Directory Opus 10

[tanis424]

For those that may be interested, Directory Opus 10 has just been released:

Directory Opus 10

[Tuxman]

Let me guess: They still can't see a reason to provide lifetime updates?

[hpearce]

lol, quite a few additions in this release .... upgraded earlier today .... one of the few programs I have that is really worth the extra cost.

[Tuxman]

The "few additions" might be a reason for me to give it another run (native display of virtual folders, yay!), still it's too expensive for an actual license...

[Nudel]

Let me guess: They still can't see a reason to provide lifetime updates?

Funnily enough, most people still don't want to promise to do work for you indefinitely for a one-off fee.

Lifetime updates still seem the exception to the rule to me. Especially for products that actually get worked on full-time and have significant updates. (It's easy to promise lifetime updates if you never do much in the updates.) (And where the lifetime update option doesn't cost multiple times the standard update option for the same product, which again is easy to offer but doesn't make sense for the customer. And where the "lifetime" offer isn't effectively withdrawn a few years later by changing the product name or something, as we've seen happen in a few cases now.)

I'm sure there are a handful of products that do meet those criteria but, come on, it isn't the norm. If you require that of every piece of software you use then you must not use much software. And why would you be interested in a Windows file manager in the first place when Windows itself does not, has not and never will offer lifetime updates?

[Tuxman]

Having to pay again for every major upgrade would be OK if the general price was lower. An expensive product with expensive upgrades every few years is not really something I want to afford anyway...

[Dormouse]

it's too expensive for an actual license...

Maybe. It's certainly more expensive than the "competition". And I don't like the still expensive upgrade price. But it works very well &, even though I use Q-Dir probably more often & also have a lifetime license for XY (& use Shellless quite a lot too on my 2nd computer), I will almost certainly upgrade. It has been 4 years since the last major version change, & it was regularly improved over that period, & it is easy to see why this is a major version change. And there is the DC 25% discount which is presumably still available.

[Tuxman]

I would probably use DO instead of x² on at least one of my computers if I could afford it.
Just sent some e-mail regarding their "student licenses"...

[Curt]

For a limited time, registered Opus 9 users can upgrade to the latest version 10 at a significantly discounted price.

----------------
Registered users of older versions are entitled to a discounted upgrade to Directory Opus 10:

    If you purchased Opus 9 after 31st December 2010, your upgrade is free
    If you purchased Opus 9 prior to this date, your upgrade discount is 40%
    If you own an earlier version of Opus, your upgrade discount is 10%
    You can add extra licences when upgrading and receive the same discount on the extra licences

I don't know if you are allowed to also subtract DC's rebate.

[Dormouse]

Only space for one discount code on the buy page. I did check by going through the upgrade links.

[tomos]

Anyone know are they going to do that again this time around, where the 40% upgrade price is only for a limited time?

I cant remember the exact details with version 9. They did announce per email at the time, that the upgrade price was for a limited time only (a few months?) - after which a new and more expensive upgrade price went into effect...

[cthorpe]

Ugh.  Why now?  Gotta spend some time deciding what's new and if any of it is really worth the upgrade cost.

*sigh*

C

[Curt]

Anyone know are they going to do that again this time around, where the 40% upgrade price is only for a limited time?

For a limited time, ...

[Dirhael]

Anyone know are they going to do that again this time around, where the 40% upgrade price is only for a limited time?

For a limited time, ...

When I purchased my upgrade from v9 to 10 yesterday, the website told me that my discount code was valid until may 15th.

It was well worth the price, even though I haven't had the time to dive deep into the new features. Still, here are some things I immediately noticed:
* The built-in archive support is a vast improvement over the old one. Now you can compress to 7z, zip, rar, tar, tgz & tbz2, and you can open the following formats as folders: 7z, arj, bzip2, cab, cpio, deb, dmg, gzip, hfs, iso, lzh, lzma, rar, rpm, tar, win, xar, z & zipx.
* Improved copy/move dialogues, with "unattended mode." Does wonders for my productivity when dealing with large batches of files.
* Native virtual folders (my computer etc.)
* Win7 library support.
* "Cleaner" and prettier compared to the previous version. The redesigned settings dialogue is much improved.
* Finally adds the possibility of showing the ".." item in file lists (like TC etc. does it). This makes keyboard navigation quite a bit faster for me.
* Integrates with Windows Search. I don't use it a whole lot, but now that it's supported that may change.

I'm sure I'll discover more in the days and weeks to come

[tomos]

Anyone know are they going to do that again this time around, where the 40% upgrade price is only for a limited time?

For a limited time, ...

I personally find this "limited time" thing offensive - instead of making me want to buy it before the time runs out it makes me want to move to another file manager.
Dont get me wrong, I love Dopus, and I respect that they make it an expensive product - in general it lives up to it's price.
But this limited time thing is like a slap in the face, first they make it very expensive which, as I say, is absolutely fair enough. But to put the pressure on and say:- if you dont get it now, it's going to be even more expensive - that's too much for me.

I'll see have they implemented anything I want or need...

[tranglos]

* Finally adds the possibility of showing the ".." item in file lists (like TC etc. does it). This makes keyboard navigation quite a bit faster for me.

The author finally relented on this? Yay, now I might actually be able to use it somewhat comfortably :-)

[Curt]

my version 9 key (from the Bits du Jour offer 28FEB/01MAR 2011)
is not accepted by version 10.

[cthorpe]

my version 9 key (from the Bits du Jour offer 28FEB/01MAR 2011)
is not accepted by version 10.

Did you go here http://www.gpsoft.com.au/DScripts/upgrade.asp and enter your license?  I think it will give  you a v10 key for free if you purchased after Dec 2010.


C

[Curt]

-thanks, Carl.

This is just about the dumbest procedure I have even seen. 

[Curt]

and what is this with placing C:\Program Files\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopusrt.exe to always start with Windows? I can't even delay it! I am already beginning to hate this program!

[4wd]

This is just about the dumbest procedure I have even seen.  

Actually, the dumbest is having to email an author/company with your license details in order to prove you're eligible for an upgrade and then twiddle your thumbs waiting for a reply.

GPSoft tells you immediately - easy and quick.

and what is this with placing C:\Program Files\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopusrt.exe to always start with Windows? I can't even delay it! I am already beginning to hate this program!

It's so when you double-click on the Desktop a lister will open and it's also used for running commands.

Nudel can probably answer better but I think you can stop it from running at startup and use the right-click on the Desktop to open a lister.

And it's been like that since v9 came out, IIRC, so for 4 years.

And just for interests sake: AU$78.10 for 2 licensed copies + USB + SFTP (that's including 10% GST).

[tranglos]

and what is this with placing C:\Program Files\GPSoftware\Directory Opus\dopusrt.exe to always start with Windows? I can't even delay it!

You can disable it easily (and yes, it was one of the first things I did after installing). Settings -> Preferences -> expand "Launching Opus" -> From the Desktop -> make sure "Disable" is checked. This will stop the helper app from starting.

In general, DOpus is immensely configurable, which is a good thing too, because many of the default behaviors and settings are quite peculiar to say the least, especially if you're used to another file manager. Some I think are downright silly, like using red and green to mark active and inactive panes. I never knew which was which: red stands out more and means "important" or "error", but it was the inactive page! Why not use colors defined in the system for that very purpose?

But you can tame all of this - that is, if you think you'll be using DOpus at all. I found that I could not leave TC no matter how much time I spent reading all the tutorials and configuring DOpus to my liking.

[cthorpe]

I just purchased the upgrade, and after registering the program, the License Manager states "This certificate is valid for installation on a single computer (plus one personal laptop for HOME/SOHO users only)."

I don't know if past versions allowed installation on a laptop with a normal license, but I don't recall ever seeing that.


C

[Nudel]

In general, DOpus is immensely configurable, which is a good thing too, because many of the default behaviors and settings are quite peculiar to say the least, especially if you're used to another file manager.

I've been making a list for a tutorial on "settings you might want to change", which I hope to put out after I update/re-write my general introduction to Opus (which has taken days to do so far; sometimes I wish Opus did less ).

Some of the default settings did get changed in Opus 10 -- including the red and green colours you mention -- but if you update over Opus 9 (or import an old config from it) it will keep your existing Preferences settings. You can reset some or all of them using the Prefs window, if you want.

Once I finish my guide/list, if there are still defaults that seem wrong I will try to them changed. I wanted to do a full pass through Preferences checking the defaults before Opus 10 was released but time ran out. (It's not just finding them, it's making the case to other people and discussing them. Sometimes it turns out there's a good reason for how they are, sometimes there's a clash of opinions, and sometimes it's a no-brainer, but you have to go through that for each thing.)

(There are also settings which don't make sense as a default even though many people would like them. Trivial example: Some people want the tree on, others want it off; no default pleases everyone. Another example: Some people love being able to double-click the empty space in a dir to go up a level, or turn on dual-display, but if that was on by default nobody would know it was there and people who triggered it by accident would be confused. That kind of thing should stay opt-in, but I think it'll be useful to point out things like that in a guide.)

I don't know if past versions allowed installation on a laptop with a normal license, but I don't recall ever seeing that.

It's not new but it wasn't pointed out very well in the past so hardly anyone knew. The new GPSoft website mentions it more prominently as well.

[Nudel]

BTW, when the website says an upgrade quote is only valid until 15th May, I think it just means that particular quote. You can ask for another quote after that time.

I don't know exactly how long the 40% offer will exist for but I'd be surprised if it was only for two weeks. A lot of people won't even realise Opus 10 is out in that amount of time.