CDSS Technical Stuff |
| Back to Home Page |
This version has been upgraded from Visual Basic 4.0 to Visual Basic 6.0. Yep, that's going from about 10 years old to about 6 years old! Due to modern machines now able to contain greater than 512 mb of RAM quite cheaply, there is a documented bug with the Windows OS and old software "builds". The easiest way around was to recompile the program in a later version of the Software Development Kit (SDK) of Visual Basic. Fortunately VB 6.0 has enough recent service packs to easily upgrade the program and compile to overcome the above mentioned problem
Another benefit is a few more "modern" capablilities, which hopefully we can utilise in the future (I have stopped promising). The ditribution is a little different. There are 3 files in the distribution zip file: 1 setup configuration file, a setup program and a CAB file of the application. It is slightly larger, but with faster connection smore common now, hopefully that won't be a problem.
for v1.5a February 2000.
This version is networkable. The databases has been split into two files -
cde.mdb and cde_rslts.mdb. The host database is cde.mdb and contains the raw data
such as event, classes, competitors, times, points etc. When networking, this is the
database table that is shared so that all this data is placed in the one place.
The client database is cde_rslt.mdb which contains the calculated results as the source
for the reports you see on the screen. By separatng the files, each user can produce their
own reports independent of what other users are doing.
for v1.4a September 1999.
This version has been deveoped using Visual Basic 4. It has been distributed as a Windows 95/98 only installation. The database has been upgraded to Access 95. Minimal Hardware would be a high-end 486 (100 or 120) with 8mb, but the best indication is if your machine happily copes with WIndows 95. VB4 is not very efficient and as such produces large DLLs and OCX files to support the application. I'm hoping a later version of VB will reduce the size of the files for distribution. You will need approximately 10mb of Hard Disk Space. The reports are still based on A4 printers as this is the most common.
This text based on articale originally printed in the ADS Journal mid 1998 - v1.3.
A lot has changed since I started the development. Windows 3.1 was the dominant interface when I began, and now Windows 98 is here. The version I am releasing is coded as 1.3g. Anyone who has a 1.0, 1.1 or 1.2 test version can throw those away, as they are not compatible with the final release. Those with an early 1.3 version can easily update to the latest. The software will run on Windows 3.x ( and therefore Windows 95/98 of course). Minimal Hardware is the usual 386 with 4mb of RAM, but it would run like a 3 legged dog chained to a post. A 486 or above is recommended, and you will need approximately 5mb of Hard Disk Space.
An A4 printer is required for the printing of results. Most Laser and InkJet printers will suffice, and even dot-matrix may do the job. There are a number of reports, including full details, competition summaries, team results and competitor listings.
The data is stored in an Access 1.0 database, a legacy of commencing it back in 1993 but still wanting it be run under Windows 3.x. If you wish to play around with the database in a later version of Access, please copy/rename it for the upgraded version. You must leave the original alone otherwise the application won't be able to read the data in a later version of Access.
There is no charge for the software - just download it from this site. The only request I have is that anyone who uses it continues to provide feedback. This also gives me incentive to keep improving it otherwise it will die a natural death.
I am currently working on a re-work, and hope to produce a more refined and enhanced version later in 1999.