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VueMinder calendar at 50% discount - Bits du Jour

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steeladept:
As for the Outlook PIM replacement ..steeladept .. hmmm .. very tuff, especially with your list of requirements.  Outlook is so fragile and strange, a lot of the folks at work use it (some use Outlook Express, I have Thunderbird loaded at work with Eudora at home being my main email.).  For PIM functionality Outlook is clearly kewl, but having one kitchen sink data file with email attachments and calendar and this and that is an architectural train-wreck. Have you looked at Lightning or Sunbird (with or without Thunderbird) and various add-ons ?  It is the most likely to have a lot of integration resources with a cadre of open source developers doing this and that. A lot of people like Essential PIM as an Outlook replacement, but you would probably have to give up most of your integration requirements. How is Chaos32 (formerly the better-named Time & Chaos) these days ?  Might be worth a check.
-Steven Avery (July 21, 2009, 06:57 AM)
--- End quote ---

Thanks for your input Steve.  Yes, I have used Thunderbird with Lightning.  Great stuff and it does almost as much.  The killer there is portable devices, specifically Windows Mobile.  There may be plugins now for it, but last time I looked there wasn't.  The same goes for Essential PIM if I remember correctly.  I should check that out now for both...

As for Chaos32, no.  That is completely new to me. 

The funny thing is, email is the least I use Outlook for.  It is more that I use it for email because I am using it for other things rather than using the other things because I use Outlook for email.  My big email use is webmail.  Downloading it into outlook is just a bonus used primarily to synch it on my Mobile device or to read offline.  I will say, though, that it is nice to have the email address automatically poplulate when you choose the name.

vuesoft:
Hi all, good discussion here!  I appreciate the comments, especially with regard to what you're looking for in a calendar/PIM.  That really helps direct our future effort, as VueMinder will continue to evolve and improve based on the needs and desires of its users (or potential users!).  Our next major version, 5.0.0, will be released within the next day or two, and contains many requested improvements.


1. It doesn't support categories - you need to build a separate calendar for each category (as with Google Calendar). I find this is clumsy way to work. But each to their own.
-johnk (July 20, 2009, 01:29 PM)
--- End quote ---
John, we're improving this in 5.0.0.  You'll be able to categorize both tasks and events.  There's also a built-in category editor, so you can add, remove, or rename categories.  When you rename or remove a category, all events or tasks associated with that category will be automatically updated, so it will be pretty slick.


2. More seriously, although the program claims to share iCalendar (.ics) files with other calendars/users, it is not "sharing" in the accepted sense -- instead it is "importing" the existing ics file each time, then creating its own calendar, and then exporting the file back to ics again, deleting the categories (if they exist) and completely overwriting the original ics. That was a surprise to me.
-johnk (July 20, 2009, 01:29 PM)
--- End quote ---
Categories will be preserved in ics files. As for preserving other things, we still have some more work to do in this area.  Changing this requires a bit of a redesign to how we implemented ics file sharing.


Questions for Dan. 

"VueMinder Calendar is free to try and fully functional for up to 30 days. After 30 days, it will no longer run, but any events or reminders that you defined during the trial period will be waiting for you to view after you've purchased a license."

Really you should simply prevent new entries.  I hesitate to put in real data if it will become totally invisible after the trial.  Too much pressure.  I want to be able to at least screen view or print what I had without counting days or having to request a special extension.  Nobody is going to continue to *use* a calendar long on stale entries, so you will not lose anything.
-Steven Avery (July 21, 2009, 06:57 AM)
--- End quote ---
Steven, thank you for the suggestion.  That's a good idea!  We'll work on making that change.


"A single-user license can be used by a single user on up to 5 computers ...."
- Excellent (separate users on one puter - separate licenses though)

Dan, you have gone to release 4 from release 1 in about a year.  Has this required a paid upgrade ?  What is your policy.  I would hope that with a new software you would give something like 2-years (at least 1-year or 18 months) of free upgrades.  Have the release 1 folks been hit with 3 upgrades ?  You clearly go version to version much quicker than most softwares.
-Steven Avery (July 21, 2009, 06:57 AM)
--- End quote ---
Before version 5.0.0, anyone that bought VueMinder received a license that provides free updates for life.  So, people that bought version 1.0 have been able to update to version 4.0 for free, will be able update to 5.0 for free, and will continue to receive free updates for life.  While generous, this policy doesn't really make much sense from a business perspective, so we're going to be changing this policy when version 5.0 is released.  Anyone buying VueMinder will automatically receive a 1 year service contract.  A service contract allows for free updates until it expires, and can be renewed at any time - even after it has expired.  If you like the free updates for life policy, you can lock into it by buying VueMinder before we officially release 5.0.0 (but no pressure!)  :P


Thanks again for the comments and suggestions.  We're working hard to make VueMinder the very best calendar and reminder program available, and can't do it without all the excellent feedback and ideas we receive from customers and forums like this.

Regards,
Dan Chartrand
VueSoft

broken85:
Dan,

If VueMinder would have one more sale before the 5.0 release, I would definitely become a customer... as it stands I don't know if I'll be able to afford a full-priced license before 5.0.0 is released, and I would hate to just miss out on the lifetime license deal. Here's hoping :)

So far after a couple days, I'm really liking the VueMinder trial! If I only had the cash i'd buy a lifetime license right now!

vuesoft:
To anyone interested, VueMinder Calendar Pro 5.0.0 has been officially released.  You can download it here.

Best regards,
Dan Chartrand
VueSoft

Steven Avery:
Hi Folks,

Dan, does the VueMinder calendar have a clock-turner-backer to reinvigorate the lifetime lifeline of 4.0 ?

Maybe a real quiet DonationCoder alternate reality ?

We can keep the discussion quiet as a mouser.  (Realizing that you have a rather sound and helpful
potential pool of users in the pond.)  Or some type of longevity special (2 yr. +).  (Notice my comment
above about new releases, if that pattern continues ... it could discomfit in the new reality.)

Just asking .. :)

Shalom,
Steven  

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