Topic: A Must Read

[AWL]

This is really bad news for Brian's Weather Display Program.

http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,60980.msg485354.html#msg485354

Doug

[cospringswx]

Sad news for sure!

[BigOkie]

Good thing is though is that he was kind of at a place where it doesn't need much more added to it and I haven't seen a lot of complaints.  He could have been coy and not said anything for a while but in the name of transparency I'm glad he did.  Think I've finally got mine dialed back in after about two weeks now.

I'm curious to see what add-ons he'll be looking at.

[ValentineWeather]

That sucks, never tried Weather Display but not good for all.
3 things guaranteed in life death, taxes and hard drive failure I've added. It's only a matter of time and unfortunately a lot of the software even the windows junk doesn't work when needed. One that will work when needed is Macrium Reflect but it's not free.

[CNYWeather]

 

[AWL]

Bet it has Brian really down. I can only imagine how he feels after working on Weather Display all these years and it's all gone in an instant.....

Doug

[cospringswx]

It has to be devastating. 

[Skywatch]

Very sad. I think when I can afford it I would like to help Brian out.

[bucks County Weather]

Personally I have helped out...as have the rest of us who purchased it for $70(US). Which  guarenteed unlimited free updates.  Seem too convenient that he lost everthing, specially when continued to make certain we all backed up everything.  I would expect him to miraculously conjor up another WD program (or some other name) and HOPEFULLY not charge everyone again.. but then again, this is a business.


Something seems amiss...............

[BigOkie]

Personally I have helped out...as have the rest of us who purchased it for $70(US). Which  guarenteed unlimited free updates.  Seem too convenient that he lost everthing, specially when continued to make certain we all backed up everything.  I would expect him to miraculously conjor up another WD program (or some other name) and HOPEFULLY not charge everyone again.. but then again, this is a business.


Something seems amiss...............

No one is forcing you to use it.

I think I might reserve judgement until we've walked a mile.  He did say he had the code base from Linux to work from, so he does have a start.

I know Steve has said he's taken a break and is looking at making Cumulus 2.0 a pay model.  I say more power to them both.  Both of these guys are working for very little or nothing BY THEMSELVES on software that likely could be 200 dollars US or more.  And they have better support than stuff like VWS does.

 

[K3JAE]

Personally I have helped out...as have the rest of us who purchased it for $70(US). Which  guarenteed unlimited free updates.  Seem too convenient that he lost everthing, specially when continued to make certain we all backed up everything.  I would expect him to miraculously conjor up another WD program (or some other name) and HOPEFULLY not charge everyone again.. but then again, this is a business.


Something seems amiss...............

I see that as very cold blooded and uncalled for. What a hateful thing to say after all these years of unending faithful support and improvements for Weather Display and the time he has sacrificed for the amateur weather enthusiast community.

Something amiss... yeah, I would say your common courtesy.

[Skywatch]

Personally I have helped out...as have the rest of us who purchased it for $70(US). Which  guarenteed unlimited free updates.  Seem too convenient that he lost everthing, specially when continued to make certain we all backed up everything.  I would expect him to miraculously conjor up another WD program (or some other name) and HOPEFULLY not charge everyone again.. but then again, this is a business.


Something seems amiss...............

I see that as very cold blooded and uncalled for. What a hateful thing to say after all these years of unending faithful support and improvements for Weather Display and the time he has sacrificed for the amateur weather enthusiast community.

Something amiss... yeah, I would say your common courtesy.

I 2nd this. There's rarely been an hour of the day where I didn't get a reply within 5-10 minutes. And never been a problem that wasn't resolved after 2 emails. There gave been many times I've wondered if Brian ever has time for himself or to sleep. Brian is hero to me in the WX world.


Buckscoweather, your comment was personal to all of us on so many levels. How can you be so brainless and heartless?

[W3DRM]

Folks, this thread seems to be going downhill. From what I can tell by his posts, Chris (buckscoweather) was only stating his feelings regarding the apparent lack of backups and the resulting loss of Brian's entire WD sources. He is probably upset, as we all are, that we won't see any new stuff coming down the pike from WD. The twist that seems to have everyone upset is Chris's suggesting that this was done intentionally. It was simply what I consider to be an honest comment and based on that, I don't think we should jump all over Chris for voicing his opinion on this or any other matter. He wasn't bashing Brian, just making a comment. So, I suggest that we all simply drop this issue and move on and enjoy our hobby.

As for the real issue of not having adequate backups, I would have to agree (and after the fact, I am sure Brian would also) that not having a complete backup storage strategy in place and working, is really not a good thing for any of us especially if we create and maintain software commercially or for our own use. We can all learn from this unfortunate event!

[BigOkie]

Folks, this thread seems to be going downhill. From what I can tell by his posts, Chris (buckscoweather) was only stating his feelings regarding the apparent lack of backups and the resulting loss of Brian's entire WD sources. He is probably upset, as we all are, that we won't see any new stuff coming down the pike from WD. The twist that seems to have everyone upset is Chris's suggesting that this was done intentionally. It was simply what I consider to be an honest comment and based on that, I don't think we should jump all over Chris for voicing his opinion on this or any other matter. He wasn't bashing Brian, just making a comment. So, I suggest that we all simply drop this issue and move on and enjoy our hobby.

As for the real issue of not having adequate backups, I would have to agree (and after the fact, I am sure Brian would also) that not having a complete backup storage strategy in place and working, is really not a good thing for any of us especially if we create and maintain software commercially or for our own use. We can all learn from this unfortunate event!

Don't you think accusing someone of something nefarious regarding his loss of source code is, at best, tasteless?  At least without knowing the facts.

Sure, we're all upset.  He has also said he has been able to a) decompile some of the code and retreive it, and b) he still has the linux source code based off windows.  Doesn't sound to me like he gives a rat's ass, however, that this is how Brian has been making his money for several years, as I understand it.

I'm finished with this thread and hope it dies a slow death as well.

[Skywatch]

Folks, this thread seems to be going downhill. From what I can tell by his posts, Chris (buckscoweather) was only stating his feelings regarding the apparent lack of backups and the resulting loss of Brian's entire WD sources. He is probably upset, as we all are, that we won't see any new stuff coming down the pike from WD. The twist that seems to have everyone upset is Chris's suggesting that this was done intentionally. It was simply what I consider to be an honest comment and based on that, I don't think we should jump all over Chris for voicing his opinion on this or any other matter. He wasn't bashing Brian, just making a comment. So, I suggest that we all simply drop this issue and move on and enjoy our hobby.

As for the real issue of not having adequate backups, I would have to agree (and after the fact, I am sure Brian would also) that not having a complete backup storage strategy in place and working, is really not a good thing for any of us especially if we create and maintain software commercially or for our own use. We can all learn from this unfortunate event!

You have a point that opinions are opinions. But does it not tick you off when somebody badmouths something that someone's worked hard on for years to loose everything then get ridiculed and insulted for it? To me that is one thing that pisses me of to the point of insanity. How dare anyone speak so negatively about someone else's misfortune on something someone put time and effort into. Wouldn't that piss you off?

[W3DRM]

Folks, this thread seems to be going downhill. From what I can tell by his posts, Chris (buckscoweather) was only stating his feelings regarding the apparent lack of backups and the resulting loss of Brian's entire WD sources. He is probably upset, as we all are, that we won't see any new stuff coming down the pike from WD. The twist that seems to have everyone upset is Chris's suggesting that this was done intentionally. It was simply what I consider to be an honest comment and based on that, I don't think we should jump all over Chris for voicing his opinion on this or any other matter. He wasn't bashing Brian, just making a comment. So, I suggest that we all simply drop this issue and move on and enjoy our hobby.

As for the real issue of not having adequate backups, I would have to agree (and after the fact, I am sure Brian would also) that not having a complete backup storage strategy in place and working, is really not a good thing for any of us especially if we create and maintain software commercially or for our own use. We can all learn from this unfortunate event!

You have a point that opinions are opinions. But does it not tick you off when somebody badmouths something that someone's worked hard on for years to loose everything then get ridiculed and insulted for it? To me that is one thing that pisses me of to the point of insanity. How dare anyone speak so negatively about someone else's misfortune on something someone put time and effort into. Wouldn't that piss you off?

Yes, it bothers me when anyone ridicules someone else, especially when the one being ridiculed has put untold hours into a product that all of us love. However, if one were to step back and put things into perspective, we really don't know anything about the background of the individual making the statements, except that he was one who had purchased WD and apparently had some reasonable expectations about the product being available into the future. When it was announced that new windows versions of WD would no longer be available he probably felt like he had purchased a bill of goods that could no longer stand up to his longevity expectations (right or wrong) and thus, made some comments that admittedly were not the best choices of words. We can defend Brian all day long but the fact remains that it was his decision to overwrite his only backup copy of the sources he had, just prior to the disk crash. I believe Chris's comments were made prior to what really happened had become common knowledge on the forums so Chris was reacting to something that, in his mind, seemed strange and possibly questionable.

[Skywatch]

But then again wouldn't that imply Chris hadn't read to far into the full nature and circumstances behind the situation? Maybe a misunderstanding on his part. Still his comments seemed to me to blame Brian on something that wasn't Brian's fault. I can understand the frustration of hearing that news days after making the purchase, but I and others feel Chris went a bit too far. To me there's a line between having an opinion and being haisty.

Besides, to me upgrades were not necessary. I mean what's wrong with build 81? Not much different from build 80. The root of the negative comments seems a bit minor. Making a huge deal on something so small like updates. Build 81 is perfectly fine the way it is. Brian has also come up with a side companion module since the crash. In my opinion Brian is doing what he can with what he has.

I'm not saying your wrong or right. We just have different perspectives on the matter. Let's call meet halfway and lay this to rest.

[Aardvark]

OK.. I said I wasn't going to offer anyone advice, but here it goes.

Brian (WeatherDisplay)  has decompiled  a copy of his program successfully, so he is back in business with updates. He is probably going to revamp the software.  So it is still good, you can download what is on his site and he still supports everything.  How do I know, Well I also subscribe to the Weatherdisplay Forum as I have for many years.

Second item.  Backup, backup, and backup.   I have a dedicated drive for back up copies of my data files,   I also periodically  copy those files (zipped)  to a CD so I have my historical data just in case everything runs downhill.

Back up your weather data as well as everything else precious to you on your computer.

Third item (and a piece of advice) Never believe anything you are told on any of these forums. Check it out. Do internet searches, Google, Bing, go everywhere and then when you find something, come back and see if anyone here or on any weather board has used that product, service, problem, company, item, and then make a decision.

Fourth item.  I have been reading this thread and it is just a few people complaining without emailing Brian and asking him  what is the status of things.  Sounds like a hen party (no offense to hens)  an lot of sqwacking back and forth, opinions without substance. Kind of like most conversations among friends, someone always upset about something.


Fifth and final, if you don't like the way I answered or offered you information, it is time to put on your big boy pants or big girl pants and talk to me rather than complain to a moderator about it. It is very annoying.

I have had a Davis station since 1993 and over that time, I have had issues with it, repeaters, baffled by the whole thing, sought out help, found solutions on my own and with the help of others (my bookmark menu is loaded with stuff for the next time I messup).  I have had many discussions back and forth, battles, peace offerings and good help as well. I have received the gift of help and I have given it as well.   

Bye  I need to weed the garden today, apply mulch and check on why my 4 inch moisture probe is reading high.  I think it has been dry so long that the soil has pulled away from the sensor just by so much.  I am guessing I will have to dig down by it, put in some top soil and rewet the area to get it to read saturated when it is . There.. There is another solution to a problem (Plus I read about it )

Go to the source and ask, thou shall be rewarded.  Now I am gone.

[Garth Bock]

I hope that everything works out for him. I too have had the heart break of not backing stuff up. It was always on the list for tomorrow....was burned once or twice and now I overdo it. My big question is since WD is now frozen in time...what about WDL ? I was thinking of buying but am holding for the moment, since it too is frozen in time as well (correct me if I am wrong). Is it still worth buying or does everyone like WeatherFlash (Ambient) better ?


"My mother said I was a procrastinator.....I looked at her...squinted my eyes....pointed my finger at her and said...."just...you...wait..."

[Skywatch]

Can't speak for WeatherFlash but WDL is great. As WD, WDL update or not still works great for me. Then again I don't have it sending to a website yet. I use it to customize the WDL display in WD.

[Aardvark]

I hope that everything works out for him. I too have had the heart break of not backing stuff up. It was always on the list for tomorrow....was burned once or twice and now I overdo it. My big question is since WD is now frozen in time...what about WDL ? I was thinking of buying but am holding for the moment, since it too is frozen in time as well (correct me if I am wrong). Is it still worth buying or does everyone like WeatherFlash (Ambient) better ?


"My mother said I was a procrastinator.....I looked at her...squinted my eyes....pointed my finger at her and said...."just...you...wait..."

I have WDL and it costs 40 compared to 89 from Ed.  I like it, go look at my site, I have it modified for what I want.  I am not familiar with Weatherflash.   I think the important thing is if you have VWS, then stay with the family.   IF you have Wdisplay then go with WDL

The difference is how does the data from your station get to your website,  Wdisplay uses specific files it generates, and I am guessing VWS  has its own.   
     Brian recently made available the executable file from WD he decompiled and it works, so it isn't a case of  being left high and dry but  I believe he is making modifications. Such as who besides me uses the Globe send?   No one , I guess so he might take that routine out and add something different. 

I like WDL, but you have to decide what works. I do see that on the Ambient site as well as the Wdisplay they have a free download for a limited number of days, try it.

[Harryca]

^On your previous post, well said, Aardvark.  I totally agree.

I like WDL, been using it for years.  It is highly configurable.  You can make the display as big or small as you want, change colors/fonts on some of the gauges, and use different style gauges.  You can see my version in action here: http://ucweather.org/wxindex.php

[Aardvark]

http://www.weather-watch.com/smf/index.php/topic,60999.75.html

read the thread,  WD is coming back.

[mikeym2m]

That's really GREAT news!   

Cheers

MikeyM

[W Thomas]

Great news WD is making a comeback from the ashes so to say! I can truthfully say that Brian,just like Ken have helped me on a one to one basis when I had unusual or problems I just couldn't quite get a grip on correcting.  In today's world this is rare for a pay service and almost unheard of on a free support basis!  Without good weather programs that are well supported and add on scripts that make them even better our hobby would be a whole lot more archaic!

Thanks guys!  And to all those talented folks who make their works freely available to our community!