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Author Topic: some comments after using some of the programs  (Read 18481 times)

momonan

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some comments after using some of the programs
« on: June 25, 2005, 11:18 PM »
Since you haven’t receive much interest in your proposal for a weather program review, I’ll add a little something, in case you still plan to do it.  I have WeatherBug, so I’m real familiar with it and have used it as a standard against which to measure the others.  In addition to WeatherBug, I only seriously looked at Weather Watcher, Weather1, Cli-mate and Froggy.  The others either irritated me or had detailed information that I did not appreciate.

Froggy is cute, I must admit, but it falls far short of the others.  The most serious flaw is that it is far too general and does not provide access to cities near where I live.  Something a couple of hundred miles away just doesn’t do it.  A link to meteoXpress takes you to a website with a lot of words and no information.  The only useful button is the exit button.

I couldn’t get Cli-mate to give me any information.  Something I was doing wrong, I suspect, but still . . .  I didn’t have this problem with the other programs.

Weather1 is amazingly customizable.  It is almost entirely text, but allows several locations, which can be switched with ease.  Alerts are simple, detailed information is given, such as highs and lows and record highs and lows.  You can even get the temperature spoken to you each time you open the program.  In addition to providing weather from nearby cities, there are many local personal weather sites listed, which can be added as optional locations.  A satellite picture of the moon completes the picture, and the program can be minimized to a bar that can be easily expanded at any time.  Very specific international locations and a great program if you have idle curiosity about what’s going on, weather wise, in other parts of the world..  Full registration costs $18, but the unregistered version is still useful.

WeatherWatcher is simple, clear, and you can easily switch from current conditions, to hourly forecast, to daily forecast.  Very fun maps option of maps, which provide satellite pictures of every imaginable place in the world.  International information is readily available, and in many formats.  If you should want to get a picture of the way things look over Argentina or India, for example, no problem.  And you can get far more detailed information about many of the areas.  Take Mexico as an example.  You have many choices, like temperature and humidity, including animated satellite photos of wind movement, temperature change, and storm progress.  Even if you don’t care about the information, the pictures are awesome.  One problem with this program is that it gets its information from Weather.com, which only updates once every hour.  You don’t really get real-time information.  It’s 12:01 am where I am right now, for example, and refreshing the information only brought me up to 11:13 pm. 

Which brings me to WeatherBug.  WeatherBug is beautiful, picturesque, and super easy to use.  Even though it is a little annoying to deal with the advertisement screen when first logging on, I don’t find the little ads distracting and dealing with them initially is a small price to pay for such fun.  You can get any basic information you want here, from current temperature, humidity, etc. to dew points and wind velocity.  The greatest thing, though, is that it’s completely live.  You can watch the little wind velocity/direction dial move as the wind shifts, the temperature changes before your eyes.  Best yet is that the weather station used is the one closest to you, often only 15 or 20 miles away – and you can find a live camera shot from the station, with an animated version, if you want.   This is the one program to have if you really want to know what’s happening right that minute in your actual area of the world.  Nice alerts and sweet graphics.  U.S. only.

In summary, I love WeatherBug and wouldn’t be without it and its cute little bug icon.  I’m considering purchasing Weather 1, though, as a complement to get more complete information about what’s going on elsewhere.  And I’ll probably keep Weather Watcher, too, for its amazing satellite pictures, since I don’t particularly care if the information isn’t completely current.



When you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning - Catherine Aird

mouser

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2005, 01:59 AM »
thanks for that great post - very helpful actually.
i also got the impression that weatherbug might have the best combination of features.. the advertising really turned me off though, and the non-advertising version requires a regular subscription which i think it unacceptable.

weatherwatcher is the one i currently use, but you're points about weather.com not updating frequently enough is good.

momonan

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2005, 08:26 AM »
 I know you already know all the features of weather watcher, but, if not, check out the little globe of maps.  You can see the radar of your area, pictures of weather alerts, approaching storms, etc.  I can see at a glance, what the conditions are anywhere -- in a picture.  Find out what's happening over the head of a friend.

Okay, not entirely current or live, like WeatherBug, but fun anyway -- and anywhere in the world.  I'm beginning to like it more, as I explore the possibilities buried in the little globe.  It seems like this type of program is something most of your active users, understandably, have no interest in.  I didn't think I did, either, until I got into looking over the programs.  I like the idea of alternating serious programs with fun stuff.  It gives the reviewers -- and the loyal readers -- a break.
 
When you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning - Catherine Aird

mouser

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2005, 09:11 AM »
the maps are definitely fun - but there are so many its a little overwhelming.
the map history menu is useful, but a "favorite maps" menu where you could choose what to put in there might be more useful.

mouser

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2005, 09:16 AM »
have you tried weather pulse yet?

it's listed in part 1 of our weather tray review
https://www.donation...erTray/index_p1.html

its very similar to weather watcher, but it has a special page for maps, and has some animated maps too.
they are organized a little differently.

definietly worth checking out though.

still i would say they arent perfect.

does anyone who loves looking at such map know any other weather tools that are really good at letting you navigate around weather maps?

Scott

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2005, 05:10 PM »
Some people swear that WeatherBug is spyware.  I know that claim is made a lot of the time when it's total bullshit (because people are idiots), but I can't say one way or the other, from experience.
« Next Edit: Tomorrow at 12:13:47 AM by Scott »

mouser

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2005, 06:17 PM »
installing weatherbug requires filling out tons of annoying stuff - it's the kind of ad-based app that i would normally stay away from.

Scott

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2005, 06:29 PM »
This is bad enough for me:

If you have chosen to install the WeatherBug Browser Bar

...

The Software, in the course of processing a given search query, sends a request to our servers. This request includes the keyword query, time of day, browser type, default language setting, IP address, an anonymous unique ID, and a code which identifies the distribution source of the Software used by you to conduct your search.

http://www.weatherbu.../aws/termsOfUse.html
« Next Edit: Tomorrow at 12:13:47 AM by Scott »

dingus

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2006, 06:30 PM »
I'm still wandering around reading posts, and just saw this subject....I also saw the warning about topic not being posted for at least 120 days, consider starting a new topic.... but didn't think I should for this one post.


I've been happy with Weather Depot for at least 2 years www.weatherdepot.com

NO pop up advertisements or spyware ...........(I think there were some ads that would appear in the program, but my ad blocker kept 'em away)
Local hour-by-hour forecasts
Local radar loops
Real-time severe weather notification
Personal forecast alerts ........................( I think that's part of the paid version)
Scrolling weather ticker like TV
Current weather on your taskbar


it's pretty customizable so you don't have to see tickers, taskbar readings, etc. Once you have it installed, you can unlock the paid functions for 15 days just by clicking a button. Does what I need in the free section. I don't remember even having to register it.

Unfortunately, I can't use it anymore because I changed M$ Windows resolution to slightly more than 96DPI, and it balked about that when starting.......Guess that's what happens when you get a 19" LCD running 1280x1024 and your eyes start laughing at you.....you want us to see WHAT?
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karlyRana

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2006, 01:58 PM »
I've not found one that works for me yet, so I appreciate running into this thread.
I have glitches gazoo with weather bug, and weather.com...still hunting though!
Karly =0)
People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.

app103

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2007, 01:37 PM »
Previously, I only knew about Weatherbug, and that isn't something I want to install.

I recently installed the Weather.com desktop and it was ok...but it started causing problems when shutting down Windows. So I am on the hunt for a replacement.

I think I am going to give Weather Watcher a try after reading what everyone had to say about it.



btw...if you are a Weatherbug user, you might want to know about Leopard...a simple programming language for beginners & children that uses the Weatherbug API.

The original Leopard version didn't rely on Weatherbug and was pretty cool. It let you create things like your own mp3 player or a browser. And yes...you could compile stand alone Windows applications with it.

The developer, Brandon Watts, began the Leopard project when he was just 14 years old. He is very dedicated to it and plans to continue it for many years to come.

It is currently used in many schools to introduce children to the wonderful world of programming, in a fun way.

Take a look at the catalog of user submitted programs.

He does have plans to bring back the ability to compile, in the new version, but he wants beginners to concentrate more on program creation than executable creation, for now.

If you are a Weatherbug user and ever wanted to learn programming but thought it was too hard, and you are afraid you aren't ready for something like AHK, give Leopard a try. It will be a good beginning. Then when you are ready, move on to something a lot more powerful, but still simple, like AHK.  :)

oldfart

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Re: some comments after using some of the programs
« Reply #11 on: February 17, 2008, 02:30 PM »
Greetings,
My comment isn't really about a weather program per se, it is to mention my favorite weather site.  Many years ago I found the University of Michigan's weather site.  Its called "Weather Underground" and has a ton of weather-related information as well as access to just about any kind of weather map as well as the ability to show storm movement over the past hour, two hours or longer.  Merely type in your zip code and it will show your current weather as well as a five day forecast that you can break down to hourly forecasts.  I have it as one of my start pages and in thirteen years of surfing I've never found a better site.  Best yet, for a small fee you can join Weather Underground and never see an ad.  Here's the site: http://www.wunderground.com    One other thing, if you visit the site and like what you see, I can give you a year's free membership.  Just leave me a message with your email address and I'll send you a membership.
dmg