The WineBase Gazette
| Wednesday 10th October 2007 |
Founded in 1995 |
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v5.0 arrives, August 2007
With a lot of work being done to the program I decided to skip a few version numbers this year and go straight to v5.0 and this is a full release which includes the new GoldBook information from the 25th edition (2008) of "Australian Wine Vintages" by Robin Bradley.
The v5.0 upgrade will like all updated versions of WineBase, keep and use your existing data so upgrading from v4.4 or even much earlier versions of the program isn't a problem as you can go straight to v5.0.
What else is new in this version...
AUSADDR1.DLL and AUSADDR2.DLL have been updated to match the new entries in the GoldBook.
Updated the Australian Vintage Charts in the Help file which are compiled from the Vintage Ratings in the current GoldBook.
New powerful search option, all fields (complete or partial text, containing or beginning with).
New date format day, dd MMM yyyy, ie. Monday, 24 AUG 2007.
Excessive Lost Souls or near full database warning (and remedy).
Better initial screen sizing and placement for normal and widescreens.
And the program now remembers it's size and position from the last time it was used.
The graphs now scale correctly for any window size or shape, including widescreen displays, as do the GoldBook and Page Display windows.
Fixed a GDI (System Graphics Resources) leak in the Graphs and Tables. Program now floats!
Fixed a glitch in the 13 month Transaction graph when missing some .PAU files.
Two new graphs, Stock and Value - Monthly/Yearly, which replace the old Stock/Value graph.
Graphs now print as you see them on the screen, including using the same colours.
Print setup/configure dialog now appears prior to printing (to allow for landscape or change of printer).
Caught what may have become a problem from 2009 in the Find AllBestAt listing.
You can now list all wines that are marked for future tasting on the Tasting Schedule.
Increased the number of Index Listing Zoom settings, with smaller graduations (80% is ideal).
Keyboard Arrow, Home, End, PageUp and PageDown keys usable in Index Listing without having to first click in scrollable window.
Also implemented this for all the Table windows.
And a reminder that you can also use the keyboard keys to navigate the Page Display window.
New look dialog boxes throughout, neater, cleaner, easier to use and you can even move them!!!
Major update to the Main Edit Dialog and child dialogs including a new confirmation dialog with the wine details listed when adding a new wine and you click on Save.
The Vintage Distribution graph now does a Wine List drilldown like the BestAt graphs, and the wine listings are now nicely formatted in tabbed columns.
New format and greatly improved Distribution by Winery, Label, Variety, Region and User1-4 graphs.
Updated the Help file to reflect these changes (mostly).
And during all of the above a few minor glitches crept in and are now fixed...
Graphs losing their colours, printer Cancel button for graphs not doing so if you went to the printer setup dialog and then decided to cancel,
the Search in "one of these fields search" not finding anything, and some buttons in the Main Edit dialog not greying when they should be.
For anyone that may have an earlier build of v5.0 that may not contain all these features or has any of the above mentioned glitches (and apologies),
I'll be posting a v5.0 update patch file on the Update page soon that you can download and that will bring your v5.0 right up to date.
| V50PATCH.EXE is now available, click here... |
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Update |
If you would also like a printed copy of the book and whilst there is no provision on the order form you can add "PRINTED BOOK PLEASE" to the Street2 field and I'll spot it.
Apologies for not incorporating book ordering in the order form, but with overseas postage rates etc. it gets a bit complicated.
For Australia the cost of a book when ordered with a v5.0 software upgrade is $33 for a total cost of $66.
For overseas orders probably best to talk to me first but as a guide, postage to the USA for a single disk and book would add about aud$15 in postage charges to the price for a total cost of $33 + $33 + $15 = aud$81.
If you're currently using an earlier registered version of the program and would like to upgrade to v5.0 then you can do so using our secure server by clicking on the Upgrade button below.
Click the Upgrade button to order the latest
WineBase Upgrade via our SSL secure server.
Total cost including postage is AUD$33 |
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Or if you've been thinking of buying WineBase for a while now but have waiting for the new version to be released before ordering you can use the following...
Click the Order button to order the latest
version of WineBase via our SSL secure server.
Total cost including postage is AUD$75 |
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Or if you would like to buy the program as a gift for someone else (we can send it to you or directly to them) then click here...
Click the Gift button to order the latest version of
WineBase as a gift for a friend via our SSL secure
server. Total cost including postage is AUD$75 |
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Trying to get in contact with me, July 2007
With barely 5 weeks notice CompuServe Pacific have announced that they will no longer be operating as an ISP in Australia from midnight 31st August.
Not only that but they won't be offering any mail forwarding so my old kentripp@compuserve.com address will stop working on that date.
Therefore if you haven't done so already, could you please update your address book entry for me to my kentripp@winebase.com.au email address.
A note for Vista users, July 2007
If you close the program using the normal X button in the top right hand corner of the window it will cause an Application Error, in this case a GPF.
Apart from being a minor annoyance it doesn't cause any problems for WineBase or Vista but if you instead close the program via the File / Exit the Program menu you won't get this error.
Also for users of 64Bit Windows Vista Premium that may be having problems running WineBase, some good news.
You can get around this minor problem by installing some FREE emulation software, namely Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 available at...
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/virtualpc/default.mspx
and whilst some setting up and configuration is required, hey, it's free and it works.
For Vista users running Excel/MS Office and having problems with exported winebase.wk1 files being blocked by your registry policy settings, details on changing (if required) the registry settings can be found here...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922848
v4.4 arrives, August 2006
Includes the new GoldBook information from the 24th edition (2007) of "Australian Wine Vintages" by Robin Bradley.
What else is new in this version...
Updated the Australian winery address files AUSADDR1.DLL and AUSADDR2.DLL to match the new entries in the GoldBook.
Updated the Australian Vintage Charts in the help file which are compiled from the Vintage Ratings in the current GoldBook.
Cleaned up the formatting on some of the graphs and took care of a few glitches.
v4.3 arrives, August 2005
Includes the new GoldBook information from the 23rd edition (2006) of "Australian Wine Vintages" by Robin Bradley.
What else is new in this version...
Updated the Australian winery address files AUSADDR1.DLL and AUSADDR2.DLL to match the new entries in the GoldBook.
Updated the Australian Vintage Charts in the help file which are compiled from the Vintage Ratings in the current GoldBook.
Fixed the glitch in the InterActive Maps that stopped both them and your computer from being very inter active at all.
The v4.3 upgrade will like all updated versions of WineBase, keep and use your existing data so upgrading from much earlier versions of the program isn't a problem.
v4.2 arrives, August 2004
Early in fact, as the release of v4.2 has been brought forward to coincide with the official release of XP Service Pack 2, beta versions of which have been circulating since early July. Which was about the same time as beta's of v4.2 of WineBase were in circulation following completion of development changes and the GoldBook data update for this year.
What followed was a fairly hectic rewrite of the program so that it would run on SP2 and whilst WineBase still looks and feels the same, major changes have been made to the underlying code so it will run on XP SP2 and hopefully continue to do so on future 32bit versions of Windows.
v4.2 will like all updated versions of WineBase, keep and use your existing data so upgrading from much earlier versions of the program isn't a problem. If you have an early build of v4.2 that's having problems with XP SP2 then please get in touch, perhaps remind us that you do in fact have v4.2 and we'll get a free upgrade disk to you.
What else is new in this version...
Includes the new GoldBook information from the 22nd edition (2005) of "Australian Wine Vintages" by Robin Bradley.
AUSADDR1.DLL has been split into two files (AUSADRR1.DLL and AUSADDR2.DLL) in order to allow for the increased number of Australian wineries and has been updated to match the new entries in the GoldBook.
Updated the Australian Vintage Charts in the help file which are compiled from the Vintage Ratings in the current GoldBook.
Updated the annoying but minor "Variety File Error" handling routine so it now works as it should on all versions of Windows.
v4.1 arrives, September 2003
Includes the new GoldBook data from the 21st edition (2004) of "Australian Wine Vintages" by Robin Bradley.
What else is new in this version...
AUSADDR1.DLL has been updated to match the new entries in the GoldBook and the GoldBook itself continues to grow and now has over 13,000 entries.
Updated all the help files including fixing an annoying problem with some versions of Windows that was causing the headings to be displayed in the same colour as the background.
Fixed a glitch in the 13 month graph that was causing problems for large monthly amounts.
Adjusted the layout of a few dialog boxes for better readability and to cure some clipped text.
Adjusted screen size for displays stuck in 800x600 mode to reduce clipping at bottom of
screen (program is best run at higher resolutions).
Improved the StatusLine text for higher resolution screens.
Beta's of v4.1 have been in circulation since mid July and it appears to be glitch free.
v4.0 is now available, September 2002
Includes new data from the 20th edition (2003) of "Australian Wine Vintages" which with its new binding continues to grow in size with more entries each year.
AUSADDR1.DLL has been updated to match the new entries in the GoldBook.
Updated the help files including new Vintage Charts derived from the vintage ratings in the GoldBook which gives us detailed charts for all Australian regions.
Added "word wrap" to the Attached Text File window which will make adding and editing wine notes a lot easier (and about time a lot of people are probably saying).
Modified Price and Value fields so that program no longer puts a space between $ sign and amount.
GoldBook lookup from Main Edit dialog no longer rounds Value to nearest $.
Modified the startup routine to better cater for some of the weird things XP seems to expect.>
Made some changes to the way some existing functions work (in the background to improve performance) so the program still looks and works the same way.
Removed an annoying bug in the standalone GoldBook screen that caused the region (Oz/NZ or USA) to toggle no matter what you had it set to in the menu.
Found another one in the 13 month graph (negative columns for large $ amounts!) and removed it.
Fixed another glitch in the Main Edit to GoldBook lookup that was causing an overflow for common vintages of some wines (ie. 1996 Penfolds with 22 entries!).
Beta's of v4.0 have been in circulation since July and the few new glitches that have surfaced appear to have been fixed.
Cellaring Guide, January 2002
Back in September last year Peter Svans of The Gurdies Winery in Gippsland sent me an excellent guide to wine cellaring that he'd written and offered it to all us WineBase users free of charge.
As this was right in the middle of the yearly upgrades and was followed in December by Graeme Philipson's very favorable article in the SMH and The Age which swamped us with new orders, it, well, sort of got lost for a while.
The guide is in PDF format and if you have a copy of Acrobat Reader you can read the guide by clicking here (Peter Svans Cellaring Guide, PROBLEMS.PDF 189k) and if you'd like to contact Peter for a FREE subscription to his monthly newsletter and also be sent a copy of the PDF file then send a blank email by clicking on the following email address whatson@thegurdieswinery.getresponse.com and if "mailto" doesn't work on your browser simply send an email to this address.
v3.9 hits the streets, August 2001
New data from the 19th (2002) edition of "Australian Wine Vintages" (the GoldBook).
Updated winery address details, help files etc.
Removed a couple of major bugs that few have noticed (because they rarely show
themselves) but are fatal if encounted, as well as a few minor ones.
Added graphic indicators in the Page Display window to indicate contents in the
Comments, Short Notes and Attached Text files (these join the Shopping Cart, Wine
Label, and GoldBook icons).
The Text Search (and Component of Variety search) now allows you to include the "Lost
Souls" file in the search. Makes searching for old tasting notes a tad easier.
v3.8 is here, October 2000
Now that the Olympic games are over and we're all back at work I guess its time I let you know that the new version of WineBase is now available.
v3.8 includes the new GoldBook data from the 18th edition (2001), updated winery details (and the Australian ones even have the right phone numbers), some new features and the usual minor improvements and glitch taming.
v3.7 Arrives, September 1999
The 17th edition of "Australian and New Zealand Wine Vintages" has been in the book shops for a few weeks now and after a couple of months of testing the new version of WineBase is also available.
Web Site Restructure, April 1998
I'm currently restructuring the site to provide more content, less clutter and to make it easier to navigate. This page has become a control centre for the non software areas of the site and on the left are a number of new menu choices that allow you to access all the links/maps/articles/regional contacts pages. These are being updated at the moment, new links added, old links checked etc.
Secure Server arrives, March 1998
I'm pleased to anounce that in collaboration with SiteLites we now have a secure server for the processing of all orders. The server itself is in the USA and unlike some "secure ordering" methods your order is not handled by any "third parties" nor is it sent to me via the normal (unsecure) internet mail system.
v3.5 FREE Upgrade arrives, March 1998
If you are currently using v3.5 of the program and obtained it before March 1998 you can now download the latest FREE incremental build of v3.5 which (depending on when you obtained your copy) may have several new/better features.
v3.5 Upgrade letters, January 1998
You will be pleased to hear that after a bit of a delay we've started mailing this years upgrade letters and hope to get through them all in the next month or so. If by some chance you haven't received your upgrade letter you can order now via our Secure Server.
Still using v3.3 then have a look at v3.4!!! Whatever happened to v3.2 and v3.3?.
v3.5 Arrives, October 1997
The 15th (1998) edition of "Australian and New Zealand Wine Vintages" is now in the bookshops and that means the new version of WineBase is also available.
New features include...
Data from the 15th (1998) edition of the GoldBook.
Improved the printing options so you can now print all/any of the fields from any Index listing.
Full web publishing added so you can create a web site of your wines (complete with index page) and show any/all of the wines information.
Fixed the Graph axis's by adding better scaling functions so your graphs look better and are more accurate.
Distribution graphs now sorted and include percentage distribution.
Export Index Listing to a text file now includes all the fields (if you wish) and you can now create a HTML file as well.
The "Stock & Value" graph has lost its button and been replaced by a new "13 Month Transaction" graph which shows wines bought, their cost and wines consumed and their value for the last 13 months.
Added a Transaction screen to the Page Display which shows your purchases and consumption for that wine.
And lots of other minor things.
Cost of the upgrade is the usual aud$30 which includes postage anywhere (air mail for overseas orders).
Due to house building and moving, not to mention office relocation I haven't started on the upgrade letters as yet but should have Australia done by late January.
Latest build of v3.4 available, May 1997
If you are using an early build of v3.4 then you can download the latest build via the "WineBase Club" pages.
Like all incremental builds of this program, this upgrade is FREE.
1996 Upgrade still underway, December 1996
I have sent all upgrade letters for Australia and New Zealand, and the Canadian ones leave today followed shortly after by the USA letters. Should be through Europe in the next week with the rest of the World to follow.
This has taken a bit longer than planned (there are a lot of letters to send) and whilst Christmas being only 3 weeks away might seem like a bit of a problem the Air Mail delivery times for letters and small packets doesn't seem to get affected that much.
1996 Upgrade underway, October 1996
Sorry for the delay and at long last I've started sending out the upgrade notices. I had planned to start sending them in September but a few things got in the way, so if you've been waiting for a letter to arrive and wondering if I'd forgotten about you then the answer is of course no, it's just that I've been a tad busy.
If you're in a hurry to get an upgrade I'm happy to take orders (and dispatch your disks within 24 hours) and if you're using v3.3 please read further down this page.
winebase.com
I have registered the domain name of winebase.com which is the first stage of setting up a US site for WineBase. Currently shopping around for an US ISP and hope to have the site up and running by Christmas.
v3.4 Arrives, September 1996
v3.4!!! Whatever happened to v3.2 and v3.3?
To which the answer is, nothing really and in the normal course of events this would
have been released as v3.2. Trouble is WineBase was also released as a commercial
"boxed" version for retail sale as v3.3. The contracts with the Australian and USA
distributors ended last November and you would have thought this ended the matter but
despite this the program is continueing to turn up in retail outlets and people seeing v3.3
stamped on the box were mistakenly thinking that this was the latest version of the
program and must therefore be better than the v3.1 shareware version.
Truth is v3.3 is actually v2.9 and as such is now so out of date its not worth using (or
buying) and in order to end all the confusion I have released this version as v3.4
See also WineBase in a Box (The not so good news).
A number of features have been added and some existing ones improved.
Web Page Update, March 1996
Changed the extensions on all but the main Index Pages in each directory from .html to .htm so if you've bookmarked a page and now can't find it this is the reason.
In case you haven't noticed I've "toned down" the pages a bit. They looked fine on my PC, but on 256 and (shock horror) 16 colour systems they could look very strange indeed.
I'm now using "Netscape approved" background colours and these will display well on any 256 colour system. The menus have been reduced to 16 colours which not only stops the mottling effect but cuts their size to 1/3 of what they were (so they'll load faster).
The "WineBase Web Club" regional pages are up and running and should soon even have some content.
If you're after some general wine reading and haven't visited the ASWE pages lately, there are now a number of articles in the "The Australian Wine Educator" section.
winebase.com.au, January 1996
Decided to get serious with this Internet stuff and in December 1995 registered the Domain Name of "winebase.com.au". You're currently looking at the Web part of this at "www.winebase.com.au" and I when I can work out how to do it, there will be a "ftp.winebase.com.au".
1995 v3.1 Upgrade Offer, December 1995
One thing that has come to my attention is that due to the wording of the upgrade letter a number of people were under the impression that WineBase had become a Windows 95 application and that in order to use v3.1 they would need to be running Windows 95.
Whilst WineBase v3.1 runs fine on Windows 95 its still a Windows 3.1 application so if you didn't upgrade because you didn't think you could, well you can.
The response to the annual upgrade offer has been up to the standard of previous years and the last couple of months have been hectic to say the least. The majority of people are even filling out the questionaire that this year covers the topics of CD's, On-Line Networks and the "WineBase Club".
| Already Have | Yes | No | | Buying One | Yes | No |
| CD Drive | 58% | 42% | | | 61% | 39% |
| Modem | 56% | 44% | | | 50% | 50% |
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| On-Line Service |
| CompuServe | 14% |
| Internet | 34% |
| Own Web Page | 2% |
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| WineBase Club | Yes | No |
| In favour of | 81% | 19% |
The "WineBase Club" has generated a fair bit of interest with a number of people making suggestions as to the form it could possibly take, and these include...
Use our "market clout" to obtain wine related products at a good price.
Regional get togethers of members for tastings, dinners etc.
Newsletter, Internet NewsGroup, Web Page.
Exchange of tasting notes.
Reviews of good value wines and pointers to bargains.
Lists of people willing to host/show around visitors.
On the subject of regional get togethers and people willing to show visitors around etc. a number of people have expressed interest in getting together with other WineBase users in their region/country. As I don't disclose my customer database to anyone it makes it impossible to distribute a list of nearby WineBase's to any other WineBase's.
So I figure the best way to get this up and running is if interested persons would like to post their contact details (name and phone number/eMail address would be enough) and their region/country to me I'll update the list then others in the same area could contact you.
Get in touch with me if you're interested via email: kentripp@winebase.com.au
And we already have a few volunteers...
WineBase in a Box (The good news), November 1995
Our 2 year fling with the commercial software publishing world has finally come to an end.
Not that the program didn't sell or get some very nice reviews, its just that apart from the "warm fuzzy" we got seeing WineBase sitting on the shelves of major software retailers in its nice standard "Microsoft sized" box, we didn't get much else out of it, and "warm fuzzies" soon wear off when everyone else is making money out of your product except you.
So please be advised that Softword Publishing P/L, Softmail and TTI (Thompson Trading International) no longer have any connection with WineBase, rights to market or sell it and cannot provide support or upgrades.
WineBase in a Box (The not so good news)
If you bought a retail version of WineBase v3.3 and are waiting to be sent an upgrade notice, then you may be waiting for a very long time indeed.
As your registration cards went to my former publisher or their agents, and they have not passed any of this information onto me I have no way of contacting you.
So if you bought WineBase in a retail outlet and have your registration card (or a copy), or receipt, disks etc. and would like details on how to be upgraded to the latest version of WineBase then please get in touch with me via mailto: kentripp@winebase.com.au
Phone 61 3 9580 2100
FAX 61 3 9580 0655
Almost Vertical Software P/L
P.O. Box 221
Black Rock VIC 3193
Australia
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