| WinCAP Wizard - Enhanced VOACAP Toolset |
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QSL-ware The default WinCAP Wizard download is known as QSL-ware. QSL-ware basically means freeware. We do appreciate an email acknowledgement and comments – thus our term QSL-ware. The QSL-ware version serves a significant number of folks that only need basic functionality. WinCAP Wizard is extremely complex and we suspect that most users never get beyond the basic capabilities. The software contains over eighty “visible” windows and several that are never seen. Even the basic QSL-ware version will require some thought and learning. Have you ever experienced any “really worthwhile” software – or much of anything in life - that didn't require significant effort? Most of you likely realize I don't do this for the "money". I would starve quickly. As I’m not a wealthy fellow we must charge a fee for some of the software and hope it "supports its self". The tools used to create the software are - themselves -rather expensive. We have many thousands of hours invested in WinCAP Wizard development and invest hundreds more each year. This isn’t a 9 to 5 type effort and I actually stopped tracking development time years ago. Hopefully – we are making a small contribution and giving something back to amateur radio. Additionally - for the most part - I enjoy software development and it gives me something with which to occupy myself. Also I get to meet some interesting people. Unfortunately each year there seems to be at least one that makes things so miserable I wonder if it’s worth the effort. I appreciate users patience and tolerance and understanding. I usually try and make everyone happy. Q: Does the program timeout and "die" from the demo mode in 60 days? It’s a bit confusing to explain. Our current software offers "three modes". These modes are: The default install is QSL-ware and runs "forever" as "free" software.
Q: From what I read it runs forever but is not full featured until licensed. The premium version trial mode provides full access - but you may only create predictions for the "current" month. Q: I'm asking as I have spent hours tracking down and removing vestiges of "free" software that was a timed demo. We try and use the term "free" carefully and earn our reputation - the amateur radio community wouldn’t speak kindly otherwise. Our software has proven it's self well behaved for several years on many, many amateur radio and SWL's machines along with numerous commercial and government computers. Q: As you know very few Windows programs actually uninstall everything they installed. Right unfortunately. Most mature software in wide distribution is likely safe. Software can't well remove files it creates "after" install and while running. We tried doing that for WW4 and it causes "extra trouble". Users un-install - removing configuration files - then re-install, then wonder why something broke. The un-installer are reliable for removing file installed by the installer companion software. Do you really want some unknown software to blindly remove files from your machine - we think not.\ Q: I had a heck of a time tracking down the errant DLL file that caused system crashes. It seems the only way that would occur is if the installed software "overwrites" windows system files. Otherwise a simple DLL used by software will NEVER be called "unless some software” that uses the DLL is run. In any case VOACAP uses a custom FORTRAN DLL but that DLL is kept in the install folder – WinCAP Wizard needs no special DLL. We NEVER install or overwrite system files. Further, all the files we do install are held in "our install" folder. So worst case is full removal of our software can be accomplished simply by deleting our install folder. Remaining might be a useless “installed software” entry in your add/remove software window. Some "older" - long replaced – “install programs” were not compatible with windows xp - thus the un-install does not work correctly. Our Choice Install Software - Our “install software” was “upgraded” to the wonderful application at: www.innosetup.com
Q: As best I can figure - it isn't very clear - the software versions available for download from the web site are "wounded." Such terms have been used to describe “shareware” where extra features and functionality are used to encourage purchase of the software. That type software was never intended to be “free”. In contrast our QSL-ware is in fact intended to be free. I believe our policy is explained reasonably well in the QSL-ware section and in the questions and answers above. The suggestion our software is “wounded” is rather offensive. We provide a few thousand hours of work to anyone interested - in the form of a reasonably powerful set of free software tools and in doing so are accused of releasing wounded software. Q: I can't see wasting my time installing a "wounded" version when I have already ordered and paid for the FULL VERSION. We have no wounded versions. It's difficult to understand how experience with a product before you spend money on it is a waste of time. Further – as explained above - the product provides many useful features even if you choose not to register. We attempt to provide useful and "free" tools to the amateur radio community. Use of the word wounded – or similar terms - in this manner is similar - for example – to some well know manufacturer giving away 2-meter radios and a recipient claiming the radios are somehow repugnant because they lack “other” bands. Or, does some hardware vendor selling equipment with optional “add on” components you must pay extra for cause such hardware to be classified as wounded? Please do not attack and libel us with accusations of our releasing wounded software. Again we wanted to provide useful “free” tools for fellow amateur radio operators. Unfortunately it does cost a significant amount of money to acquire the tools to develop the software and we must make an attempt to have the software support itself. Hope you understand why we cannot give every thing away for free. Q: I added the license key to all 3 applications and left them running, When I came back to the computer a couple of hours later they were no longer running. The desktop icons were still there but when I double-click them they can't find the folder. “C:\WinCAP” – it had disappeared. The user had an anti-spyware application running in auto remove mode and that software deleted the applications accusing them of being spyware. WinCAP Wizard does not access the Internet. GeoAlert-Extreme and Beacon-Time Wizard use the FTP on port 21 protocol to retrieve solar information from the Space Environment Center. Additionally BTW uses the SNTP to sync the computer system clock and the GEW “NVIS Toolkit” can retrieve information from other web sites as documented in the NVIS Toolkit descriptions provided for each display. I absolute guarantee you there is no spyware in our software. It's inconceivable an amateur radio software developer could get away with that. Even if we wanted to do so it would surely be a way for quick failure due to bad reputation. In all the years I've been involved with developing software there was only one other question of spyware and that was with ABW++ and some "test software " the guy was using hit us because the default install folder was named "WinCAP". Apparently there was once some spyware app that used that name in some way. Some fellow actually suggested I use another name - but I had been using WinCAP for numerous years already and it would be insane to change. :) Q: Your registration system is awkward. Why don’t you just connect to the web and send information that way. We constantly look for and work on ways to improve our software. However our “send registration information via email” system provides you an opportunity to actually look at what is being sent. In contrast an automatic web scheme could in fact be sending anything and would surely be labeled as spyware. Further, really – how complicated and/or troublesome is the procedure of clicking a button and causing an email to be created, then clicking a “send” button? Q: Your registration system “only uses Outlook Express” to send the information and I do not use that email client. This is not at all correct. We use the standard window function “mailto:”. Apparently some email clients do not properly configure the windows OS to handle “themselves” (one example is AOL). An example of a potential problem is web-based email. See the Email Request Fails section. Test your machine for a default email client as follows:
When you see an active e-mail address on a web page it probably has a mailto URL that you don’t actually see. This lets you click on the address to automatically open your e-mail client and create a new mail message with the correct address. On our test machine – which has no email configured – the first try from our software caused an access violation but the second try opened Outlook Express. It appears that Outlook Express is the email client opened when the “mailto” function is called and no email client is configured. We are NOT suggesting you make changes to your machine operating system but include the following information for a more complete explanation. You may not be able to view or change the following items if you are running windows xp under a “limited” user account. In other words changing anything will surely require “administrative privileges”. The default email client software is stored in the windows registry under the following key: However it would be problematic to directly edit the entry and actually get it working. The preferred way to configure a default email client is through the windows “Internet Options” dialog. There are at least two ways to access the Internet Options dialog, from the Internet Explorer “Tools” menu and from the Control Panel. The windows “Internet Options” dialog is actually titled Internet Properties and we are interested in the “Programs” tab or page. On the Programs page the email client is the second item. Also see these topics |