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I wish...

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    I wish...

    I wish Alpha could make the time to show off their examples\videos similar to this...
    http://www.smartclient.com/index.jsp#_Welcome
    It�s slow to load BUT worth the wait...

    Good Health & Good Fortune
    to Alpha Developers in 2010

    #2
    Re: I wish...

    Do you mean like this Desktop Videos or this Web Videos
    Bill Griffin
    Parkell, Inc

    Comment


      #3
      Re: I wish...

      I appreciate your comments Bill BUT I've tried to introduce a number developers I've known for many years to A5V10 BUT they all say they haven't got the time to wander around the multitude of Alpha Software 'sites' to find what A5V10 can do.

      We all know the good things about Alpha BUT Alpha destroy that with their multitude of confusing main menu headers. The Alpha Software web site is a maze/mishmash of examples/videos/documentation & other information from current & previous Alpha versions.

      If you are a database application 'manufacturer' then your window to the world should also be a showcase of how to present data.

      Alpha Site visitors should not be confused they should be able to focus & drill down to the info they want/need BECAUSE time is something all developers lack & developers are Alpha's target market

      We & Alpha know they have a world beating product...they should bite the bullet & immediately create a more focused...intuitive & easier to navigate web site.
      Regards
      from Aldershot

      Comment


        #4
        Re: I wish...

        No need to bitch to me. Just suppying a link to what you asked for.

        If you said what you really meant in the first post, I probably would not have responded...
        Last edited by Bill Griffin; 01-06-2010, 02:12 PM.
        Bill Griffin
        Parkell, Inc

        Comment


          #5
          Re: I wish...

          Bill,

          I didn't take Aldershot's comments as a simple bitching.

          You can see by his number of posts that he is reasonably new to Alpha Five. He is sharing what I think is very valuable feedback to Alpha management.
          Especially from new users.

          I mostly concur with his observations, but have resigned to the fact that Alpha's documentation, on-line and other wise, leaves a lot to be desired, not to mention their mish-mash of a web page.

          Here's a case in point: http://www.fusioncharts.com/

          Alpha recently announced a "partnership" with fusioncharts. Take a look at their website please. Simple, well laid out, easy and clear navigation, consistent use of color and typography. But their is something strange about this web site: not a word about A5 but plenty of links to FileMaker Pro, Visual Studio, etc.

          I've debated sending Richard and Selwyn a copy of Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams, which has earned a 4.5 star rating of 237 readers on Amazon.com. But I'm not sure such an gesture would be appreciated.

          Branding/marketing never have been Alpha's strong suit.

          I think one thing that really puts off new users is that the demos and sample applications look so "homemade" and amateurish.

          Most software firms would have demos that dazzle and show their product to its best advantage.

          What you should really be concerned about is whether Alpha's lack of attention to design issues is going to adversely affect the appearance and function of your Alpha application.

          If this forum ever goes down, we're all in deep do-do.

          Bob McGaffic
          Pittsburgh

          Comment


            #6
            Re: I wish...

            I'm not bitching Bill...I'm just expressing my frustration @ not getting developer friends to use Alpha.

            Alpha are "Not seeing the wood for the trees". They need to realise quickly that good presentation is essential if you want to be top of your league.

            It shouldn't take a lot of time or money for the Alpha web site to become 'good'.

            Maybe Steve Woods of www.AlphatoGo.com et al could sell them one of his really useful/excellent...
            Web Application Framework for Alpha Five web projects
            A "complete" Alpha Five web application framework or "template".
            Provides an instant foundation for building a new custom web application etc...etc.

            Regards
            from Aldershot

            Comment


              #7
              Re: I wish...

              Bob,

              Simple bitching, what's that? I guess I view this site differently than you guys do. I use it to find information out and to supply information to fellow users. If I have and issue about how Alpha conducts their business and designs their products, web site etc., I take it directly to them. Perhaps there should be another forum that could be used for some of these observations, bitches and suggestions.

              When someone asks for something , and they are told where to get it, then use a response to bitch, yes bitch (bitch=complain where I come from), about how crappy the Alpha web site is, seems out of place to me, but hey, that's me. If the intent of Tony's post was to complain about (which has been done ad nauseum) their web site, he should have done so. It would have saved me some time (tirival as it was) in pointing out where the videos are.

              I want the Alpha products to be the best it can be. I want all of the features everyone else wants, but I also am a realist. I know that EVERYTHING cannot be done at once. I also know that Alpha cannot be everything to everyone all at the same time. If all of your concerns and suggestions were miraculously taken care of overnight, it would not be long before you saw something else that Filemaker could do and want that as well or someone else was complaining that some new cool control they saw that was invented yesterday was not in Alpha yet.

              I have found Richard and Selwyn to be very receptive to many things that I have brought to their attention (without the use of this board). They have both been very reasonable and professional and responsive to suggestions that I have presented to them.

              Maybe you should try a different tact in communicating with Richard and Selwyn, perhaps an email directly to them, maybe it will work better than your methods have in the past. (I really don't know if you have tried this in the past, but I don't get that sense from your other posts)

              I guess I am not sure why I should be overly concerned about "Alpha's lack of attention to design issues" since they have not affected me, and still do not. ( I really do not care to start a dialog about all of the design flaws you perceive Alpha) I am able to provide my users with fast useful software. Can it be better? Of course, everything can always be better (and so far they do get better and better with each release)

              Happy New Year!!
              Bill Griffin
              Parkell, Inc

              Comment


                #8
                Re: I wish...

                Well..... I do think these two all-Alpha Five websites are about the most complete:

                www.alphatogo.com
                www.alphadevnet.com

                But even there I agree with the poster that it does not show off the whole Alpha story. 90% of what is "Alpha" is under the hood, in the technical aspects of how something can be built. The hidden "Admin" section of the two applications above are enormous compared to what is viewable by the public.

                In fact most Alpha websites, including mine, are not as attractive as many modern websites. I think that is because most of us concentrate on the internal aspects of the application, how it work rather than how it looks. I think that too is changing as we get better at design and CSS, get clients that want beautiful websites and as we win over more web professionals.

                Personally I am working with a design company to build CSS that is compatible with how I build Alpha applications. The two apps above are about the best I can do on my own. But here are two nearly complete applications that show off what you can get with a designer:

                www.trinav.com
                www.urbanmenu.com
                Last edited by Steve Wood; 06-17-2012, 07:23 AM. Reason: urls
                Steve Wood
                See my profile on IADN

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: I wish...

                  Personally I am working with a design company to build CSS that is compatible with how I build Alpha applications. The two apps above are about the best I can do on my own. But here are two nearly complete applications that show off what you can get with a designer:

                  www.trinav.com
                  www.urbanmenu.com
                  VERY NICE Steve! Do you think there is ever hope that we might be able to plug in some professionally designed CSS templates like these into our A5W pages?


                  Edit Later: To Clarify, I have a liimited idea at this point (have only develeped a couple alpha sites) how to incorporate CSS into a Alpha website so I was just curious if Alpha (or a particular set of CSS templates) might be able to "play nice" with each other.
                  Last edited by Steve Wood; 06-17-2012, 07:29 AM.

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