trying to find Don Lavigne

[martinwcole]

a dentist - anyone heard from him

[Steve Wood]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

My last email from him was in 2009. Check your PM for additional info.

[kkfin]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

I am worried about yours teeth. Time to act.

[barry685]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

I spoke with him a while ago trying to find out if he could provide some help in integrating a calendar into Alpha desktop (which he did with codejock), but he didn't have the time. I don't remember how I found him, but perhaps this will help.
http://www.alphasoftware.com/alphafi...ealthsoft.html

[martinwcole]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

I was helping him in 2010, and he had a feature that when the user opened his software it would auto check and if an update was available, the user could select to install - was very attractive, and very kool - has anyone else ever seen that anywhere, or developed anything similar?

[amorris]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

That could be very attractive. Please let us know if you find it?

[DVSOL005]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

Martin,

I have developed something that might be similar. However, in this setup it is auto detect and auto setup.
I create a build containing all changes, test the changes and upload them to a server. Next I make a description of the changes (info to end users) and activate the build.
The next time a user starts the database, the new build will be detected and installed automatically.
Attached is a version management form for further info.

[Ted Giles]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

I was helping him in 2010, and he had a feature that when the user opened his software it would auto check and if an update was available, the user could select to install - was very attractive, and very kool - has anyone else ever seen that anywhere, or developed anything similar?

Are we talking Desk Top and Network Optimised stuff here Martin?
I have used the Alpha process for checking versions of the database on the server.
If new forms are added, the system alerts the users and they can refresh the Optimised version on their PC. It was an Alpha thing.

[martinwcole]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

Well .... I sent an email to Don's request for help, and it came back - apparently he is no longer supporting the product.

As for the auto update he had, it worked like the big boys; say you open Adobe, and it will alert you that a new build is available - would you like to update? And when you answer yes it auto updates. Basically the same way Alpha updates their product.

If you were developing a commercialized version you would have to account for everything. My friend in Grand Prairie has an app that is installed in about 160 car dealerships scattered accross Texas. It handles the titling and plates for buying and selling auto's. Managing updates for the app is a monster. And the various counties and the state periodically change the rules. And often with short notice.

I remembered Don Lavigne's system, and was hoping to find him and see how he did it. He may have done it with something like Astrum. Or it may have been an Alpha adb that managesd it.

I suspect that it would be very doable. You could determine if it was shadowed, and if so the path for the server. Any table changes could be managed in the auto exec that ran a script or function.

[csda1]

Re: trying to find Don Lavigne

Hi Martin,

I was helping him in 2010, and he had a feature that when the user opened his software it would auto check and if an update was available, the user could select to install - was very attractive, and very kool - has anyone else ever seen that anywhere, or developed anything similar?

My CSDA Code Utility and CSDA DiagInfo as well as my other code has these features. If in an automatic update mode, it checks for an update at "start of the utility time" at specified intervals, and then walks you through the update process. It can be more or less automated as needed. It's all done with XBasic code, both downloading and executing the update.