Review of the Day
Apr 21, 2021 16:58:58 GMT -8
Post by Uncle Buddy on Apr 21, 2021 16:58:58 GMT -8
I just downloaded another genieware program and will try to make a few feature-related comments without mentioning any names. I don't see the point in bashing the effort of anyone in particular. Treebard GPS is about what should be done and could be done in genieware design. One of my greatest inspirations is the bad experience I have with every single genieware I try. The low setting on the bar seems to be kinda universal. People are charging $30-100 for their genieware. Treebard GPS is meant to raise the bar, to demonstrate features that would be found in genieware that sells for $500. Then it's free.
Today's review is about Ducky (a fake name unlike the real name of the genieware being reviewed). I must say that I spent less than ten minutes looking at Ducky, and will now spend more than ten minutes complaining about the ten minutes I already wasted.
During the installation I was asked to specify a preferred date format. Why during the installation? I can do that any time. The examples--well, there weren't any. The choices were like ddMMMyyyy which is geeky and I had to guess what some of them meant. The choice I made was not used anyway.
Once inside, what appeared to be a demo tree had no people in it.
There was no way to change background colors, fonts, etc. Hells bells folks, this is the easy stuff. Does anyone realize that the average genealogist is over 60 years old? Not everyone is going to pay for laser surgery just so they can ruin their new eyes on the computer again. Dark background, light fonts and big fonts are the first thing I look for in genieware.
A word about "well duh why don't you just use Windows' accessibility features"?
The word is "quack".
I've been using Windows since I was young enough to know better, and Windows has never given me a reason to like its accessibility features--how they are set or how they are applied. The word is spooked. Windows 10 is broken enough without asking it to fix itself, especially globally. I'd rather set each application individually with controls built into that program. Controls that work because they were created by the creator of the app. The notion that Windows should change how every single program works or looks... is like... is like going to the police station to get some dental work done. No, no, it's more like... like pulling all your teeth to find out which one's been bothering you.
Getting back to Ducky. Since I couldn't see it, the interface was too crowded, the events table appeared to be an afterthought, there was too much in one screen, and the demo tree was empty, I gave it a quick uninstall.
I am happy to report that the uninstall worked perfectly.
Treebard will not be installed. As far as I know, there's no reason for programs to be installed. I use Treebard every day and the only thing I installed was Python. Python is easy to install, considering its vast power. As easy to install as Ducky. Easier: all the words on the installation screen are spelled right. You just have to remember to click the box that says "put Python on path" or something like that. I could write a Python installation tutorial for my 92-year-old mother, no problem. But why should Treebard be installed? It should be portable. If there is ever an .exe version (that runs without installing Python first), it will also be portable. No installation, just copy the files. No uninstall, just delete the files.
Sorry this review has so little content but the promise that Ducky is the most intuitive, easiest program on the market had to be too good to be true, and too good to be true it was. It was supposed to be self-teaching. So let me get back to the real self-teaching program that I'm writing, before I forget what I was doing.
Today's review is about Ducky (a fake name unlike the real name of the genieware being reviewed). I must say that I spent less than ten minutes looking at Ducky, and will now spend more than ten minutes complaining about the ten minutes I already wasted.
During the installation I was asked to specify a preferred date format. Why during the installation? I can do that any time. The examples--well, there weren't any. The choices were like ddMMMyyyy which is geeky and I had to guess what some of them meant. The choice I made was not used anyway.
Once inside, what appeared to be a demo tree had no people in it.
There was no way to change background colors, fonts, etc. Hells bells folks, this is the easy stuff. Does anyone realize that the average genealogist is over 60 years old? Not everyone is going to pay for laser surgery just so they can ruin their new eyes on the computer again. Dark background, light fonts and big fonts are the first thing I look for in genieware.
A word about "well duh why don't you just use Windows' accessibility features"?
The word is "quack".
I've been using Windows since I was young enough to know better, and Windows has never given me a reason to like its accessibility features--how they are set or how they are applied. The word is spooked. Windows 10 is broken enough without asking it to fix itself, especially globally. I'd rather set each application individually with controls built into that program. Controls that work because they were created by the creator of the app. The notion that Windows should change how every single program works or looks... is like... is like going to the police station to get some dental work done. No, no, it's more like... like pulling all your teeth to find out which one's been bothering you.
Getting back to Ducky. Since I couldn't see it, the interface was too crowded, the events table appeared to be an afterthought, there was too much in one screen, and the demo tree was empty, I gave it a quick uninstall.
I am happy to report that the uninstall worked perfectly.
Treebard will not be installed. As far as I know, there's no reason for programs to be installed. I use Treebard every day and the only thing I installed was Python. Python is easy to install, considering its vast power. As easy to install as Ducky. Easier: all the words on the installation screen are spelled right. You just have to remember to click the box that says "put Python on path" or something like that. I could write a Python installation tutorial for my 92-year-old mother, no problem. But why should Treebard be installed? It should be portable. If there is ever an .exe version (that runs without installing Python first), it will also be portable. No installation, just copy the files. No uninstall, just delete the files.
Sorry this review has so little content but the promise that Ducky is the most intuitive, easiest program on the market had to be too good to be true, and too good to be true it was. It was supposed to be self-teaching. So let me get back to the real self-teaching program that I'm writing, before I forget what I was doing.