[Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

jkoerner
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby jkoerner » Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:02 am

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Thanks for the advice, I think you're right. We need two mailing lists. I've created a .csv file with all paying customers addresses, so that in case of real emergency I can send the urgent notice to them.

EXcellent! Now we can relax a little, knowing that in the future, if a CintaNotes emergency happens, it won't actually happen, because we'll hear about it promptly and thwart it before it does. Kind of like the sound that doesn't happen in the forest when a tree falls but there's nobody there to hear it. Or the sound of one hand clapping...

A very Zen-like solution, don't you think? ;)

(And the opt-in newsletter is just icing on the cake, allowing us to be able to receive useful CintaNotes information, without having to remember to periodically go look for it!)

The only issue that's as yet unresolved (an issue which someone else raised above) is: What about those not-yet-registered CintaNotes users who are running the free/trial version? How would they hear about an urgent problem that their CintaNotes is causing, if one were to occur?

Well, I have come up with a new idea which solves this problem, and which is actually even better (!) than the solution of maintaining a .csv list of customers' email addresses to be used in an emergency.

Currently CintaNotes is not capable of automatically checking for the availability of a new version - checks for updates must be done manually. But I assume that it would not be difficult to provide that capability. (Are there any good reasons why you should not do this?)

If CintaNotes were to automatically check for updates (e.g., each time it was launched), I assume that it would work something like this: CintaNotes "phones home" and fetches the version number of the current online release, then it compares this to its own version number. If they are different (online version number is higher), this triggers an alert message announcing that a newer version is available (perhaps also asking whether the user would like to download it now).

But what if the online version check found that the current online version number was lower than the version the user is running? (I.E., Developer has withdrawn a previously-released version, because some problem has been discovered with it.)

In that case, couldn't CintaNotes be programmed to then fetch a text file containing an explanation of why the newest version was pulled, and the recommendation for what users should do (e.g., they should temporarily downgrade to the previous version, until the bug is corrected), and present this message to the user? (Perhaps presenting this message in a visually striking way that suggests it's urgency, to grab their attention.)

(Alternatively, instead of doing the version number comparison and then (if lower) fetching a text file, it could simply fetch the current online version number and simultaneously check for an "URGENT" flag, proceeding to fetch the warning message if the urgent flag is found.)

This method would successfully notify every user (whether registered or not) who is currently running CintaNotes about the urgent information, and (unlike the .csv mailing list method) would not bother to notify users who are not currently using CintaNotes (and who thus do not really even need to be notified about the bug situation).

Hmmm... What are your thoughts about this idea?

Have you seen this implemented elsewhere? I can't recall ever having seen such. I'm thinking this might be a good idea to include in every software program that could potentially contain a nasty bug (which is virtually every software program...). Perhaps this idea should be patented and licensed (sold) to vendors who want to avoid potential fiascos, bad publicity, etc. resulting from a faulty release? Want to partner with me on this?

Jon
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ChrisCN
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby ChrisCN » Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:26 am

jkoerner wrote:Currently CintaNotes is not capable of automatically checking for the availability of a new version - checks for updates must be done manually. But I assume that it would not be difficult to provide that capability. (Are there any good reasons why you should not do this?)
I think it can do an automatically check - it shows a yellow bar with the information.
Setting file includes:

Code: Select all

app.mainframe.update.autocheck = 1
autoupdate.checkperiod.min = 60
autoupdate.startafter.min = 15


jkoerner wrote:Have you seen this implemented elsewhere?
Windows gives you short additional information about pending updates (I think). I know other programms that use such a feature to display advertisements :?
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:01 pm

ChrisCN wrote: :?: By the way: Is there a shortcut to jump to the virtual section 'All'?

Yes, the shortcut is Ctrl+`.
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:04 pm

Thomas Lohrum wrote:Sounds interesting :)

ChrisCN wrote:To me this sounds like a good idea - much clearer and with no drawback I can think of.

RSchiaffino wrote:Hi Alex, this sounds good to me ... now that I understand how it is supposed to work. The only thing I would add is a warning message when trying to delete "empty" tags, as mentioned previously in this thread.


OK, glad to hear that, so we'll add a warning and also implement the "Tag sidebar filtering" mechanism that I've described earlier :)
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:10 pm

jkoerner wrote:A very Zen-like solution, don't you think? ;)

It would be real Zen if bugs would just fix themselves ;) But this is also ok ;)

jkoerner wrote:Currently CintaNotes is not capable of automatically checking for the availability of a new version - checks for updates must be done manually.

Chris is right, CintaNotes already can do that!

jkoerner wrote:But what if the online version check found that the current online version number was lower than the version the user is running? (I.E., Developer has withdrawn a previously-released version, because some problem has been discovered with it.)

I think it would be better to always increase the version number. Going backwards is not very pleasant psychologically. And it's almost always possible to fix the problem (or at least make it less dangerous) and issue a quick update.

jkoerner wrote:In that case, couldn't CintaNotes be programmed to then fetch a text file containing an explanation of why the newest version was pulled, and the recommendation for what users should do

This is a brilliant idea! We already have a notification yellow bar that informs users about the update. In case of emergency the same bar
can be used to display an extra line with a warning that they should update asap to fix a very nasty problem.

And this is also way easier to do than to provide a full-fledged downgrade mechanism. What do you think?
Alex
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ChrisCN
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby ChrisCN » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:04 pm

CintaNotes Developer wrote:
ChrisCN wrote: :?: By the way: Is there a shortcut to jump to the virtual section 'All'?

Yes, the shortcut is Ctrl+`.

Thanks and sorry for this stupid question but I can't find this key on my german keyboard :oops:
Thomas Lohrum
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby Thomas Lohrum » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:35 pm

ChrisCN wrote:
CintaNotes Developer wrote:
ChrisCN wrote: :?: By the way: Is there a shortcut to jump to the virtual section 'All'?

Yes, the shortcut is Ctrl+`.

Thanks and sorry for this stupid question but I can't find this key on my german keyboard :oops:

Standard german layout: the key to the left of the BACKSPACE.
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby ChrisCN » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:42 pm

Thomas Lohrum wrote:
ChrisCN wrote:
CintaNotes Developer wrote:Yes, the shortcut is Ctrl+`.

Thanks and sorry for this stupid question but I can't find this key on my german keyboard :oops:

Standard german layout: the key to the left of the BACKSPACE.
Thanks - strange, I tried that one but it didn't work. Have to try it at home!?
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:01 pm

ChrisCN wrote:Thanks - strange, I tried that one but it didn't work. Have to try it at home!?

Chris, try also the key to the left of "1" (with "^")
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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby jkoerner » Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:08 am

CintaNotes Developer wrote:It would be real Zen if bugs would just fix themselves
Nah, that would be 'real Magical', or 'real Delusional' thinking, not 'real Zen'. Real Zen is if you were so fully aware of the code within its environmental context that no bugs ever got introduced into it.

jkoerner wrote:Currently ... checks for updates must be done manually.
I meant by this that there is no option for users to turn on automatic update checking in the Help menu or Options menu. Only when one performs a manual update check does one see a checkbox for turning on automatic checking. Users may very well fail to see that.

My proposal for notifying all users of a nasty bug contained in a defective release requires that CintaNotes must force auto update checking to be turned On.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:...better to always increase the version number. Going backwards is not very pleasant psychologically.
Going backwards is far less unpleasant that having your Internet Explorer inexplicably switching itself to offline mode once every 20 minutes for ten days.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:And it's almost always possible to fix the problem ... and issue a quick update.
The key words here being 'almost' and 'quick'. The point of this discussion is to avoid situations where a nasty bug is not fixed quickly, so temporarily reverting to the previous release is the sensible thing to do.

Furthermore (lest we forget!), the very reason why the problem occurred in the first place was because a release was issued too quickly, without adequate testing!

I don't want you to issue yet another 'quick' release -- which may cause new, unexpected and undetected problems because it was released too quickly, without adequate testing.

I want to safely revert to the previous stable release until you've had adequate time to study and fully understand what caused the problem, then develop a fixed version, and adequately test it before releasing it.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:This is a brilliant idea!
Thank you... :ugeek:

CintaNotes Developer wrote:We already have a notification yellow bar... In case of emergency the same bar
can be used to display an extra line with a warning that they should update asap to fix a very nasty problem.
I don't agree. Using your same old familiar yellow bar is just inviting people to ignore it. This is why having an understanding of psychology (or listening to someone who does) is important! The technical term that's relevant here is 'habituation.' Look it up in your Psych 101 textbook, under Pavlovian conditioning or under stimulus discrimination in operant conditioning...

In the emergency/nasty bug situation that we're discussing here, I would make it a bright RED/ORANGE bar/window; use different fonts and sizes and boldface and exclamation points etc. to make it look URGENT and SCARY, so that users don't just ignore it (like "Oh... ho-hum, another one of those Yellow bar things. Blah, blah, blah... Let's click right on out of that bugger and carry on with the important stuff we were doing before being interrupted by this unimportant stuff...").

Furthermore, I would not simply 'display an extra line' on the familiar yellow bar. Once again, by making this urgent warning look so similar to the familiar yellow bar new version notice, you are simply inviting people to ignore it. I would display a few lines - enough lines to explain What has happened, Why it urgently requires their attention, and How they need to immediately respond, so as to circumvent the problem, until it is fully resolved in a forthcoming, fully-tested release.

CintaNotes Developer wrote: this is also way easier to do than to provide a full-fledged downgrade mechanism.
Why do you think you would need to "provide a full-fledged downgrade mechanism"?

In the recent debacle, as soon as I learned that the currently installed CintaNotes release was the cause of my IE going offline, I simply re-installed the previous release on top of the defective one. That fixed the problem and was very easily accomplished.

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Re: [Ann] CintaNotes 2.0.1 Final

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:55 am

jkoerner wrote:Nah, that would be 'real Magical', or 'real Delusional' thinking, not 'real Zen'.

:lol:

jkoerner wrote:Real Zen is if you were so fully aware of the code within its environmental context that no bugs ever got introduced into it.

Heh, unfortunately it also falls into the "magical and delusional" category ;)

jkoerner wrote:I meant by this that there is no option for users to turn on automatic update checking in the Help menu or Options menu. Only when one performs a manual update check does one see a checkbox for turning on automatic checking. Users may very well fail to see that.

Actually by default the automatic update checks are enabled, so users can only turn it OFF when they do a manual check.

Going backwards is far less unpleasant that having your Internet Explorer inexplicably switching itself to offline mode once every 20 minutes for ten days.

We are really comparing here "go back to 1.8.5 which didn't have the IE problem" and "update to 2.0.1 that fixes the IE problem". I'd say that out of the two, the latter is probably more pleasant.

The key words here being 'almost' and 'quick'. The point of this discussion is to avoid situations where a nasty bug is not fixed quickly, so temporarily reverting to the previous release is the sensible thing to do.

I totally agree. When no quick fix can be issued, an instruction to revert to the older version is the way to go.
However, sometimes going back is not easy - e.g. when CN upgrades the data file format. We are already implementing a better UI for the notebook upgrade process, which would create an extra backup before upgrading the file.

Furthermore (lest we forget!), the very reason why the problem occurred in the first place was because a release was issued too quickly, without adequate testing!

In retrospect you can say these words about any major bug that makes its way to production - and this happens with the best of the best, take Microsoft or Apple for example. Bugs are unfortunately inevitable, we can only strive to minimize their count and severity.

I don't want you to issue yet another 'quick' release -- which may cause new, unexpected and undetected problems because it was released too quickly, without adequate testing.

This won't be a new release with new features, it will only do one thing: fix the bug. So the probability of introducing additional bugs is much reduced compared to a normal release.

I want to safely revert to the previous stable release until you've had adequate time to study and fully understand what caused the problem, then develop a fixed version, and adequately test it before releasing it.

I fully agree that both actions should be taken:
1) As soon as the bug gets known:
a) An announcement is posted to the homepage, to the forum, and to twitter;
b) An email is sent to all paid users describing the problem and the steps how to revert to the prev version;
c) A message is posted to the update notification bar in CN - which will be displayed as several lines of text in RED - clicking on it will lead to the main site where the user will see the announcement from step a)
2) In the meantime, the fix is developed and tested
3) A new release is posted which automatic update will notify the users about.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:I don't agree. Using your same old familiar yellow bar is just inviting people to ignore it. This is why having an understanding of psychology (or listening to someone who does) is important!

Good thinking! Yes, we'll use a red background for such messages.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Furthermore, I would not simply 'display an extra line' on the familiar yellow bar. Once again, by making this urgent warning look so similar to the familiar yellow bar new version notice, you are simply inviting people to ignore it. I would display a few lines - enough lines to explain What has happened, Why it urgently requires their attention, and How they need to immediately respond, so as to circumvent the problem, until it is fully resolved in a forthcoming, fully-tested release.

Agreed, this would really make a difference.

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Why do you think you would need to "provide a full-fledged downgrade mechanism"?
In the recent debacle, as soon as I learned that the currently installed CintaNotes release was the cause of my IE going offline, I simply re-installed the previous release on top of the defective one. That fixed the problem and was very easily accomplished.

And how did you get around the fact that the file format has changed and 1.8.5 refuses to open the .db files of version 2.0? Did you restore from backup?
Alex

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