[fred]

You can update your BBO to the latest version at:

www.bridgebase.com/beta364/bbo_update.exe

or download everything (including the latest) from scratch at:


www.bridgebase.com/beta364/bbo_setup.exe


I suggest you use the first method, but whatever method you
use, please make sure you have exited the BBO program
COMPLETELY before you start!

For those of you who have not tried 3.6.2 or 3.6.3 yet, I
suggest you read the description of the new features that
were introduced in these version in previous forums posts
that I have made.

The main purpose of 3.6.4 was to fix some bugs that were
introduced in 3.6.2 and 3.6.3 (thanks to everyone who
reported problems!). There are, however, some new features
in 3.6.4:

- Proper scrollbars are now used when you are at a table
and view the Table or Tourneys lists.

- Lobby News now occupies its own window.

- Filtering now works when you are at a table. Click the Lobby
or Table button and then click the same button again to
invoke this facility.

- Players names in team matches and during vugraph
broadcasts are now color coded (as are the names of the
teams where the scores are displayed). This should make
it easier for people to know which players are on
which teams.

- Andorra flag added - let us know if your flag is missing!

- First step of correcting the incorrect spelling of Venezuela
has been taken. It may still take a couple of weeks before
this problem is resolved for everyone. Sorry to our members
from Venezuela for this embarassing mistake.

- Vugraph theatre will be used only for live broadcasts in the
future. We will maintain an archive of past vugraph files in
the Bridge Library area.

- "Learn Bridge!" has been renamed "Study Bridge!". I don't
really like either name - suggestions are welcome!

As usual, please let me know if you find any problems or
have any suggestions. You can either post feedback here or
send me e-mail: fred@bridgebase.com

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[McBruce]

Suggestion: add a file in the flags for USA1 and USA2 -- during viewing of some of the Bermuda Bowl .lin files the flag for these teams remained blank.

[Dwingo]

Quote

Players names in team matches and during vugraph broadcasts are now color coded (as are the names of the teams where the scores are displayed). This should make it easier for people to know which players are on which

As usual, great improvements

Not a bug, only suggestions

1. Great feature. One team is light coloured blue and the other team is slightly darker blue. When it is the turn of the player ( who is in the dark blue team) to bid or play , his colour changes to light blue ( same as Opps colour ). Not a major issue, but a minor confusion can prevail.

If the same colour feature can be added to the Table , it will be great. In the Team match, when you click Table , you can see the 2 Tables in play. The same colour schemes if used in this place, will add colour here and easy to identify the teams.

2. Is there a way to register to play in tournaments from a table in the Main Bridge Club? Now when an announcement of a tournaments comes in the lobby, one of us
will have to leave the Table for the registration process. Better still , if I can do it from the table.

[julie5607]

Good additions in the new beta, especially the ability to filter from within a table. I like the new "show news" button up on the top as well. Now that I see you can put a button up there, I have a suggestion. Can we get back the "find friend" button and put it at the top of any of the "play bridge" sites, like tournaments, team games, and main bridge club? Often I want to join a friend who is watching or playing in a tourney or a team game, and I go to the lobby, see where she is, go to the appropriate playing room, and by the time I get there I have forgotten the name/number of the team game or the tournament or they all look the same and I have to navigate back to the lobby and look again. A find friend button would make that process a lot quicker and easier and allow people to track down who they want from any location, not just one where they have access to the lobby.

Thanks,

Julie

p.s. On second thought, since there is now a chat area in every location, just putting a "view lobby" button on the top of each room and allowing people to switch from chat to lobby view in all of the bridge clubs and tournament/team game rooms would serve the purpose well and provide even better functionality.

J

[bearmum]

I appreciale you need to test new versions - BUT why not test them on REALLY computer literate folks who would be able to revert to earlier versions if the NEW version caused problems ?? BTW I am NOT "computer literate"

[Mirjam_3]

What about Improve Bridge

[fred]

bearmum, on Mar 6 2004, 01:04 PM, said:

I appreciale you need to test new versions - BUT why not test them on REALLY computer literate folks who would be able to revert to earlier versions if the NEW version caused problems ?? BTW I am NOT "computer literate"

Getting involved in the testing is a voluntary thing.
I suggest that you don't get involved in testing unless
you are fairly comfortable with things like downloading.

If you are concerned that a new version is causing
problems for you, please send me e-mail and let
me know what is happening. You will receive an
apology as well as instructions for reverting to an
order version if that's what you want to do. My e-mail
address is: fred@bridgebase.com

We use forums to announce new releases because it
is a good way to help spread the word quickly. We
always do quite a bit of internal testing before we
announce a new release, but we depend on volunteers
from the general BBO population in order to thoroughly
test new versions (and to get feedback).

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[inquiry]

omg... as a frequent kibitizer, I love the color coding of pairs in TEAM events. Great addition. Kudos to whoever came up with this idea.

Ben

[fred]

inquiry, on Mar 6 2004, 05:59 PM, said:

omg... as a frequent kibitizer, I love the color coding of pairs in TEAM events. Great addition. Kudos to whoever came up with this idea.

Ben

Deanrover6 gets the kudos for this one.

The colors themselves will improve in the next version.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[tenbrvc]

Here's my two cents worth!

Instead of Play Bridge! Study Bridge! Shop Bridge!

How about?

Bridge Play
Bridge Instruction
Bridge Shop

and leave the secondary headings. I like them because they explain what each group is about.

Bridge Play - Click to play or watch
Bridge Instruction - Improve your game
Bridge Shop - Buy bridge products

I like the pop up window for the bridge news. It is great for people logging in for the first time because they can't miss it, and it will teach them to navigate the site.

Keep up the great work!

Michael

[julie5607]

I like those headings, except perhaps the second one should be Bridge Resources instead, since that might more accurately describe what one can find there. And while we are at it, why not move the vugraph theatre to the Bridge Play area rather than where it is presently, since you are only going to be using it for live bridge events from now on?

Just a suggestion - enjoying the program and the process,

Julie

[Frosty]

I, for one, appreciate the opportunity to use beta versions as they become available. (ok, I also peek inside Christmas presents too).

Frosty/Jan

[mishovnbg]

Spoiler

--------------------------------------------------------

Hi Fred!

Spoiler

------

The design of new BBO client have one main disatvantage vs old one: the long way to main lobby, most common place to play. In my opinion, will be better if program go directly in main lobby and this window to remain to be general, while list of players can be placed like buttons "tournaments", "tables"... For experienced BBO users advantage is fast way to play a few, for newcomers - click and play function to not discourage them with long way where they can lose patience. There is near nothing to do with list of players, unlike with main lobby.

Spoiler

-----

About 3 buttons in first window: good tree structure for programer doesn't mean good stucture for user. Probably we need 5 buttons:

• "Chat" - chat room, list of players, find person, filters...
  
• "Play" - remain same, but lobby from this list need to be main window
  
• "Read" - library, archives(include "My hands" and tournament results)
  
• "Train" - Parnership bidding, Double dummy, New training room for play?, lecture hall. By the way Fred, long time from your last lecture, hope to enjoy to new one or watch your play in your own BBO... Or you already don't like it?
  
• "Try/buy bridge" - besides demo versions of programs fragments of books can be added. Vugraph theatre must be here, probably need to pay for watching best players in the world, while for others will be in the form of "try".

Spoiler

-----

Will be nice to have same buttons in right bottom when you enter somewhere for fast switching between them. Really important addition will be possibility to register for rourney, while playing anywhere.

Spoiler

----------------------------

Misho, BBO&Fred&Uday fan

[fred]

tenbrvc, on Mar 6 2004, 06:57 PM, said:

Here's my two cents worth!

Instead of Play Bridge! Study Bridge! Shop Bridge!

How about?

Bridge Play
Bridge Instruction
Bridge Shop

and leave the secondary headings. I like them because they explain what each group is about.

Bridge Play - Click to play or watch
Bridge Instruction - Improve your game
Bridge Shop - Buy bridge products

I like the pop up window for the bridge news. It is great for people logging in for the first time because they can't miss it, and it will teach them to navigate the site.

Keep up the great work!

Michael

Interesting thoughts, but to me "Bridge Instruction" does
not sound sexy enough.

Someone suggested "Discover Bridge!" for the 2nd button
and I kind of like that - what do you think?

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[anssibragge]

Earlier I could see the version of the software rigth after logging in. Now it's been removed?

Can I see at all somewhere which version I am running? :)

abe

[fred]

anssibragge, on Mar 7 2004, 07:29 PM, said:

Earlier I could see the version of the software rigth after logging in. Now it's been removed?

Can I see at all somewhere which version I am running?

abe

You can see the version number at the left side of
the window that appears when you first run the
BBO program (ie before you log in).

I will try to include the info somewhere on the lobby
screen if I can find the space and make it look ok.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebsae.com

[Dwingo]

Quote

Someone suggested "Discover Bridge!" for the 2nd button
and I kind of like that - what do you think?

How about "Explore Bridge"

[Rain]

Nice new names for those buttons Yep it has to be sexy and catchy, hehe. I like Discover Bridge. It seems cooler than "Explore"



Rain

[fred]

Rain, on Mar 8 2004, 04:42 AM, said:

Nice new names for those buttons Yep it has to be sexy and catchy, hehe. I like Discover Bridge. It seems cooler than "Explore"



Rain

I like both "explore" and "discover". So far those are
by far my favorites out of everything I have heard.

If someone knows how to set up one of those fancy
Forums polls so that people can vote on this please
do so!

Thanks,

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[mr1303]

One thing I've noticed.

When you click on a tournament, for the purposes of registering, the dialogue box in the middle, giving the description of the tournament, covers up the buttons at the bottom of the screen (register, partnership desk etc)