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Windows client retirement feedback thread


cuckoo5

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I was late in learning about the closure of the Windows version and fired a few complaints which some in here called a "knee-jerk" reaction. I accept that criticism but having tried the web version several times, I'm sorry but I don't like it.

 

It doesn't have the flexibility of the Windows version and today I've discovered that you can't set a partnership bidding table where you can "fix" the hands.

For example my partner and I often practice slam bidding by ensuring that both hands have at least 15 HCP. I can't see how you can do this in the Web version.

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For example my partner and I often practice slam bidding by ensuring that both hands have at least 15 HCP. I can't see how you can do this in the Web version.

Practice

Start a bidding table

Start table

Deal source (a button below the green square)

General

North-South HCP

Set your minimum to 15

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my partner and I often practice slam bidding by ensuring that both hands have at least 15 HCP. I can't see how you can do this in the Web version.

Click on Deal Source after you have set the table. It then allows you to specify among other things point ranges for each hand.

 

I have not used the partnership bidding facility in either format to any extent, so I am not one to judge, but I get the impression from posts in the forum that the flexibility is somewhat greater in this area in the web version than in the download version, particularly if you have Hans van Staveren's "Dealer" program. But I could be off here.

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I have not used the partnership bidding facility in either format to any extent, so I am not one to judge, but I get the impression from posts in the forum that the flexibility is somewhat greater in this area in the web version than in the download version, particularly if you have Hans van Staveren's "Dealer" program. But I could be off here.

The Dealer program is built into it in the web version. The "Advanced" tab in the Deal Source window allows you to paste in the Dealer input file.

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even if I am the lone voice in the wilderness, I object to the phase out: I have had the opportunity for many years to play with either system, and have "voted with my feet" for the windows version. I have tried the web version only a few times, but each time got frustrated and left it. I fully understand the lack of updates and maintenance, which will eventually render it unusable, but would really like to stay there until the bitter (natural) end, not a unilateral cutoff. I (obviously) will try to make the transition, but it will immeasurably lessen my enjoyment of the site.

You are not a lone voice at all, I totally agree with you!!! To top it off the arguments I have seen make no sense at all. This is 2017 and we are forced to use a flash version??? Imho that's at least 2 steps backward instead of forward. Just in case somebody missed the anouncements, most browsers dont even support flash anymore!

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You are not a lone voice at all, I totally agree with you!!! To top it off the arguments I have seen make no sense at all. This is 2017 and we are forced to use a flash version??? Imho that's at least 2 steps backward instead of forward. Just in case somebody missed the anouncements, most browsers dont even support flash anymore!

We're working on an HTML5 version, it's still too early to announce a time frame. And "most browsers don't even support flash" is an overbid. I think Firefox has started disabling it by default, and others have announced plans to do similarly in the near future, but all you have to do is re-enable it for the sites that need it, and they remember your preferences. The writing is certainly on the wall, but it's not dead yet.

 

How many different versions can we continue to support? Whenever we make changes in the server software, we have to ensure they're compatible with all the clients. Or we add new features that can only be used from the newer clients (most of the new tourney types we've added in the past few years are not available on the Windows client). We also have separate server infrastructure for each type of client, so it costs us real money.

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I assume that the web flash web version will obsolete and dropped as soon as an HTML 5 version is ready for production.

You really think the HTML5 version will have all of the features of the Flash version on day 1? We'll almost certainly have to keep both around for a while until the new version gets caught up.

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In the windows client I marked some (many) players as friends and some (a few) as enemies.

In the browser version it seems that I should mark them as to "follow" or "ignore".

But when I look up all my friends (created using the windows client) on the browser version some of them are listed as "friends" and others are listed as "following".

Who decided to differentiate between my friends?

What's the difference?

 

jandrew

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In the windows client I marked some (many) players as friends and some (a few) as enemies.

In the browser version it seems that I should mark them as to "follow" or "ignore".

But when I look up all my friends (created using the windows client) on the browser version some of them are listed as "friends" and others are listed as "following".

Who decided to differentiate between my friends?

What's the difference?

 

jandrew

 

If the other party is also following you, then you are flagged as "friends"

If the other party is NOT reciprocating your "follow" tag, then they are simply "followees".

 

It is a "feature" of the web client that I am not in favour of. But not a huge deal I guess.

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It is a "feature" of the web client that I am not in favour of. But not a huge deal I guess.

 

I agree. Being "dropped off" someone's friend list is not a pleasant feeling, and it's kind of privacy violation to know who third person chose for friend. Also, it's very embarassing when someone says (for example to TD) "I made u friend" and you don't 'follow' them back - are you rude or arrogant or u just want your blue list under 60 names?

But worst of all web features is "compatibility". I seem an alien, incompatible with anyone except zia, j. lall and alike that will never in life play with me.. I am even incompatibe with my own hider lol!! If it wasn't annoying, i'd call it hilarious :)

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You really think the HTML5 version will have all of the features of the Flash version on day 1? We'll almost certainly have to keep both around for a while until the new version gets caught up.

 

One can only hope :P

 

But certainly at some point well before the changeover if it hasn't already happened, the flash version will be frozen and no further development resources should be needed.

 

Are you saying there will be a phased rollout of HTML5 version?

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Well, it used to be that if you "friended" someone, they knew. There were several issues with that, but the biggest one was experts, who got friended by *everybody* so we knew that they were playing so we could go watch. But that meant that *their* friendlist was cluttered with all their spectators, and was therefore useless. And so on, and so on.

 

So you get to *follow* someone. If they follow you as well, you're considered "friends". But it doesn't affect your alerts when they come in, etc. And it means that all the people who I watch who, if they remember me, remember me as "that nice couple that can't play bridge, but played the Big Event anyway", don't have to worry about "who's this mycroft guy?"

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Well, it used to be that if you "friended" someone, they knew.

Eh? Quite the reverse. Unless you actually told them, of course. In the old download client you would not know if someone friended you. And whom you friended was likewise a private matter between you and your ISP. If there was a correlation between those whom you friended and those who friended you, there was no way to detect. That was my preferred format.

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Hi barmar,

This post is late in the thread but I want to mention 3 things.

 

1) I understand the reasons for discontinuing support of the Windows interface. Makes sense to me.

 

2) I have tried the web version and it is a problem for me. My eyesight is not so good and it is hard to see and use the 'open tables' in the main bridge club.

 

3) I am willing to pay a service, or whatever, to continue using the Windows version.

 

Make sense ?

 

Thanks,

Rich Morrison

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2) I have tried the web version and it is a problem for me. My eyesight is not so good and it is hard to see and use the 'open tables' in the main bridge club.

 

There are several methods to make BBO bigger.

*) Use fullscreen for browser tab

*) Use bigger Zoom in your browser (Chrome: click on address bar; Then press Ctrl-+)

 

This way the web-bbo can be made much larger than the windows-bbo. Only your screen size is the limit.

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There are several methods to make BBO bigger.

*) Use fullscreen for browser tab

*) Use bigger Zoom in your browser (Chrome: click on address bar; Then press Ctrl-+)

 

This way the web-bbo can be made much larger than the windows-bbo. Only your screen size is the limit.

*) enlarge the chat in options

*) select big cards in options (that helped me much)

*) close the newsfeed

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I drag the dividers around every time to reduce the size of the playing area, but these resizings don't get remembered from one session to the next, which is a real PITA. Other screen personalisations do get remembered - profiles come up where I left them, as does the BBO Now window, so why can't these?

 

(My limited peripheral vision means I can't see the complete playing area comfortably on a full-sized wide-screen monitor. I was getting quite headachy until I realised what was going wrong.)

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I drag the dividers around every time to reduce the size of the playing area, but these resizings don't get remembered from one session to the next, which is a real PITA.

I managed to replicate this problem, by closing the BBO window via the "x" in the far top right corner of the window when I left. Then when I logged in again it had forgotten the location of the dividers.

 

But then I tried exiting by clicking on "log off" and lo! It remember the divider placements.

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Thanks bbstar and scarletv for the suggestions.

 

I did not explain my problem very well.

 

Screen size and resolution is not a problem.

 

The problem is the 'density' of symbols in the open tables display; the 'Sit' and other stuff in the tables list.

 

Just look at the Windows table list (if you can :D ) and you will see the difference.

 

Rich Morrison

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I can't speak for RichMor, but the two images show why Windows is far easier to see.

 

Because the text is bigger in the browser version, it seems to me there is less white space between the players' names.

"Sit!" instead of a blank space means the blank spaces don't stand out. This is exacerbated by a background colour contrast much less distinct than in Windows.

The numbers take up space too. (OK, I appreciate it's part of a marketing exercise, but I wish they weren't there.)

There's an extra column ("More") which appears to have no use whatsoever.

"Join" in the "Kibitzers" is redundant, like "Sit!" is. It even shows (at least in your image) on tables where you're not allowed to!

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I can't speak for RichMor, but the two images show why Windows is far easier to see.

 

Because the text is bigger in the browser version, it seems to me there is less white space between the players' names.

"Sit!" instead of a blank space means the blank spaces don't stand out. This is exacerbated by a background colour contrast much less distinct than in Windows.

The numbers take up space too. (OK, I appreciate it's part of a marketing exercise, but I wish they weren't there.)

There's an extra column ("More") which appears to have no use whatsoever.

"Join" in the "Kibitzers" is redundant, like "Sit!" is. It even shows (at least in your image) on tables where you're not allowed to!

 

Steven,

 

You can speak for me :)

 

You explained the layout very well.

 

Rich Morrison

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