Jump to content




Next Prams Release


13 replies to this topic

#1 Steve

    Key Dude

  • Admin
  • 5,127 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lewes, East Sussex

Posted 28 April 2010 - 01:45 PM

Hi all -
For those of you waiting with baited breath (!) for the next version of PRAMS, I wanted to let you know that we haven't forgotten about it. We had hoped to get the first full version out by the end of last week/beginning of this, but we have one of those irritating technical difficulties that wasn't detected until testing the completed packaged program towards the end of last week (well, at least it shows that we do test it! :o ).

(Basically, the problem is preventing reports being generated, which is of course, the main reason for having the program).

So we (by which of course I mean Matt) are working extremely hard on resolving the problem (the rest of us at FSF HQ are enjoying ourselves, sunbathing, playing table tennis and putting long cool refreshing drinks just out of reach of his handcuffed hands).

Unfortunately, because we're not quite sure what is causing the problem, we're also not really able to give you a time estimate for fixing it. As with the way of these things, the eureka moment may come during the next 30 seconds or so, or it may take a few days.

While this next version is not going to look substantially difficult to you, it is a very worthwhile thing for the future, as it makes much easier the process of keeping your PRAMS programs up to date and supplied with new reports as we create them. So please bear with us, and apologies for the slight delay. :lol:
'There are no ordinary people. It is immortals whom we work with, joke with, marry, snub and exploit.'

#2 Cait

    Landscape design and gardening consultancy!

  • Full Member
  • 7,453 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:North West

Posted 28 April 2010 - 02:43 PM

No problem, thanks for the update. By 'substantially difficult' do you mean 'different'? or have you altered the way it looks?

Well done Matt, insist on comfort breaks at least eh!
The nice thing about living in a small village is that when you don't know what you're doing -someone else always does!

#3 louby loo

    Forum Gardener

  • Full Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,203 posts

Posted 28 April 2010 - 03:18 PM

Sounds good to me.........I'm waiting for the new version before I download anything--- so I guess i'll just have to go out and enjoy myself for now then.
Please don't feel the need to rush!!!!

#4 HappyMaz

    Fully paid up member of the awkward squad!

  • Moderator and FSF Saint
  • 11,650 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Maidenhead, Berkshire

Posted 28 April 2010 - 03:37 PM

I'm just wondering how long it will be before the Red Cross start bombarding FSF Global HQ with multi-lingual leaflets which say "beware the bee keeper" and parachuting food parcels into the garden....

Has Steve tied your shoelaces together Matt? If not, get out and look to the skies...

Hope its all sorted soon and you can get onto the Next Big Idea.

Maz

#5 Steve

    Key Dude

  • Admin
  • 5,127 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lewes, East Sussex

Posted 29 April 2010 - 05:38 PM

Whoops, yes - substantially different, not substantially difficult! :o

Beekeeping - don't talk to me about bee keeping. My two hives have been acting all spring-like, culminating in an interesting event today. Catching 20,000 bees in a box wasn't how I'd expected to be spending my afternoon...
'There are no ordinary people. It is immortals whom we work with, joke with, marry, snub and exploit.'

#6 Cait

    Landscape design and gardening consultancy!

  • Full Member
  • 7,453 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:North West

Posted 29 April 2010 - 05:42 PM

hehe - oh no! So what do you do with them next? Put them back in and put a towel over it so they can't get out again, or do you have to establish a new hive?
The nice thing about living in a small village is that when you don't know what you're doing -someone else always does!

#7 Steve

    Key Dude

  • Admin
  • 5,127 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lewes, East Sussex

Posted 29 April 2010 - 06:51 PM

Well, the swarm probably contains the old queen. Assuming a new queen successfully takes over in the original hive with the remaining bees, I can either start off a new hive with the old Queen or (glance away if you're tender hearted) commit regicide with the old queen and re-combine the workers that left with her with the old hive and new queen. I need to wait a couple of weeks to decide what to do. :o
'There are no ordinary people. It is immortals whom we work with, joke with, marry, snub and exploit.'

#8 Cait

    Landscape design and gardening consultancy!

  • Full Member
  • 7,453 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:North West

Posted 29 April 2010 - 07:01 PM

Hmm, you going to read them War and Peace in the meantime then?
The nice thing about living in a small village is that when you don't know what you're doing -someone else always does!

#9 Steve

    Key Dude

  • Admin
  • 5,127 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lewes, East Sussex

Posted 29 April 2010 - 07:09 PM

Ha! No, in a day or two I'll transfer them into a couple of hive boxes and set them up in an alternative location so they can carry on foraging as normal. They'll just function as though they'd found a new base (which is the natural way bees propagate themselves) and begin building their food stocks and the queen will start laying the next generation of worker bees. It's all very interesting - but only if you're interested in bees...
'There are no ordinary people. It is immortals whom we work with, joke with, marry, snub and exploit.'

#10 Lucy P

    Forum Inhabitant!

  • Full Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 470 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Hampshire

Posted 30 April 2010 - 04:33 PM

Hi Steve

Will the user guides and video still be relevant to the new version of Prams?

I had earmarked this weekend to download the new version but as it isn't ready yet i thought i should at least read the instructions!

Just a bit worried i may confuse myself if its different!!
Lucy

#11 Cait

    Landscape design and gardening consultancy!

  • Full Member
  • 7,453 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:North West

Posted 30 April 2010 - 05:13 PM

Hi Lucy, I would have thought it was still a good idea to watch the video as it will give you a flavour of PRAMS and an understanding of the set-up, plus, you'll get to hear Steve's dulcet tones! :o
The nice thing about living in a small village is that when you don't know what you're doing -someone else always does!

#12 HappyMaz

    Fully paid up member of the awkward squad!

  • Moderator and FSF Saint
  • 11,650 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Maidenhead, Berkshire

Posted 30 April 2010 - 09:59 PM

View PostCait, on Apr 30 2010, 18:13, said:

plus, you'll get to hear Steve's dulcet tones! :o
Actually Cait, Steve has a voice double. He actually sounds more like Kenneth Brannagh in real life! :lol:

Maz

#13 Steve

    Key Dude

  • Admin
  • 5,127 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Lewes, East Sussex

Posted 01 May 2010 - 08:26 AM

Hi Lucy, Kenneth Brannagh here!

PRAMS has changed since the videos and user guide were made (and it's now my job to update them, which I have put off for far too long...). But (in terms of the videos at least) as Cait suggests, it's probably worth looking through them if you have time - they're only six or seven minutes each, and the differences are mainly additions, so you'll get an idea of the way the program works. :o
'There are no ordinary people. It is immortals whom we work with, joke with, marry, snub and exploit.'

#14 Lucy P

    Forum Inhabitant!

  • Full Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 470 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Hampshire

Posted 01 May 2010 - 09:37 AM

Hi thanks very much!

Job sorted for tomorrow then, i'm quite looking forward to it!!
Lucy





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users