Status of Directory Opus development, does anyone know?

[tranglos]

I've been tempted to give DOpus another try for its "file collections" feature, without which I'm finding it more and more impossible to live. But the current version is still 9.1, which means I cannot install the trial anymore, since my trial license (and the 60-day extension) expired sometime in November 2007, almost 2 years ago.

It's pretty expensive even with the 25% DU discount, and if I understand their upgrade policy, version 10, when it comes, will be a paid upgrade. When was DOpus recently updated? Has anyone heard if a new version is in the works?

[superboyac]

If you commit to DOpus, you just have to mentally understand that you will give in to their licensing policy.  It is expensive and every upgrade will be expensive as well.  But it's also the best.  So if you want it, there's no alternative.

I like the program a lot.  I use it every day.  If I'm in front of a computer, I'm probably using DOpus once every few minutes, and if for some reason, I can't, it's very frustrating.  You can get the program to do whatever you want.

Ever since you inquired about the file collections in the other thread, I've been testing it out a little more, and it is quite good.

I haven't heard of a v10 upgrade.  If their schedule is similar to what they've done in the past, i wouldn't expect a new version anytime soon.  Probably a year or two minimum.  Version 9 is still relatively new, I think less than a year old.

[mrainey]

I'm likewise addicted.  By my count, there have been seventeen updates to Version 9 since January 2008, and some of them have been substantial.

[mwb1100]

Dopus v9 was released in April 2007.  According to Wikipedia, it looks like they do a major upgrade every 3 years (+/- 6 months).  Note that it's a pretty small sample size (and I think the v7 version number was skipped for some reason).  So if they keep with that history you can expect a v10 in about half a year.

I forget what kind of discount they give for existing users or how long the grace period is for recent purchases (or if there even is any).  Also, I can't recall if the DC discount could be applied to the upgrade price. Someone here with a better memory (or notes) than I have probably has that info and will hopefully post.

I wonder if you send a support request to GP Soft if they'll provide a way to reenable the trial. Some places are flexible with that, but some aren't.  Unfortunately, I'd guess that GPSoft is in the latter camp - but if you ask, the worst that happens is they say, "no", and you're no better but no worse.

All that said, the rate of minor updates to v9 has slowed, but that's to be expected as they've had a while to mature the product.  I would also imagine that as the need for updates to v9 goes down, the amount of work they do on an upcoming v10 ramps up.

[superboyac]

Dopus v9 was released in April 2007.

-mwb1100 (September 02, 2009, 05:27 PM)

Really??  I'm way off.  Man...time flies.

[tranglos]

Dopus v9 was released in April 2007.

-mwb1100 (September 02, 2009, 05:27 PM)

Really??  I'm way off.  Man...time flies.

-superboyac (September 02, 2009, 06:07 PM)

Yeah. My trial license *expired* almost two years ago. That's why I asked

[tranglos]

Thanks everyone for replying. I don't know whether I'd ever be able to switch to DOpus entirely. Every morning I bow to a little statue of Christain Ghisler by my bedside - well, almost. TotalCommander is an extension of my fingers and it goes where I go.

I've given DOpus a good long try that last time, and of course I appreciate all the power features, but can't quite get used to the way things are in DOpus. Niggly little things like some aspects of the listview behavior when used via the keyboard. So I'm only thinking of using it for the collections feature, and then maybe for more of the stuff that TC does not yet to. I'm a software junkie, always happy to get my hands on a powertool like that - so it's down to the question of whether I want to part with a non-trivial sum just for that one special feature in DOpus with little desire to become a true convert. I'm itching though

...and this is where I recalled I have a laptop, gathering dust on a shelf a few feet away. I guess I'll give DOpus another spin there.

[superboyac]

Thanks everyone for replying. I don't know whether I'd ever be able to switch to DOpus entirely. Every morning I bow to a little statue of Christain Ghisler by my bedside - well, almost. TotalCommander is an extension of my fingers and it goes where I go.

I've given DOpus a good long try that last time, and of course I appreciate all the power features, but can't quite get used to the way things are in DOpus. Niggly little things like some aspects of the listview behavior when used via the keyboard. So I'm only thinking of using it for the collections feature, and then maybe for more of the stuff that TC does not yet to. I'm a software junkie, always happy to get my hands on a powertool like that - so it's down to the question of whether I want to part with a non-trivial sum just for that one special feature in DOpus with little desire to become a true convert. I'm itching though

...and this is where I recalled I have a laptop, gathering dust on a shelf a few feet away. I guess I'll give DOpus another spin there.

-tranglos (September 02, 2009, 06:41 PM)

TC is definitely much more keyboard friendly.  And it's faster and lighter also.  I'm still convinced that you can get DOpus configured to behave just like TC or 99% close, but it would probably take a good deal of effort.  I've actually nitpicked a couple of times about certain mouse/keyboard selection features I loved about TC and wanted implemented in DOpus, but they went largely ignored.  Nobody else really cared.  Small things make a difference when you use those small things all the time.  Developers very often forget this.

[fenixproductions]

Every morning I bow to a little statue of Christain Ghisler by my bedside - well, almost.

-tranglos (September 02, 2009, 06:41 PM)

You too?

Small things make a difference when you use those small things all the time.  Developers very often forget this.

-superboyac (September 02, 2009, 06:55 PM)

It's not always true for developers but… For everything around TC only Christian makes decisions because this is "one man project". AFAIK DO is other pair of boots. More people involved on company side and file manager is not the only thing GP Software does. So there is definitely some kind of "management" there and (based on my experience) this is the place where "size does matter" applies

[J-Mac]

I have licenses for TC (5+ years now), DOpus, and XYplorer Lifetime. I use DOpus the most, have been trying XYplorer more and more since they started with the dual pane, and of course I still use TC for a number of features that I could probably get the others to do but it's quicker to fire up TC and just do it.

DOpus IS expensive but one thing I like is that they don't release an "upgrade" every year just because. And so many developers do just that. DOpus only releases an upgrade when there is a real reason to do so. I do like that!

Jim

[superboyac]

I have licenses for TC (5+ years now), DOpus, and XYplorer Lifetime. I use DOpus the most, have been trying XYplorer more and more since they started with the dual pane, and of course I still use TC for a number of features that I could probably get the others to do but it's quicker to fire up TC and just do it.

-J-Mac (September 03, 2009, 03:08 AM)

Pretty much exactly describes my situation as well.

[muntealb]

I've been tempted to give DOpus another try for its "file collections" feature, without which I'm finding it more and more impossible to live. But the current version is still 9.1, which means I cannot install the trial anymore, since my trial license (and the 60-day extension) expired sometime in November 2007, almost 2 years ago.

-tranglos (September 02, 2009, 04:23 PM)

You can install the trial of DOpus, if you use virtualization software. Both Virtual PC and VirtualBox are free, and you can create a Windows virtual machine to use for testing software past the expiration date of the trial installed on the physical machine (the actual computer). If you choose Virtual PC, then you can use the Windows OS images provided for free by MS. They can be used for 120 days, then you must download them again.

[Jibz]

There has been a new minor version of DOpus every 2-4 months since version 9 was released, the latest is 9.1.3.0 which was released on June 11th 2009.

You can check a list of the minor releases by looking at the forum posts here:

http://resource.dopu...om/viewforum.php?f=1

I use both DOpus and TC, and I think they complement each other rather well. There are some tasks where a windows explorer type interface is more efficient, and others where a commander type one excels.

[tanis424]

You can install the trial of DOpus, if you use virtualization software.

-muntealb (September 03, 2009, 11:03 AM)

Which is taking advantage of a loophole to gain free use of software past the provided trial period. Surely an effective 60 days of usage is enough to decide whether Opus is for you or not?

[tranglos]

Surely an effective 60 days of usage is enough to decide whether Opus is for you or not?

-tanis424 (September 04, 2009, 05:38 AM)

Not really, not if my last trial was two years ago and didn't even know about the feature I'm after now - then it isn't

Please don't get the wrong impression here. DonationCoder people are *saints* when it comes to licensing software properly. Many pay for software even when there is no requirement to do so - I know, because I've been on the receiving side of their generosity, and have done that myself.

Then again, instaling virtualization would be like shooting a fly with a cannon (my English idioms are getting slippery here). I just went and bought the darn thing last night

[muntealb]

Which is taking advantage of a loophole to gain free use of software past the provided trial period. Surely an effective 60 days of usage is enough to decide whether Opus is for you or not?

-tanis424 (September 04, 2009, 05:38 AM)

I think you are overreacting. It's not like I recommended him to go and download a cracked version from a warez or a bittorrent site. Usage of virtualization technology may be a loophole from the point of view of shareware producers, but it is legal. And on this forum full of knowledgeable people in the software domain, probably a good portion of them already have virtualization software installed, so it's nothing new for the most part.

Virtualization comes handy when a software trial limit has expired or is near expiring date. There are times when someone wants to try a software, installs it and then he must do something else, forgots or does not have time to pursue the testing. The time passes, even 1-2 months and when he has time to test, the trial period has expired. Instead of downloading a cracked copy, he can test the trial version in a virtual machine. 

Directory Opus is a great software and is worth the money paid for it. It has a shortcoming though, namely it doesn't have a language file in text format, so it is not freely translatable by anyone who wants to do it. I myself use UltraExplorer and FreeCommander, which are free and also freely translatable.

[tanis424]

Have you tried emailing GPSoftware directly and explaining your request to them? I wouldn't be surprised if they granted a further trial period.

[tanis424]

Directory Opus is a great software and is worth the money paid for it. It has a shortcoming though, namely it doesn't have a language file in text format, so it is not freely translatable by anyone who wants to do it. I myself use UltraExplorer and FreeCommander, which are free and also freely translatable.

-muntealb (September 04, 2009, 12:40 PM)

If you email GPSoftware directly and let them know you're willing to provide a translation for a language not yet covered then they will provide all the necessary requirements to you. In the past translators have been known to get a free license too.