 |
| Drawing attention at the
pre-conference reception was this ice sculpture with the
McCormick logo. |
With over 100+ attendees, the 2007 McCormick Systems User's Conference
(held at the Hilton Phoenix East) tackled topics new and familiar.
Tops on the agenda, not necessarily in order of importance:
1. What Microsoft's change to Vista means to
McCormick users (it's the substance of the change from V8.2 to
V8.3)
2. A preview of V9.0, which is due out this
summer including.
a. Approved Edit Extension
b. NetPricer
c. Power Probes Advanced
d. Proposal Sheet
e. Power Link Partners
-American Contractor
-ForeFront
-McCormick Export
-Quickbooks
-Timberline
3. A two and a half hour session in which customers told
McCormick of improvements they'd like to see in the software --
our guidance for future software development.
4. Networking between attendees, and
interaction between McCormick staff and those with questions.
Over the course of the next few months we will detail the highlights of the conference including what's new in Version 9.0. In this issue of the newsletter will cover the new features included in Vista and how it effects McCormick Systems applications..
This newsletter will carry details that ALL users (even those who
didn't make it to our conference) need to know about all of the
above, and more. For the time being, here are the items you need to
know:
a. If you're switching to Microsoft's Vista,
you need to request V8.3 from McCormick. If you've not going to yet ,
you can stay with V8.2 of the software . (See our Vista section below for details.)
b. There are many enhancements in V9.0,
including "extras" that customers have requested in the past --
such as full interface with NetPricer.
c. We'll get more details out on the Proposal
Sheet function. But the main message should be that there are
many capabilities of the software -- and you've already paid for
them! -- that you might well put to use.
Before moving on to other coverage, President Todd McCormick asked
to include a "thank you" to the attendees. "We had great interaction
with the customers, especially including that two and a half hour 'what's next'
session," he said. "The enhancements and tweaks customers asked for
are on a list here. I've spent time with the list, and will give it
some more attention. It seems to me that we'll be able to address,
soon, a majority of the ideas that our customers voiced."
 |
| A 42-inch monitor attracted
attention in the on-site "computer lab" -- open from
Thursday to Saturday at the User's Conference. |
Attention Getter
As
is usual, McCormick held two-day pre-conference training classes.
Demand this year for the Advanced class was so high that we filled
two full Advanced training classes (12 in each), as well as one
Standard training class. This hadn't happened previously.,
Additionally, the on-site "computer lab" drew high levels of
attendee interest. Contractors and estimators could go to the lab to
get a hands-on "look" at information conveyed in the sessions. And
those who were in the pre-conference training could get McCormick
staff to answer additional questions.
One
highlight of the "lab" was a 42-inch monitor . . . a TV, really,
converted to use with a computer. Given the tendency of McCormick
users to have 10 or more windows open at any given time, this
TV-as-monitor appeared to be a Godsend. Several contractors noted
they planned to take that idea home (buy a big TV, this one was under $1000) and put it right
to work in their businesses. Also in attendance was our signature dual monitor setup, which always gathers a large crowd. For less than $100 users can purchase a dual video card and add a second monitor to their existing machine and double their screen space. Some offices have equipped their estimators with a 3 screen setup, now that is something to write about.
If you think your setup is worth mentioning; send us a picture of your setup and explain how it works for you, email the details and pic to newsletter@mccormicksys.com
Top Golfers
Perhaps the Foothills Golf Club (Phoenix) drew the highest praise
from the 40 attendees who participated in the pre-conference
McCormick Golf Tournament. Here are the notables from that
competition:
Closest to the Pin -- Daryl Kinslow
Longest Drive -- Dave Peterson
Lowest Gross Score -- Rod Wohl
Highest Gross Score -- Seth Peterson.
The "Desert Dogs"
"Desert Dogs" is an honor that McCormick bestows upon attendees who
have come to the desert for four or more User's Conferences. This
year we enrolled four new members into this group; there were 32 all
told:
20+ years -- Erle Howard, 22;
Fred Bauer, 21.
High teens -- Jack Beatson (19
years); David DeFelice & Joe Dolan (18); Bill Andrews (16); and
Tom Lanum (15).
Double digits -- Greg Bolte;
Joe Klein & Brent Loney (12 years); Steve Arnold (10).
5-9 years -- Joseph Cavanaugh
(9); Henry Hurt, Mark Jackson, Skip Stewart & Ron Wohl (8); Dan
Alexander, David Caprio, Rick Hansen, George Kreykes, Tim
Meiners, & David Spotanski (7); Benjamin Ward (6); Jodi
DeGraffenried, Matt Firestone, Randy Ward, Brian Warnemunde (5).
Four years (new Desert Dogs) --
Gary Gonzales, Jeff Ihler, Jay Linden, and David Walsh.
Vista – How McCormick Acts
and Works with Vista
Windows Vista has many significant new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system. The two areas that the user is most likely to be aware of is the new User Interface and the User Account Control (UAC).
Windows Aero
Premium editions of Windows Vista include a redesigned user interface and visual style, named Windows Aero. Aero is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than previous Windows versions, including transparencies, window animations and eye candy. Windows Aero also features a new default font with a slightly larger size, a streamlined style for wizards, and a change in the tone and phrasing of most of the dialogs and control panels.
Windows Flip and Flip 3D
For all Vista Premium Ready PCs, when using Alt+Tab to switch between open windows, a preview of each open window appears instead of just the program icon. In addition, Windows Flip 3D enables users to flip through a cascading stack of your open windows using the mouse scroll wheel. Windows can be stacked and rotated in 3D to provide views of all of them simultaneously. (The keyboard shortcuts are Win+Tab, which makes Flip 3D disappear after releasing, Ctrl+Win+Tab, which keeps Flip 3D visible after releasing, and Win+Shift+Tab to flip through open windows backward). The window buttons on the taskbar show a thumbnail image of the window, when the mouse hovers over the button
Start Menu
The start menu has been streamlined to make it very easy for you to navigate across all of the installed applications on your PC. Microsoft has done this by eliminating the “cascading ‘All Programs’ view” in favor of listing all your PC’s applications in a single, scrolling, embedded window contained within the Start menu. In fact, a built-in search box lets you find an application (or file) by typing it's name so you don't need to wade through layers of menus to find the item you want.
Windows Explorer
One of the best new folder features in Vista is called graphical breadcrumbs, a useful navigational tool.
On the Web, the term breadcrumbs refers to the clickable path that shows each level as you tunnel into a Web site. Levels in Web breadcrumbs are often separated by the pipe ( | ) or greater-than ( > ) symbol. The hyperlinks make it easy to jump back to specific pages you've already visited.
User Account Control
Before Windows XP was released, previous versions of Windows targeted at the consumer, such as Windows 95, 98 and ME, were all operating systems where the user had super user rights despite multi-user capabilities. Windows XP on the other hand was a multi-user operating system based on Windows NT. This allowed for different user levels and permissions.
However, in Windows XP the first user created when installing the operating system is given administrative privileges by default. As such, most users would use this account for everyday use. This ensured that all software, including malware, was also running with administrator privileges as well, thereby giving it full access to the operating system.
Unfortunately, most applications were or are not designed to work without full administrator privileges. Running these as a standard user or even as a power user could lead to errors or strange behavior. As such, it was often normal practice to give users full Administrator access when running normally.
User Account Control (UAC) is a new security component in Windows Vista. UAC enables users to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users in Windows Vista, and as administrators without having to switch users, log off, or use Run As. A standard user account is synonymous with a user account in Windows XP. User accounts that are members of the local Administrators group will run most applications as a standard user. By separating user and administrator functions while enabling productivity, UAC is an important enhancement for Windows Vista.
With Windows Vista, application developers need to decide which of the two levels of privilege their application needs to complete specific procedures. If an application doesn't need administrative privileges for a task, then it should be written to require only standard user mode privileges. For
Example, a standard user mode-compliant application should only write data files to a non-system location, such as the user profile, as opposed to the Program Files directory tree.
To allow programs that write data to these protected areas, Microsoft introduced a new feature called folder virtualization. The issue is that if you install into Program Files and you run as a non-admin account you won’t have write access to the files in your install folder. This is obviously a common thing for many applications that store their configuration data there as well as data. What this feature does is this: It detects any write access to a file by a user that doesn't have rights to write to this file. It then makes a copy of the file in the user’s virtual store and happily allows the user to write to the file in the virtualized directory where the user has full rights.
The down side of this is that the virtualized directories are on a per-user bases. This means that if you have a file say a Word document located in a protected folder. User A logs into the computer and makes changes to the document and saves the document. The changed document is saved in user A’s virtual directory. Now user B logs into the same computer. Opens the same Word document. User B will not see user A’s changes because user B is looking at the original document not the virtualized version of the document.
How Vista effects McCormick’s Applications
Because of the changes Microsoft has made to Vista with regards to UAC and Virtualized Directories, we had to change where our program installs certain parts of our program. We wanted to avoid the virtualization of our use data because it could have really bad consequences.
A Little McCormick History
Prior to version 8.0 we installed our estimating software, by default, in a directory off the root directory called Winmsie.
Version 3.x, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x
All of the applications executables where installed in the PgmFiles directory. All of the programs data files where installed in the Data directory.
C:\Winmsie\PgmFiles
C:\Winmsie\Data
Version 8.x
When we were developing v8.0, we wanted to have our application certified by Microsoft and become a Microsoft Certified Partner. To accomplish this we had to change where our program was installed. To pass the certification test, Microsoft wanted us to install our program under Program Files.
C:\Program Files\McCormick System\WinProducts\PgmFiles
C:\Program Files\McCormick System\WinProducts\Data
Version 9.x
Now with Windows Vista we are forced to once again change where our application is installed. Not only did we need to change where the data was installed, but because our application is written in Microsoft Access, because the file changes, it also needed to be moved from under Program Files to a new location.
Application Data (Main application mwpapp.mdb)
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\McCormick System\WinProduct\App Data\
PgmFiles (All program executables files)
C:\Program Files\McCormick Systems\WinProducts\PgmFiles
Data (The user has the option to place these files anywhere they want but by default:)
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\McCormick\WinProduct\Data
This includes job/ parts/ and system databases.
When you upgrade from v8.x to v9.0, the files will automatically be moved to the new location regardless of whether the computer is on Vista or not.
This change also effects all of our other applications. When upgrading to v9.0, if you have any other products, such as CAD Estimating, Change Order, or T-Bill, you will also need to upgrade them to a new version to conform to the new directory structure.
Windows Vista system requirements
There are 4 different version of Windows Vista: Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate
Recommended system requirements:
Home Basic
1 GHz 32-bit or 64 bit processor
512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
DVD-Rom drive
Audio Output
Internet access |
Home Premium/Business/Ultimate
1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:
WDDM Drive
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bit pixel
DVD-ROM drive
Audio Output
Internet access |
Windows Vista minimum supported system requirements
800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for Super VGA graphic
CD-ROM drive
Vista in general
It's taken five years, enough lines of code to span the globe several times, countless thousands of hours of developer time, and so many builds, betas, and release candidates that you'd need a cluster-based supercomputer to keep track of them all -- but Windows Vista is finally here.
The question is, what does all that work mean to you and to businesses the world over? What are the benefits? What are the downsides? There can be no doubt that there are pluses and minuses to Vista, from easier installation and management to aggressive antipiracy features, from advanced video 3-D graphics to a notable bump up in the video hardware requirements, from hundreds of security improvements to the frustrating User Account Control user experience.
If you are considering buying Windows Vista, but are hanging on the fence on whether Vista is worth it, why not ask some real world people what they think. How you may ask? Look at the customer reviews located at different web sites that are selling Vista. Here are some excerpts from real reviews:
From Circuit City:
“When you turn on your computer the sound is different on Windows Vista”
“There are good and bad features .pretty much you get that from everything you buy.”
From Amazon:
“There’s not much of a difference between XP and Vista other than some new features that may spike an impulse buy”
“I just saw this operating system run for the first time on a friends’ computer… It has slowed down everything on his machine dramatically.”
“The concerns that Vista is a resource HOG are unfounded!”
From Newegg:
“Looks better than XP”
“Looks new”
“Over 1000 new features from XP”
So there you have it. Real answers from real people. And with this arsenal of information I am sure everyone will be able to make an informed decision on whether to go with Vista or not. OR you could read the 1,156,321 reviews that are plastered all over the Internet with enough opinions to confuse all of us.
Bottom line is this. Each of us must make our own decision on whether we need to upgrade or not. Taking into account the price, higher hardware requirements, software compatibility, and whether the differences between XP and Vista are significant enough to justify upgrading.
Other Applications and Vista
Most applications should run on Vista if they ran on XP sp2, as long as the software does not need special drivers to run. They may look different; they might put files in different locations on your hard drive. You may need to get updated drivers for some of your hardware.
Vista 64
With the gaining popularity of 64-bit chipset/processors, many users now have the ability to run either 64-bit versions (x64) or 32-bit versions (x86) of software and operating systems. However, if you only have a 32-bit processor, your choice is easy.
You can only install the x64 version of Vista if you have a 64-bit processor.
For those with 64-bit processors, it seems obvious that installing the x64 version of vista would be ideal. The x64 version has increased security based around the 64-bit structure and programs compiled for 64-bit processors will likely run faster.
What's the problem with installing Vista x64 on a 64-bit system?
1. Most hardware does not currently have 64-bit drivers.
2. In Vista x64, any driver that is not properly signed will not be able to enter the kernel and will fail to load.
3. Vista x64 currently does not backward support most x86 (32-bit) drivers.
4. Vista x64 does not support 16-bit software.
5. Very little x64 software currently exists.
Conclusion:
Most users with 64-bit hardware should install the 32-bit (x86) version of Vista.
Vista x64 is the turning point for operating systems as they transition to 64-bit. Currently, however, the majority of users will be very disappointed by installing Vista x64. The lack of 64-bit drivers for most current hardware will be very disappointing and frustrating to most users. Why push for 64-bit now anyway? The performance gains promised by 64-bit will not be seen for years until 64-bit compiled versions of software is the norm.
Guest
Comment: "20 People & Copper's Price Rise"
(from www.electricalcontractor.com)
If you're a business reporter -- or a commodities
trader -- you need a REASON for things that are happening. Today,
the price of copper is approaching $3.60/pound. That shouldn't be
happening, according to a veritable army of prognosticators.
Copper's price was supposed to average less than $3.00/pound this
year . . . perhaps much less, depending on which economist was
speaking.
And maybe it still will. This fly over $3.50 could well be
temporary. Copper's price could recede as fast as it's gone up.
My personal feeling is that the price of copper is being dictated by
two things that the economists either don't want to think about or
just subtract from their calculations:
1. China. No one (including the International
Copper Study Group) has a good window of the supply and demand
of the red metal in China.
2. The U.S. dollar. It's weak. The weakness does not manifest
itself everywhere, all at once, all at the same time.
However, even if you believed the facts were as delineated here,
that doesn't fill up the news columns. Today, according to
Bloomberg.com, the price of copper is up because 20 workers in
Northern Chile elected to block the entrance to a mine. If you find
that hard to believe, read the Bloomberg story (CLICK
HERE).
Imagine if it were, like, 35 or 50 people!
Electricity Rates Go Nuts In California
Electricity rates have gone up BIG in many places, but they've gone nuts in California. The rate schedule below (for Northern California, from Pacific Gas & Electric) is taken from RenewableEnergyAccess.com (see link below).
I have been encouraged to believe a similar rate schedule exists for Southern California -- with the rate on the highest end @ 51 cents/kWh.
Let's take a look at this. If you reach the highest rate below and you have a 60-watt light bulb and leave it on for 10 1/2 hours over two days, you've just tacked on 39 cents to your bill! If you typically use the bulb for 5.25 hours a day, the cost to operate that bulb (the marginal cost, assuming it's a bulb you turn on after all of your other electricity is in use) is on the order of $6/month.
That's for ONE light bulb.
If you are a true believer in Capitalism, Markets, and such, one tenet of your beliefs must be that Price Transmits Information. What information is being communicated here, with Big Users of electricity (on the residential end) getting shellacked with rates like 39 or 51 cents per kilowatt hour?
As the RenewableEnergyAccess article states, the idea is to push "Energy Hogs" off the grid.See the article here. That seems to be the idea, doesn't it?
PG&E Schedule E-1-Residential Service |
Tier |
Rate |
Monthly Usage* |
Baseline Usage |
$0.11430 |
480 kWh |
101% - 130% of Baseline |
$0.12989 |
481 kWh - 625 kWh |
131% - 200% of Baseline |
$0.22944 |
626 kWh - 960 kWh |
201% - 300% of Baseline |
$0.32146 |
961 kWh - 1,440 kWh |
Over 300% of Baseline |
$0.36969 |
>1,440 kWh |
Where You Can See Us In 2007
Here are our scheduled appearances at industry events this
year:
Sept. 10-13, Las Vegas, NV -- BICSI Fall Conference
Oct. 6-8, San Francisco, CA -- NECA Convention & Show
Oct. 24-27, Houston, TX -- IEC Convention & Expo.
