Ask Dominic

[Jeff Knight]

Russ,
Which is why Bill Gates always makes the new versions of any of their software twice as big as their previous versions....even if it really did not add anything new but just shuffled all the old features around to different areas or different icons...so that your computer that you bought last year has to be updated to a new one at some point so Bill can continue to be the richest man in the world..or is he #2 now ? I know ...I am a little sarcastic when it comes to how Microsoft does their software.

Jeff Knight
Knights Software Solutions, Inc.
www.knightssoftware.com
"Leading handheld home inspection software for the past 10 years."

[rmaday]

Originally Posted by Jeff Knight

I am a little sarcastic when it comes to how Microsoft does their software.

What's wrong with release it now - fix it later?

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by Jeff Knight

Russ,
Which is why Bill Gates always makes the new versions of any of their software twice as big as their previous versions....even if it really did not add anything new but just shuffled all the old features around to different areas or different icons...so that your computer that you bought last year has to be updated to a new one at some point so Bill can continue to be the richest man in the world..or is he #2 now ? I know ...I am a little sarcastic when it comes to how Microsoft does their software.

Jeff Knight
Knights Software Solutions, Inc.
www.knightssoftware.com
"Leading handheld home inspection software for the past 10 years."

Microsoft isn't the only one. They simply understood how to give software away many years ago to get a bigger market share and thus destroy the competition. Can you say WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, WordStar, etc.? They've taught the other people very well. Can you say Aldus, Norton, etc.?

But, hey! When computers double their processing speed every 18 months, why not take advantage of all that new power by rearranging the menus in Word and Excel? Makes perfect sense!

My own brand of sarcasm.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by rmaday

What's wrong with release it now - fix it later?

As my wise old grandmother said, "Later never comes."

In Microsoft's case, maybe later did come, but their fixes introduce their own bugs.

[Jeff Knight]

Originally Posted by dmaricic

Hey Jeff,

I agree, unless someone's doing some high end gaming late at night when their wifes in bed (cough cough).

I've seen the 7 inch screens, so I feel okay commenting on those. I'll withhold an opinion on the 4.5" screen until I can see it in my hands! Have you found a place that's willing to send demo machines to you for testing? Vista, ugh. I can't see it really running efficiently on anything less than 2 gigs of ram, so I can see an issue there. Although I'm sure they turn off Aero which would greatly reduce the video card and memory requirements.

Dominic

Dom,
My question would be...is your software built to take advantage of a larger screen or is it built to be used easily on a smaller screen ? The screen shots I see on your website seem to point to the first ...of being built to take advantage of a lot of screen real estate. Does your software screens look the same on a 7" screen as they would on a bigger screen...that is...would it show just as many tabs, check boxes and text line items or does it dynamically adjust by removing some of these items to make it so that the same resolution can be used on a smaller screen without shrinking everything down in size ? I think that may be the factor to determine whether a 4.5" screen would work ok for your software.

Jeff Knight
Knights Software Solutions, Inc.
www.knightssoftware.com
"Leading handheld home inspection software for the past 10 years."

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Hi Jeff,

The software dynamically changes the number of items depending on the screen resolution. So when people use smaller resolutions you might only see 20 comments per screen rather than 50. I made quite a few changes in the version released sunday to make it so that it worked even better on smaller screens and have more changes for the version I'll release in about 2 weeks.

[Russel Ray]

Hey, Dominic.

Do I understand correctly that the web bots/spiders/etc. don't read graphics?
How about graphics that have links? Will they read the links?
How about alternate text for graphics? Will they read it?
How about invisible text, either on the graphics or elsewhere on the page?

[relliott]

Invisible text can get you banned .

Graphics are not seen by SE's but alternitive text is.

Say you have a picture of a lake, you could call the lake Home Inspection Report and that would increase your key word rankings.

If not too over done, BOLD print draws more attention.

Stay away from that unseen text however unless you wish to be banned.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by relliott

Invisible text can get you banned .

Graphics are not seen by SE's but alternitive text is.

Say you have a picture of a lake, you could call the lake Home Inspection Report and that would increase your key word rankings.

If not too over done, BOLD print draws more attention.

Stay away from that unseen text however unless you wish to be banned.

Thank you, Sir.

Dominic must be taking the day off. Good for him!

[relliott]

He does not get up with th roosters, since he is still up working while they catch their morning hen.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by relliott

He does not get up with th roosters, since he is still up working while they catch their morning hen.

I know, but he and I pretty much work the same wee hours of the morning.

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Just had a hell of a day and night. Went to bed around 4am but was trying to make some changes to the program and helping out a new inspector who went and did a 30,000 square foot building as his 2nd job with the program. So he had a few questions on using it still. Then since I got up I've been answering emails and sending out program licenses until now. It's been crazy I tell ya.

Russ, spiders do NOT read any text in images. What they do read is alt text you can add to the image such as <img src="http://www.blabla.com/myimage" alt="picture of russell inspecting a home">

That will get you a little boost.

Like Bob said, avoid invisible text like the plague. It can get you banned from Google COMPLETELY.

They will read the links as well as a normal link, thats why you want to make sure your url's follow the naming format I've discussed.

[David A. Andersen]

Dominic must be taking the day off. Good for him!

No I think he is working his butt off for me (in conjunction with the 30k guy)! :-0

I went to bed at 3:30am. Dominic was hanging right there with me!

Do the lights dim in CA when you get up in the morning?!?!

[Dominic J. Maricic]

Haha. I know when it's time to go to bed when my neighbor leaves for work at 3:30am. He has to drive out to LA (YUCK) so he leaves early to beat traffic and I can always hear him warming up his truck.

I wish the lights would dim, it's hard to fall asleep sometimes when lights coming through the window!

[David A. Andersen]

Dominic, I just want all to know that when it comes to service/support (no matter where you go) you have been hanging there on the edge to cover the bases.

Watch the recent NACHI TV on HIP.
I was sitting on the sideline not paying attention, searching Google for HIP information ( not knowing what HIP meant).

I have been at this for 12 years and Russel Spriggs (and others) have the same goal in reporting software. I don't work for the software, it works for me. Dominic is making it happen! I can do more and better with MS Word, but HIP is putting the church on things as my data bases are getting beyond control!

Frustrated in the report writing thing? You have to contribute to the end result. No template is perfect for everyone. But, HIP can be modified more than anything I have seen, and Dominic can make it happen if it is really needed.

You don't need this program to be 100% when you start using it.
Every report you do (the old way) can be incorporated into your template in a "one time" effort you become yours.

It took me 12 years to get here. I don't expect everything to be perfect by Monday!