[fred]

If you have not tried BBO Version 4.8.7 or later, I suggest you use the link below to read about it before upgrading to 4.9.7:

Click for 487 post

Mostly bug fixes, but a few notable changes:

- I got rid of the spread out cards that appeared in "wide" but not "big cards" mode. Sorry if you liked this, but I got a lot of complaints.

- non-Classic View has a new default color scheme. If you want to see it, log in, click Options, then the Color tab, then the "Restore defaults" button. Most likely there will be some minor changing coming to this color scheme. If your initial reaction is "yuck", please stick with it for at least an hour or so. I suspect you will come to really like the new color scheme (as I have). The new color scheme was created by a real artist, by the way (as opposed to a programmer who is overly enthusiastic about bright colors who has picked our default colors in the past).

If you prefer the old default colors, you can get them back by switching to Classic View and then going through the procedure described in the above paragraph.

- If there are very few people showing in the lobby list, some new instructions will appear at the bottom of this list. The main purpose of these instructions is to help new members get a feel for concepts like "members", "hosts", "friends" "the lobby list", and "chat" (which are obviously all central to the BBO experience but are not necessarily intuitive concepts to new members) as well as to introduce the notion that both left and right clicks are used throughout the program.

Probably most of you will rarely see these instructions in your day-to-day use of BBO (because you will usually have too many people showing in the lobby list for the instructions to appear). New members, however, will have default lobby settings of "show only yellows and friends". Since new members won't have any friends, they will see only yellows. As long as there are less than 14 non-vugraph yellows online (which in practice is always) they will see the instructions.

If you want to see what these instructions look like, make sure you are in non-Classic View, click the "Options" button at the bottom of the lobby list, then "Select members to display" and then arrange for only yellows (hosts) to be displayed through the commands on the sub-menu that appears.

Please let me know either by e-mail (fred@bridgebase.com) or by making a Forums post if you find any problems with 4.9.7.

We have been getting a lot of excellent help from our Forums regulars with testing. Much appreciate - thanks - please keep it up!

The new version does not contain the latest language files. If you are part of the BBO translation team, please click this link:

Translation link

Instructions for upgrading to version 4.9.7 follow.

You can upgrade to 4.9.7 at:

Click here to update!

or download everything at:

Click here for everything!

I suggest you use the first method, but however you do this, please make sure you exit the BBO program COMPLETELY before you start the download process.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com