Newsletters

August 2010 Newsletter

No excuses! It has been a long time since I have written a newsletter for dbandsons.com - but I have been busy in both my personal and professional life. My websites have had to take a backseat for quite a long time. However, I am starting to get the ball rolling again. On August 22, 2010 I released a new version of Church Secretary for Windows. Hopefully, CSW 2010 will be the best version so far, and yes, it is a free upgrade to licensed versions of earlier editions. There have been many changes in this latest release, so users of older versions may need to first export, and then import their data into the new program. If you need help, don't hesitate to email me at dbandsons@aol.com I also announced another web site on August 22, 2010 – http://www.dbandsons.net That site is a different format than http://www.dbandsons.com and I may find it easier to update. More importantly, that new web site may be used if I begin hosting applications. Yes, I am finally really considering offering hosted applications such as a Church Management program, or Customer Support/Help Desk Program, or possibly Real Estate listings program where customer could have a web site they can update, report on, etc, with nothing to install. Nothing certain yet, but I am testing some applications right now. I have other version upgrades planned or in process. One of these upgrades (to AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition) has been placed on hold. I have found some limitations in the Microsoft Access backend that are making me reconsider some things about that upgrade. I haven’t decided which program will be the next to have the “2010” model year as its version number, but it won’t be too long. So check the web sites periodically. Thanks for subscribing to the newsletter. By the way, special note to one of my favorites: Joe! Email or call me. It has been too long. Dennis Baggott (the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)

Newsletter Archives

While I have been sending out newsletters from the site for a few months now, I decided to add a page to keep old issues on the site for those that want to read them or missed an issue. If you haven't already done so, you may want to subscribe to receive the newsletters via email - subscribe on the Forums Page.

I will try not to make them so frequent that they become a nuisance, but this may be the best way to notify you of news. Especially if you are a licensed user of one of our programs, you will want to subscribe to be notified of free upgrades or other product news. Speaking of free upgrades, registered users of QUAD Help Desk Pro Edition who purchased their license prior to July 31st are being offered a free license for our just released QUAD Help Desk Client Server Edition. What's the catch? There really isn't one. I just need an email from licenced users of QUAD Help Desk Pro Edition letting me know they have tried and like the new Client Server Edition and I will send them a free registration key for QUAD Help Desk Client Server Edition 2006. The Client Server Edition is not just a new version of QUAD Help Desk, but an entirely new edition. We now offer QUAD Help Desk Standard, Professional and Client Server Editions.

January 2008 Newsletter

Happy New Year! 2007 has come and gone and I have to say it was busy. I didn't accomplish all the things I hoped to last year - regular newsletters for one. However, as a fresh new year is underway, I hope to do a better job at that during 2008.

Microsoft's new Vista operating system took a lot of my time last year. While I do like the look and feel of Vista, it has complicated life for many developers. Even users may find themselves frustrated, or at least annoyed, with UAC - User Access Control. One of the first things I do when using a computer running Vista is turn off UAC. It may not be the best security practice, but like many, I find it complicates life a bit too much. One of the other things I don't like about Vista is lack of support for good old fashioned .hlp style help files. I have found that most of my programs, even those not updated in quite a long time, will run on Vista - pretty well if you turn off UAC, but I am having to update many of the help files for my programs.

What can you expect from DB and Sons in 2008? Unfortunately, price increases for many of my programs. I made the tough decision to keep the policy of free version upgrades for licensed users, and free technical support via email, and no per user charges but I will increase the prices of several of my programs. College days are fast approaching with the oldest son a High School Senior and the youngest a High School Freshman. So I am sorry to say that some of my software will cost more in 2008. I hope to continue to get feedback from customers that our programs still provide great value to their organizations in 2008.

Some of my programs will be re-written in the coming year and that may be a good thing. The first of these is Quad Help Desk 2008 and this is likely to be followed by a totally revised Church Secretary 2008. I am finishing up the documentation for QUAD Help Desk 2008 and reaction to this new release will affect the plans I make for upgrades to other programs.

The AccessAble Help Desk programs may get revised in 2008, but I will most likely be updating the web interface for some of my help desk and customer service programs to include web charts. Check back and see what "develops" for theses programs.

To all of you who have honored me in the past by purchasing a site license for one of my many programs - Thanks and God Bless You. I hope the coming year will be a Happy and Prosperous one for you and yours. To those of you who haven't purchased any of my software, well, Happy New Year to you, too. But do me a favor and email me with any suggestions or commetns. If you didn't find a program that met your needs on my site, maybe I just haven't written it yet.

Happy New Year!

Dennis Baggott (the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)

July 2007 Newsletter

I can't believe it is already July 2007. The year is more than half gone and while I have updated several programs, I have not yet completed as many upgrades as planned. Most recently I released Mind Your Own Listings 2007, an upgrade to one of our programs for real estate agents. Our emphasis continues to be on our help desk, customer support and church management software. However, I had an email from an Australian who liked MYOL but had several things he wanted changed. By the time I finished, the new version had been rewritten almost from scratch. However, I was pleased with the end result and hope those who need a program like this will find that I spent my time well on that upgrade.

I can blame Bill Gates for keeping me busy a good part of this year. Microsoft Vista has consumed a lot of my time and while I like the Vista look and feel, the rules for developers (and users) changed quite a bit. I have only tested some of my programs on Vista and have found they seem to be run alright, however, the new UAC - user access control - "feature" in Vista can be problematic. Vista may be more secure that earllier versions of Microsoft Windows, but you may find, as I did, that the security improvements can be annoying and frustrating to a certain extent.

I did release AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition 2007 in January of this year, and hope to get an updated version of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition ready to go before year end.

While I don't want to go out on a limb and predict which upgrades will be next, I am seriously considering a Client Server edition for our popular IT Help Desk program - Been There, Done That!. I also hope to make some changes to some of our church management programs - long overdue for a facelift is Church Secretary Professional Edition 2.0.

I will try not to wait so long to write the next newsletter. Time will tell.

For those that want more information on the "sons" in DB and Sons, Michael has just been to football camp at the University of West Georgia and is anxious for the high school football season to start. Ryan has spent most of the summer working at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa and was named Employee of the Month for July.

That's all for this newsletter, hope you and yours are well. Shout out to my old Air Force buddy, who I know subscribes to the newsletter - "Hi Joe - hug Elaine and say hi to the kids for me".

Best Wishes,

Dennis Baggott - the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons

January 2007 Newsletter

January 2007 has almost come and gone and the biggest news was the release of AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition 2007. AAHD Pro Edition continues to be one of our most popular programs for IT Help Desks. The 2007 version included changes to the database structure - the first since version 2.0 - as well as many changes to the windows and web interface. Some of the changes included in AAHD Pro Edition 2007 will be included in the next version of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition. However, I will also be releasing a set of new and enhanced web pages for AAHD C/S 2.59 to licensed users of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition.

I have a couple of other upgrades planned for our IT Help Desk and Generic Customer Support programs scheduled for this year, and I also hope to update some of our software for church administration.

I will also be setting up a special team of select beta testers chosen from among our currently licensed users who will participate in a focus group of sorts. Beginning later in the first quarter and ending in the second quarter of 2007 I will be asking these testers to evaluate and provide feedback and the next versions of our help desk software. Active participation with specific likes and dislikes will be essential to determine the "look and feel" as well as the features to be included or removed in future versions of our software. If you are a licensed owner of one of our help desk programs, especially our Client Server based programs, and are interested in participating please email me at dbandsons@aol.com with Beta Test Team in the subject and the version of our program you are currently using in the body of the email.

I hope the year is off to a great start for you and your organization.

Sincerely,

Dennis Baggott
(the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)
http://www.dbandsons.com
http://www.lnsoftware.com

PS - the $50 discount on sites licenses for AAHD Pro Edition 2007 ends at the end of this month (NOTE: If you place your order before the end of January 2007 you can use the discount code: VHG000J0 when placing your order with BMT Micro to get $50 off the site license price.)

December 2006 Newsletter

This year has really flown by for me, how about you? I accomplished a lot I had hoped to do, but not everything I intended to do, during 2006. No, the sons didn't get a Playstation 3, maybe next year. I enjoyed watching both my boys play football and now enjoy watching them "rassle" as they have each joined the school wrestling team.

Looking back at software development issues this year, I am glad to have released several upgraded programs and a new one or two. My IT Help Desk programs and Generic Customer Support have been the most active. I have not spent as much time on my other programs. I have had to spend my time where email from customers and potential customers (as well as sales figures) dictated. I am very pleased with the soon to be released AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition 2007, currently in beta testing. I plan on incorporating many of the changes in this new version in the 2007 version of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition, but I will let that upgrade wait a while longer.

I have made one significant resolution for 2007, and decided not to begin charging for version upgrades next year. I believe that the combination of no upgrade charges and no additional per user charges are two things that really add value to my software. So despite advice from my Chief Financial Officer (my wife), I have decided to continue my policy of free version upgrades. I can hear you saying "Yeah!!! WooHoo! " and so on. If you have already purchased a license for one of my programs, this is just another way I say "Thanks!".

That's the good news - the bad news is that I may be increasing the price for some of my progams next year. So if you have not yet bought a license for one of my programs, but have been thinking about it, I can hear you too: "Boo! Hiss! You Suck!" and so on. To those of you I have only one thing to say:

"have you seen the prices for the new Sony Playstation 3 ????"

Anyway, if you are a licensed user of one of my programs, I thank you for the compliment you paid me by buying a license for one of my programs. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year. If you have not bought a license for one of my programs.. what are you waiting for? Just kidding. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.

Dennis Baggott
(the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)
http://www.dbandsons.com

check out the sons web sites when you have some time. Dad is proud of both of them

http://www.ryanbaggott.com
http://www.michaelbaggott.com

Sorry, Mom, I didn't forget you..

http://www.sherrybaggott.com

November 2006 Newsletter

November has been a busy month, and December will likely be just as busy. Been There, Done That! was the first help desk program I ever wrote and it continues to be popular. It never included a web server interface - until Now, that is! Problem Solved! was developed in response to customers who liked Been There, Done That! but wanted a web capability. In November I released an optional web application for Been There, Done That! and also a totally revised web server feature for Problem Solved! 2007. Problem Solved! 2006 had not been available long when I took another look at it and decided to add some features and make some changes to the database structure. Still a free version upgrade to registered users of earlier versions, the changes to the tables mean import/export may be required for existing uses who upgrade to PS 2007.

I also released an update to Shut Up and Reboot! 2006 - this corrected a problem with importing of mailing/email addresses - but also added the same type of web server as included in Been There, Done That! and Problem Solved.

I have also just released an udpated set of web pages for AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition (included in the aacs.zip download is a new websetup.exe - available for download separately at http://www.dbandsons.com/aacs259web.exe ) . More changes are in store for the AccessAble Help Desk programs - possibly before year end. I plan on making several changes to the database structure to add additional fields, a common solutions lookup table, as in the just released Problem Solved! 2007, and more. The next (2007) releases of AccessAble Help Desk Pro and Client Server Editions will most likely include web pages in .ASPX format instead of the Classic .ASP pages.

For many of my new installations I may be adding an Update feature. This may allow for you to schedule your computer to periodically check for updates. The hope is this will allow registered users to receive updates automatically when I make changes such as with the problem corrected in Shut Up and Reboot! importing of email/mailing addresses.

Back to work for me, check the web site periodically - or wait on the next newsletter. I always welcome emails from customers and potential customers, but over the next few weeks I would especially glad to head from users of AccessAble Help Desk Pro and/or Client Server Edition to get their feedback as I work on the 2007 releases of these programs.

Dad

October 2006 Newsletter

I am writing this newsletter on November 1st, so while I take a look back at October 2006 I am also looking forward to what I hope to accomplish this month. I have added a new edition to the QUAD Help Desk line of generic customer support programs. QUAD Help Desk Client Server Edition 2006 was released in October and is intended for those who like QUAD Help Desk or QUAD Help Desk Pro Edition but wanted to use Microsoft SQL Server as the backend. I have now provided for download a set of web pages in .asp format to supplement the QUAD HD Client Server Edition Windows application.

Problem Solved! 2006 was also released in October. This replaced version 4.6 and includes a new interface for the windows application. The Web Server application was unchanged since 4.0.

Problem Solved! was the second help desk program I developed. Been There, Done That! was my first program and it still proves to be very popular. However, it did not include a web server. That was part of the reason for the name of Problem Solved! - I had people email me that they liked BTDT but the only problem was they wanted a web interface to allow end users to submit support requests. Well, I am now adding an add-on web server for Been There, Done That! 2006. It is some ways very similar to the PS Web Server - but a little fancier and possibly even easier to set up. Click the icon created by the installation and start serving web pages. I hope many users of Been There, Done That! will find the new web server a welcome addition to the windows application and that at $99 for a site license - a bargain, too!

While I have been busy writing and updating software, one of the things that has been on my to do list for some time now is an updated product matrix for my IT Help Desk and Generic Customer Support Software - I will hope to have this available in November.

While I may be able to update one of more of my church software programs before the end of the year, I really can't say right now. I am considering a change or two to some other program categories, however, so stay tuned.

I will continue with my policy of free version upgrades to licensed users through the end of the year. If this policy were to change in 2007 - users who had bought their site license prior to 2007 would be "grandfathered" in to continue eligibility for free version upgrades. Free technical support will continue to be available via email.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check the web site periodically. If you are a registered user of Been There, Done That! and are on version 2006 email me for a link to download and try the BTDT Web Server. It will also be posted on the web site later this month.

Dad

September 2006 Newsletter

Most notable during September 2006 was the release of Proactive Customer Support 2006. This is an upgrade to one of our generic customer support programs. The user interface for the windows application was updated significantly, hopefully for the better. This is also the first of my programs where I have inlcuded a web interface in the newer Asp.NET format instead of Classic ASP pages. They don't look very different in the browser, however, development turned out to be much different for me. I now plan on rewriting some of my other web page applications to use these new .aspx pages - and as always, I will be glad to have user feedback.

I don't especially like writing custom software, or making developer modifications to an existing program. However, I did that in two cases in September. One user wanted to have a user/procedure security feature like I provide in QUAD Help Desk Pro, for example, included in a customized version of AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition. This customer also wanted some changes to the email sending features so I made that change as well. Another customer needed data files for Problem Solved! to be encrypted. While I am glad that these customers were pleased with the end results, I have to admit it took away a lot of time for my other development efforts.

What's next? Well, I will be updating Problem Solved! 4.6 to add yet another 2006 version release, possibly completing this in October. I have really not completed a wish list of changes for AccessAble Help Desk Pro and Client Server Edition. There are some things on the list, but I may now spend a good bit of time revising the web pages to .aspx format. Each has it's pros and cons, so I will be glad to have feedback on the .NET ASP vs Classic ASP question.

Some of the other updates I had planned for 2006 just may not happen. I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said "you can't please all the people, all the time". Whoever said that, I have to agree and will just try to please as many as I can with my software efforts. Having said that, if you are already a registered user of one of my programs (thanks for your order, by the way) I would love to hear from you. If you have been pleased with the program you are using, I would be glad to hear that, but if you have suggestions for improvement I will also be glad to read your comments. Write to me at dbandsons@aol.com

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Dennis Baggott
(the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)
http://www.dbandsons.com

August 2006 Newsletter

Just a short newsletter to mention one new program and a major upgrade to another. QUAD Help Desk Client Server Edition 2006 is now available. This edition rounds out our line of QUick And Dirty help desk programs for generic customer support. Unlike the Standard and Pro Editions, QUAD Help Desk Client Server relies on Microsoft's SQL Server as the backend database. Even small organizations needing an easy to use program for record calls from callers may want to consider QUAD HD Client Server Edition because they can use Mircrosoft's free Microsoft Sql Server 2005 Express Edition. Although QUAD Help Desk Client Server Edition is not a version upgrade from QUAD Help Desk Pro, I am offering a free cross grade to licensed users of QUAD HD Pro in our records prior to August 1st. Email me for details.

With school starting back, teachers wanting an easy way to organize their lesson plans may want to check out the latest version of our Lesson Planner Plus program. Lesson Planner Plus 2006 is a complete redesign of this popular and affordable program for educators.

What's next? I am continuing to upgrade some of our other programs and using the year released as the version number. I have started on AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition 2006 and this will include both cosmetic changes as well as some changes "under the hood" to improve performance, especially across a Wide Area Network. A free version upgrade to licensed users of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition, the next release may require a new registration key, but I will send this via email to licensed users when they write to me after trying the new version. Check the web site periodically as the next version may be available in late August or early September.

That's all for now. Stay cool, even though that may be hard to do in this hot weather.

Dennis Baggott
(the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)

July 2006 Newsletter

June was a busy month for Dennis Baggott and one of the Sons. Ryan traveled with his high school baseball team and Dad went along to watch him play. It was fun for me, but I learned that hotel rooms and software development don't really work together for me. Still, I did manage to release a long overdue version of Lesson Planner Plus. While the kids are enjoying summer many teachers, like my wife, Sherry, are getting ready to go back to school. Lesson Planner Plus 2006 might make that easier and initial feedback has been very positive.

I have put upgrade plans for the AccessAble Help Desk Pro and Client Server editions on hold. One of the major changes I had been planning for those programs was a PDA interface. I had planned on using feedback from some of my other programs that include a Pocket PC applet to help me decide if I should include this in future versions of the AccessAble Help Desk products. Unfortunately, I have not had enough emails letting me know this is an important or desired feature. Other changes would not be so dramatic and I have decided to hold off on upgrades to the AccessAble Help Desk programs.

Instead, I will be concentrating my efforts duruing July on a Client Server edition of QUAD Help Desk. Both the "standard" and "Professional" Edition of my QUick And Dirty Help Desk programs have been selling well, and I have decided a new version with a Microsoft SQL Server database on the backend will round out that product line. I will be making a number of changes in QUAD Help Desk Client Server edition, removing a number of fields and trying to make the front end simple and efficient. A web interface will be implemented with the same MS SQL Backend, however, this may not be included with the initial release. My goal is to have a windows front end available for download sometime in the month of July. I will be accepting a very limited number of users for beta testing this new customer support application. If interested, write to dbandsons@aol.com with QUAD Help Desk Client Server Beta in the subject of your email.

That's all for now. Hope you are enjoying the summer.

Sincerely,

Dennis Baggott
(the Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)

April 2006 Newsletter

Just a short newsletter today, but I wanted to let users or potential users of AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition know about the latest version of the web page interface for AAHD Pro Edition. Now available, the new pages include some fixes, additions and changes.

The new web pages are much more readily localized. This means most of the pages can now show common text and messages in any of several languages: German, French, Spanish, Dutch, and of course English. It is possible to extend the provided translations by editing a text file.
If you are using the email sending features of the web pages, the end user can now receive an email which includes the Request ID for their just added request.
Earlier versions defaulted to installation in a folder named after the version, such as c:\inetpub\wwwroot\pro259 - now the default folder is \helpdesk.

You can try the newer web page interface now at http://www.dbandsons.com/helpdesk/startpage.asp

For those of you newsletter subscribers who are interested in our software for church management, a new/updated program is in the works. If you would like to be involved in the development of this new program, please email me at dbandsons@aol.com

That's all for this edition of the newsletter.

Dad

February 2006 Newsletter

January was a busy month with the release of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition 2.59 and QUAD Help Desk 2006.
With the release of QUAD Help Desk 2006 I removed the web interface, still available with the QUAD Help Desk Pro Edition, but would of course be glad to hear from those of you who prefer our home grown http server to Microsoft IIS which is required for our AccessAble Help Desk web pages.

These programs saw substantial changes with the news releases. Next upgrade scheduled for completion this month is AccessAble Help Desk Pro Edition 2.59.

Our next busiest web site, http://www.lnsoftware.com, also found a new home in January - now hosted by http://www.websecurestores.com. The new lnsoftware.com inlcudes some features not on the http://www.dbandsons.com web site, yet. For example, Polls or Surveys. I hope you will viist http://www.lnsoftware.com and fee free to write me back with any comments or suggestions.

While our IT Help Desk and Customer Support software have long been the largest source of sales, our software for church administration and for educators are still quite popular. I am planning a release of a program for chuch administration with a web interface as well as windows application. If church software is what you are looking for, I would love to hear from you with your particular needs and expectations.

Thanks for listening,

Dennis Baggott
(The Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons)
http://www.dbandsons.com

January 2006 Newsletter

Happy New Year!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

We have a lot of plans for 2006 with many program upgrades. The web site is also going through a number of changes that we hope will make it more useful to customers and potential customers as well.

The new forums are taking a back seat to software upgrades, but I hope to spend some time on them soon. Speaking of upgrades, version 2.59 of AccessAble Help Desk Client Server Edition is almost completed. Most important in this new release is improved importing. No longer limited to just .csv files, the next release will allow importing from almost any type of data format. I think this will be especially helpful for those who may not already use the full version of MS SQL Server which inclues the Import/Export features in Enterprise Manager. I have been testing the new MS SQL Server Express 2005 and think it may be fine for many organizations that want to move to a Client Server environment. More on that later.

Church Software from Dennis Baggott and Sons will be changing in 2006 as well. I expect to add graphing to our popular Church Secretary 7.x program and also looking to add a web enabled option to our church software offerings.

Back to work for me, but thanks for subscribing to the newsletter.

Dennis Baggott
The Dad in Dennis Baggott and Sons