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Renee
USA
59 Posts |
 Posted - 10/12/2006 : 22:03:02
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Just wondering if the pro. was issued as a 'beta' before it was released. I mean, was it given to --??--a group of testers to try it out before it was made avalible for purchase?
I feel like we have paid good money for this program and we have become the "group of testers"...
Maybe it is something that should be considered? Personally, just today I got so frustrated with pro and all it's memory consumption, and other little irritating bugs that I sat and exported every pattern of Pro back to vs. 7 and I am not using pro anymore until/unless it gets fixed.... and I am sorry to say if it isn't fixed VERY SOON, M&R should put out a re-call or something... I mean do the people at the Company use this software? Are those people having the same probs as the rest of us?
Well, as someone else posted somewhere on here...""If I didn't love this program so much I would have abandoned it with pro..."
EDIT::::
it's funny but kinda of dissapointing...I just went to the home page of pcstitch and the picture of pro looks SOOO AWSOME!!!!
It looks like you can have everything open and use all the cool new tools at will...if that were only the reality....  |
Edited by - Renee on 10/12/2006 22:34:26 |
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Dragonlair
USA
2937 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2006 : 22:38:51
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Renee,
PCStitch PRO was beta-tested. To my knowledge, the memory problems that have been reported very recently was not noticed during that period.
I have never had a memory problem with Pro and I would be very interested to get some kind of feedback from those who do have the problem concerning their computers, hardware and software to see if there is some "fight" going on for resources that is causing the problem.
Yes Pro has it's problems. I was taught many years ago that the only completely debugged program is the one no longer in use! No matter how long it has been in operation, some errors are bound to show up that passed by "inspection" earlier!
I am sorry you are having a problem but the more information you (and others) can provide about your situation and your problem, the more likely and faster it will be to isolate and fix it.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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ahecker
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2006 : 23:41:54
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Renee,
I have been using Pro since it came out and I wanted to address your complaints. First, let me tell you I was not a tester, I bought it when it first was made public and there were many more problems then.
1) I have never had issues with it taking up a lot of memory. Yes, the patterns you save are bigger files, but not too big. The program itself is HUGE, but when you download the updates the total is (please correct me if I am wrong here anyone) the total space, not the amount you are downloading at the time.
2) I have had multiple patterns open (more then 5) and I had my color selctor open and my floss pallette and borders with no problems.
3) This might be stepping on toes, but this is my own opinion. I don't recomend Pro to those who are a) not computer literate or b) don't design much. I am NOT saying you are either, but I know some people who want Pro just because it is the latest program and when I question the on how much they manipulate and/or design, they tell me "rarely" or "not at all". I even told my mom not to get it since she doesn't need it and I had her sit at my computer and look at it. When she stared blankly for 10 min, I knew it wasn't for her.
4) To add, you should always test the product before you buy it when possible and with PC Stitch it IS possible. I am sorry you are having issues, but feel free to contact me and I can see if I can walk you through some of them myself even though I am not a programmer.
Anna |
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Renee
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 16:13:19
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Hey there Diane & Anna...
your feedback was great. Yes, I am computer literate...I have been working with computers since DOS...I worked at a very well known company in INDY for many years until I had my children..with that said I know what my pc can do and what it can't. I know how much to have running and with any of the many software products I have NONE--NOT ONE of any of them use as much memory/hog resources as Pro does.
Yes, pro was offered as a demo--and I say this because the save feature isn't included--when a person has a new program they would like to use it and try ALL of the features. Not too many people that I know can try a program in one sitting without saving their work to know if the program is 'right' for them or not..
Now, I have been a loyal customer to M&R since pcstitch 5. I have all vs. and updates since then ending with the upgrade to Pro. Not one of them has ever been this problematic.. so I purchased the upgrade with great confidence in a company that I've done positive buisness with in the past ... I have had trouble with the program from the start.
The memory usage is not an issue for me alone, read some of the other posts, there are a lot of users that are having the same probs as I am..
As far as pro 'fighting' with another proggie on my PC...I done a little test...
We have several PC's in our home and so I took one of the kids -xp home edition- I reformated the hard drive-only installing xpSp2. No internet, nothing else. Just the basic xp. That pc has 514mb memory, 80gb HD. The exact same memory issues apply on that pc as on my main pc and mine is vista capable..(took the test @ microsoft)
Whew!!
The point of my eariler post was out of curiosity on the way that M&R 'tests' its software and with as big an issue as the memory prob. I was thinking maybe they Had Not tested it before releasing...that was all.
And as far as having everything open like they show on the main website, well, if I have a pattern open and the floss colors at the bottom that's it, I can't have any of the sidebars open or else the program stops..i get error messages, and low memory alerts.. So you are very lucky to have a pc that can handle all that you say you have open.
Toodles
Renee'
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ahecker
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 17:35:27
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Renee,
I hope you get to the bottom of your problems. I know how frustrating it is when you find a bug with this program (ask Diane and Mark ) I am glad you understood why I mentioned computer literacy. Me, I can operate my computer just fine. Just don't ask me what the programs mean (like 1-2-3 and DOS) I know how to use them and that suits me just fine.
I have noticed a remarkable difference between my laptop and my desktop with Pro though. My laptop is brand new and has 8X bigger hard drive and much more memory. Pro seems to work faster on it.
Anna |
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Dragonlair
USA
2937 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 17:51:48
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Renee,
I am computer literate. I have a master's degeree in Computer Science. I have worked on computers since well before PCs were available at all. I began with IBM 370 Mainframes. At one time I was responsible for ALL the PCs & MACs in several departements along with all the hardware and software they used. Yes, I was one of the beta testers for Pro.
The restriction to block SAVE for demo versions is very common. I have the demo version of several other cross-stitch design programs and they have the SAME restriction. If you are just trying it, then you know in advance what you can and cannot do and you just open it to try a few things and then later, try a few more things.
My computer runs under ME. I have an 800 MHZ Celeron Processor with 128 Mb memory and 40 Gb hard drive. I have NO memory problems with my machine even when running it along with Explorer Foxit (Adobe Clone), Word, Excel, Firefox, Notepad, Image Previewer and AVG Free and ZoneAlarm running in the background (all at the same time).
I usually have one pattern open (and it may be fairly large) and have the symbols and available colors available on the left side. I also have the current palatte available on the bottom. I have nothing on the right side.
Just a thought! Are you running McAfee? I had to remove McAfee because it hogged resources on EVERYTHING from Explorer to FireFox. It eventually refused to let FireFox run and even Microsoft (prior to the end of support) could not figure out how to work around it.
Although there are some complaints about the resource problem, there don't seem to be that many involved.
My biggest problem during testing is the fact that I run "Large Fonts". I could not see some of the options until they fixed that problem!
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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Renee
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 20:31:08
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Diane, as far as the demo goes, I understand that the save was commonly left out, now most sotware is a xxday trial and then quits unless you register. I was only refering to that to let you and Anna and anyone else that reads this know that because of the "LIMITED" interaction with the demo there was no ==fore warning== of the possible --memory problem-- not that I was dogging about not having the save... in a complete package as a demo there was little to actually do to create alot of mem usage... and the fact that it was NEW and I personally was getting a feel for the prog.
Basically, when i used the demo it seemed fine, it was when I BOUGHT the program that I have had and still do have trouble with Pro hogging my system... needless to say I've said all this before in a different post... my original post was just a question as to wether or not M&R tested thier software before releasing it..
No I do not use Mcafee...
I can watch a DVD on powerdvd in one corner of my screen, play games online @reflexive in another window at the lower middle of my screen, and have yahoo up and chat with friends and family, share photos back & forth, plus I always have running (exceept when pro is on)NIS, SNT-a Bible Verse program in system tray, desktop notes, hello, picassa,outlook, And during all of these programs running i never once get a memory alert or probs with things hanging up even if I need to browse to another folder for different files.
So, my pc is fine, my software is fine, and everything running on my pc is fine...Pro is not fine.. no matter how much is said that it's the consumers problem on thier end well for me the problem is in PRO. simple as that.
and as for your experience with computers--that's good and fine but as far as this program is concerned it should be able to be used by the people that have bought it regardless of their computer background...and if it isn't then it should not be sold as software for everyone but as software for the computer professioanls or whatever you consider yourself...
I purchased this program because I enjoy cross-stitching and designing my own patterns. I wanted the pro because of the awesome new features. Well, I have it and I don't get to use any of the new sidebars, or browse my patterns and many other things. I should not have to revert to an older version to accomplish something that is supposed to work with the Pro.
I mean what is the point to having and paying for a software program that I never get to use??--unless of course I am willing to 'chance it' and hope that my pc doesn't freeze and I lose work I've done? And just to let you know, I save after every 20stitches. When Pro freezes the pattern always reverts to the very last pattern PRIOR to that use...so saving isn't always "SAVING".
I have problems with this program and I want to see them fixed. I paid for this program. I do not feel like I've gotten my money's worth. And if this program isn't fixed, then why would I ever trust M&R on future software??? I may be only one customer but hey I count too.
Renee' |
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Dragonlair
USA
2937 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2006 : 22:31:30
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Renee,
I only mentioned my background because you had. I'm not saying that you are not having a problem with the program. What I am saying is that this problem did not show up during Beta testing. It may be something that was changed later on to fix something else.
I still say that what needs to be done is for you and the others with the problem and maybe a few who do not have the problem to lay out your systems to see if there is a common feature that those who have the problem have that those who are "clear" do not have and vice versa.
I think you need AT LEAST: hardware descriptions (including processor, memory, disk drive, peripherals, etc.), Operating system, base software (such as anti-virus, firewall, ... -- anything that runs by default at boot time). Any other software that is running when the problem occurs. The more complete descriptions you can get of each machine, the more likely you can spot a pattern and thereby localize the problem.
But - to answer your question: YES, it was beta tested.
To solve your problem may take some communication and help from you.
Diane
There is no such thing as a stupid question |
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delite163
42 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2006 : 00:04:31
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Hi
Well now that we have all the degrees and experience and stuff talked about...Lets talk about the memory problem with the pro program. It's a biggie for the ones that are going through it. I happen to be one of them. It don't take a degree in computer literacy to know when I'm have a problem with my software. Kripe I can't even print a pattern from it. I have to export into pcstitch7 and then print it.
The image export is a real big problem and I have to create the image in pc7 as well to get away from the awful white cross hatching that appears when I resize the image.
I can't open 4 or 5 patterns at the same time.
When I work on a pattern finish it and start a new one thats when the memory problems start. MY computer will increase the memory but the program just keeps getting bigger and bigger until the last time I finished a second pattern it took 15 minutes for the software to close. Then finally it crashed yesterday. I don't mean that it froze it crashed so bad that it had to be reinatalled.
I work with huge multi megabyte tiff files all the time and the program that I edit the images on is a 140 megabyte program. There seems to be no mem prob there. The pro software is only about 35 megs in size. I really agree with Renee that the web site shows something that looks really great and when a demo software is used you really can't get into the nitty gritty of the program to really see what it can do. The demo that I downloaded really only showed me the creative possibilities of the software. Of all of my software pro in the few month of use that I have had has had more updates than all of them put together. I would really like to see this problem fixed. I have been looking at other possibilities. I would like to stick with pro but I really wonder about it.
Right now I have a pattern that I'm working on that has a black line right in the middle of a stitch and it cannot be removed. I don't know what that means but something is out of wack...that line shouldn't be there. So there it is in a nutshell. Oh wait the program for no reason just opens up above it's icon on my desktop and when that happens it takes several minutes for the program to get back to normal. What I'm talking about couldn't have been found out about trying the demo software. I used 7 and liked to I upgraded. My logic was if 7 is good than pro must be great. After all that has been said I still have a memory problem.....dah
Susan
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Mark
USA
414 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2006 : 10:23:50
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Let me jump in here and address a few issues ...
First, we did beta testing for quite a while before we released Pro to the general public. Beta testing caught a lot of bugs, but not all (it never does).
One of the most difficult things about writing software for Windows machines is that every one is different. 75% or more of the problems that get reported from the field can't be reproduced here in the lab. All we can do is make sure that it works on as many configurations as we can before we release and then deal with the field problems as they arise.
Dealing with issues like the "memory problem" in a forum like this is almost impossible. The only way we are going to be able to fix them is by working one on one with users with the problem. Will everyone who is having problems in this area PLEASE email me directly at mmiller@pcstitch.com and give me a detailed description of what is happening so that we can roll up our sleeves and try to get it fixed?
I'm not trying to censor the forum and say don't discuss the problems here. I'm just saying that it isn't going to help me fix it!
Mark Miller
M&R Technologies |
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ahecker
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2006 : 17:27:01
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Mark,
You are right. Some of the issues I had you had to have me email you files so you could even see what I was talking about. Since I have been emailing you, we have found and fixed quite a few of those "strange and unusual" problems that only regular users can find so easily
This forum is here to help with known issues and you aren't trying to censor anyone. I say that because I have found answers when I looked here first before I had to email you.
You guys are doing a great job and I wanted to say thanks
Anna |
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Renee
USA
59 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2006 : 18:13:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark
Let me jump in here and address a few issues ...
First, we did beta testing for quite a while before we released Pro to the general public. Beta testing caught a lot of bugs, but not all (it never does).
One of the most difficult things about writing software for Windows machines is that every one is different. 75% or more of the problems that get reported from the field can't be reproduced here in the lab. All we can do is make sure that it works on as many configurations as we can before we release and then deal with the field problems as they arise.
Dealing with issues like the "memory problem" in a forum like this is almost impossible. The only way we are going to be able to fix them is by working one on one with users with the problem. Will everyone who is having problems in this area PLEASE email me directly at mmiller@pcstitch.com and give me a detailed description of what is happening so that we can roll up our sleeves and try to get it fixed?
I'm not trying to censor the forum and say don't discuss the problems here. I'm just saying that it isn't going to help me fix it!
Mark Miller
M&R Technologies
Hey Mark,
I emailed you my info, just wanted to let you know..
Renee' |
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Beta?
