Rdss Evaluation

[froggy]

These are my own opinions about RDSS.
I'm certain that Ted has some or all of the problems mentioned already in his head churning around waiting to come out already solved.

I love the speed and ease it has built in to it to do a race.

I especially like the TPR numbers and I think that's because they are something I can easily relate to

The format is nicely set up and well thought out.

My #1 problem is having to strain to see the numbers.

If I change the screen to see better then I have to change it back to see a different panel or to go to the next race

Lack of history of foreign racing.

No sort ability

Would like to be able to do an entire race card and the pull up each race or several races to make doubles or pick 3 and 4 wagers.

The same for different cards.To change rapidly from track a to track b and the then back again would be nice.

No quick print to save for later to enter into records.

Thanks Ted.
It's definitely an excellent program, something you can feel good about.

Froggy

[Ted Craven]

Thanks Froggy for your candid feedback, and for your compliments. Sometimes during development of this thing, I can get discouraged, as I spend ALL my spare time (and more) on it, am making no money yet, and I know that the list of outstanding things irritates not only me but others who spend valuable time testing. I find that I get back in the groove when I receive some good wishes, or when I revisualize in my mind what I know this can become, or when I can work a few races and win a few nice bets.

Everything you mention is on my To Do list, and you will find that by the time I call it Version 1.0, they all work, some of them possibly better than you imagine.

My biggest problem so far has been loading all the screens and data into computer memory so you have the interactive experience on a single race that currently exists. There's a lot going on that you can flip back and forth among, but when you move to another race, we have to dump that in order to have room for the next race. (The issue is not one of computer memory per se, which is effectively unlimited, but rather of the number of simultaneous visual controls).

Can I ask you: after you've handicapped a race, identified contenders and then wager opportunities, printed the race PPs and/or Analysis showing whatever screens you want to print; then you move to a different race and/or card to do the same thing: if you could view onscreen for all worked races what you would see on paper (i.e. screen was not interactive - just a 'print-out' but at least you could switch instantly among them), would that address your concerns about accessing race analysis info for serial wager construction purposes?

I ask because I'll never be able to get more than a couple of entire races in their present interactive format accessible at the same time (i.e. just by flipping back and forth between races), but it's a different story flipping between races and viewing one screen's worth of data for each race (like you can do now with the main Entries screen): that has a limit of about 20 races simultaneously.

Noted re the screen font!

Any more ergonomic advice, feel free to fire away with the suggestions, and thanks again for your help testing this thing!

Next up, in time for the May expiry: Validator mode, APV and CR, Earnings/Stats box, miscellaneous readout bug fixes. Let's see...

yours,

Ted

[JimG]

Originally Posted by Ted Craven

Next up, in time for the May expiry: Validator mode, APV and CR, Earnings/Stats box, miscellaneous readout bug fixes. Let's see...

yours,

Ted

Hi Ted,

Those sound like some excellent additions. Any chance there will be printing capability in the next version? I selfishly ask because I have a big contest tourney in Delaware next month and do not take my laptop into the tourney room due to lack of electrical hookups. I have it with me, along with a printer in the hotel and generally print what I need for the various tracks in the contest.

Jim

[Ted Craven]

Jim,

So sorry, but not for June: that must be devoted to the hookup of the new TrackMaster PP and Results files, and the real-time mutuel feed from Equibase.

What I do for a 'print-out' is what I assemble and post online here: I use Snagit (or Screen Hunter) to grab several screens and dump them successively in a Word file, then print to printer or PDF as needed. It takes me about 30 seconds to assemble half a dozen Analysis screens in Word, print it (magnifying or re-orienting if needed), then dash down stairs, pausing occasionally at the beer fridge, to the TV set where Curlin is just loading in the gate...

After 25 years I still imagine that it will take exactly the same amount of time to program and test things in reality as it does to create them in my mind. Others tell me that my optimism (and naiveté) is touching...

Ted

[JimG]

Originally Posted by Ted Craven

Jim,


What I do for a 'print-out' is what I assemble and post online here: I use Snagit (or Screen Hunter) to grab several screens and dump them successively in a Word file, then print to printer or PDF as needed. It takes me about 30 seconds to assemble half a dozen Analysis screens in Word, print it (magnifying or re-orienting if needed), then dash down stairs, pausing occasionally at the beer fridge, to the TV set where Curlin is just loading in the gate...


Ted

I use screen hunter but must print each screen separately as it saves the file as a gif (jpg and bmp are also options) file which opens up as gobbledygook in a word processor. How do you make it a text file for use in Word?

Jim

[Ted Craven]

Jim,

Instead of saving a screen capture as an external file (GIF, JPG, BMP...) save it to the Clipboard. Then switch to Word and paste the image from the Clipboard. Results in a graphic image in the Word doc, several of which successively can constitute, for now, a poor man's Print out.

Ted

[froggy]

Ted,

Yes you can ask and the answer to the question is yes.

Froggy