview of the next release.

 

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boys life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure. -- Mark Twain 1876

[+LarsThorwald]

So... does that mean the beta version can accidentally freeze and wipe out all my waypoints, or what?

 

Charlie

"One should never begin a journey by heading in the wrong direction."

[+st_richardson]

quote:

---

Originally posted by LarsThorwald:

I was under the impression that the betas were sort of a final test of not-yet-perfected versions. Am I wrong? Are they waiting for people like Anders - ones who are really paying attention - to point out jumpmaster problems before they're foisted off on the rest of us? Or do they not end-up making changes before they hit full release?...

---

Software beta testing varies from product to product. In some cases beta releases are done to a very controlled group. Sometimes testers have to sign software agreements, etc.

Garmin has taken a more open approach. They let those of us who like living on the bleeding edge to find bugs that would take weeks or months of salaried employees to find.

I haven't had any major problems with the Garmin beta releases. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) Also GPS software problems would not be as catastrophic for most of us as a major accounting package failure for instance.

[+apersson850]

If you look back in the notes about what has been updated in previous releases, you'll find a few "OOPS!", where an official (non-beta) release has been quickly followed by another, likewise official, release, just to fix a big bug they happened to introduce in the previous release.

 

I'm convinced that in this particular case, beta means "This is our latest and best product, but we haven't had time to teach the guys at customer support what we've done this time, so you are on your own regarding the new functionality."

 

Besides, my Vista is at Garmin's European service center, since I wanted them to try to do something about the stripes in the display, before the one-year warranty expires. Now there is a new update posted, and I can't try it yet.

 

Go figure who's sitting vibrating in a corner, while chewing on an old shoe.

 

Meanwhile, I got my new Hewlett Packard 49 G calculator, which also can be user upgraded

 

Anders

[+tmcgowan]

Did they discover the Jump Master problem before or after they jumped out of the plane?

[BassoonPilot]

Apparently my Vista has slightly different components than Ander's, because a couple of the 2.29 beta versions wreaked havoc with my Vista ... but I wanted to try the "owner info" page in beta 2.41, so I downloaded it and it worked fine. I just downloaded the 2.42b, and am heading out the door.

 

If you don't hear back from me, it either worked perfectly or it didn't.

[+apersson850]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BassoonPilot:

Apparently my Vista has slightly different components than Ander's, because a couple of the 2.29 beta versions wreaked havoc with my Vista ...

---

 

You have to tilt it 34.5° to the left when downloading the firmware, or it will not zip into the correct memory container inside the unit.

 

I've still no GPS to try it on, so I'm sitting in a corner, shivering and picking on my new calculator (which can be upgraded too!).

 

Anders

[SergZak]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Anders:

 

I've still no GPS to try it on, so I'm sitting in a corner, shivering and picking on my new calculator (which can be upgraded too!).

 

Anders

---

 

Watch it with those calculator upgrades Anders...a nasty bug may sneak in. If, after the upgrade it tells you 2+2=22, I think you can assume it's a bug.

 

BTW, I really like all these beta releases from Garmin. It shows they are working on the units and supporting them. Bugs are inherent in any software and telling someone a program is "bug free" is downright silly...unless of course all the program does is add 2+2.

[+apersson850]

Well, the calculator is "object oriented", so applying the + operator to the two objects "2" and "2" actually gives "22" as a result.

 

String concatenation, that is.

 

Anders

[+st_richardson]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Anders:

...so I'm sitting in a corner, shivering and picking on my new calculator (which can be upgraded too!).

 

Anders

---

What kind of calculator do you have that is upgradable?

[BassoonPilot]

I forgot to check back in ... 2.42B is working well for me.

 

Say Anders, do I remember reading a while back that you used a "superglue"-type adhesive to reattach the rubber grip/buttons around your Vista?

 

What solvent did you use to remove the original oily adhesive before applying the new adhesive?

[+apersson850]

The calculator is a Hewlett-Packard 49G.

It has 0.5 MB user RAM, 1 MB user flash memory (to store libraries etc.) and 1 MB flash memory for the firmware. You can download the latest version, just like for a GPS, and then load it into the calculator. An interesting feature is that there is a ROMUPLOAD command, which actually allows one calculator (with a new firmware) to update another one!

 

The solvent I used is called "rödsprit". Whatever it's called in the US, for example, I don't know. But it can be used in cooking units intended for camping, and as a general washing/solvent fluid. You'll probably find something equivalent.

 

I tried it on the case a little first, to make sure that it didn't harm the plastic case, before I washed off the sticky remnants of the original glue.

 

After me gluing the rubber, it did come loose again a little around the buttons. I didn't want to glue too much around there, and that's also where the most wear and tear takes part.

A few more drips fixed that.

 

Anders

[+apersson850]

I've got a GPS again! Not my old trusted one, though, since they obviously couldn't fix it. Got another one instead. Brand new, actually. Excellent service by Garmin's European Service center.

 

I loaded 2.42 beta (it had 2.12 when I received it, so it was rather old, yet unused), which works as I expected. They are working on the time zone bug at Garmin, but haven't solved that problem yet.

 

Anders

[+Pharisee]

quote:

---

Originally posted by BassoonPilot:

 

What solvent did you use to remove the original oily adhesive before applying the new adhesive?

---

 

Cigarette lighter fuel, the stuff you pour into a "Zippo", will remove most adhesive residues and I've found it to be safe to use on most plastics.

 

John

 

***********************************************

 

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

[+apersson850]

And if it doesn't work, just ignite it!?

 

Anders

[BassoonPilot]

Let's see ... I got mine about a year ago, I have no idea how long the store had it in stock and it had 2.25 loaded.

 

Boy, your new unit was sitting around a long time! Are you sure it doesn't have vacuum tubes instead of transistors?

 

Hope it proves to be a "good one," Anders!

 

Thanks to The Pharisee for the tip about Zippo fuel ... I'll try it tonight by candlelight.

[+apersson850]

Well, 2.12 was released March 28, 2001, so it was pretty close after the introduction. My original one had 2.18 when I got it.

 

I don't know how it performs yet. There seem to be a difference in performance between different eTrex units, and my first one seemed to be one of the better. I'll have to wait for time to do a field test before I know anything about the performance by this one.

 

But getting a new after a year isn't bad, regardless of if it's a few percent better or worse.

 

A little further checking revealed that the manual (I got a new one, box and all) is Revision A, while my first Vista was equipped with a Revision B. Now they've published Rev. C on the net.

In Rev. A, there is no reference to the ability to select different languages, for example.

 

Anders

 

[This message was edited by Anders on November 14, 2002 at 02:25 PM.]