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VBLM Version 6.0 is Shipping!
I am delighted to announce the release of VB Language Manager Version 6. Over a
year in the works, V6 is the first complete rewrite since V1 and has been substantially
improved in every respect. V6 incorporates both major changes in form and function and
dozens of refinements. It does not have .NET support (that comes next), but it does
have lots of nifty new features such as complete support for program groups of
unlimited size, complete support for all types of projects (eg ActiveX DLLs), intelligent
import/export, multi-instancing of translations, runtime-switching of interface dimensions
as well as strings, and too much other stuff to list here. You can read about what's new in
V6, check out the complete docs online, and/or
download a fully functional evaluation copy.
I threatened before that when VBLM6 shipped, maybe I'd find time to update some or all of this pathetic web site! Let's see what happens...
Back to Work
Spring 2001: Those who have visited this stagnant page over the past
several months no doubt wondered if WhippleWare was out of business. We weren't and
we aren't, and we never stopped selling and supporting our products. I did, however, take
a long break from writing code, which you can read about at Ben takes a sabbatical. Now it's back to
work, first on VB Compress Pro V7, then VB Language Manager V6, and finally on VB
HyperDocs V2. I'll post projected release dates and features as soon as I've gotten
back into the work enough to do better than guess. In the meantime, thank you for
your patience.
By the way, VB HyperDocs has been out for a year now, and has gotten an
enthusiastic response despite the fact that we haven't advertised it. Two weeks ago,
for example, Ron Zettlemoyer at Honeywell wrote that "I just wanted to say what
a great product HyperDocs is! I spent a couple days this week reviewing documentation
products for VB and yours is by far the best and most powerful." Thanks Ron!
Download a full featured 30 day eval here and try it yourself.
VB Compress Pro Version 7.0
March 14, 2000: With VBHD out the door, it's time to overhaul VBCP.
It's past time, actually; V6.1 shipped almost 16 months ago and is looking a little
long in the tooth. Version 7 is going to be a big change. For starters, it
will be a pure 32 bit app, with no 16 bit baggage like V6.1's dated interface. It
will support analysis of program groups. It will generate very snazzy graphical call
trees, called trees, dependency analyses, structural diagrams, and pretty much any
graphics that people have ever asked for. It will save its analyses to disk, meaning
you don't have to re-analyze from scratch each time. With these and other new
features, it is going to be much improved over V6.1, though no less reliable or robust.
Although it is an ambitious upgrade, I already have many of these new capabilities well along in development and hope to release by mid summer. The beta will probably start in June; let me know if you would like to participate. Anyone buying V6.1 between now and then will get a free upgrade when it ships.
BTW, V6.11 is the latest version -- see the revision history to learn what's new.
VB HyperDocs is shipping!
Feb 4, 2000: Believe it or not, VB
HyperDocs 1.0 is now shipping! It's been 26 months(!) since I started working on
it, which is slightly more time than it takes an elephant to make another elephant and
slightly less time than it takes Detroit to make a new car. Of course, if you need
technical documentation for a VB project, VBHD is way more useful than either of these.
Seriously, I think (and many beta testers agree) that it came out very well.
VBHD 1.0 costs $295 for a single license, $995 for a 4-pack. Download
a fully functional 30 day evaluation copy and please let me know what you think.
BTW, if you participated in the beta and did not receive e-mail notification of final release, the e-mail address I've got for you is NFG -- let me know.
New Server seems to be fine
Last week we noted a few site problems due to a
domain transfer and a new server. Everything seems to be OK, now. Also, since
we have a lot more space on the new server, we added a new page to the site -- the Gladstone-Whipple Family Picture Page! The world may not
have been waiting for this, but I know 4 online grandparents who'll think it's neat.
Besides, I needed a brief break from writing docs (next item).
WhippleWare has Moved!
WhippleWare has new digs at 28 Copley Street, Brookline MA 02446. Our new phone
number is 617 264 9986, and E-mail remains unchanged. In the near future we'll also be changing our
ISP, getting an SDSL hookup, and may even attempt to host our own site. I sure hope that
it will be a smooth transition...
VB Language Manager Pro Version 5
VBLM 5 is shipping and available for download, as of May 1, 1999. It's been quite an ordeal, both for
many patient users and for me, the non-smoking, moving, DSR-battling developer. My first
estimated release date was mid-November of 98, so let's see, it's 5 1/2 months late. This
is easily the biggest slip in WhippleWare's history, and if I wasn't so relieved right
now, I'd be embarassed. In any case, VBLM 5 has lots of new stuff -- in addition to full
VB6 compatibility, I've implemented almost (but not quite) every feature that users have
requested or suggested since the release of V4 last year. For example, VBLM 5 now does
resources. For a full description of what's new, check out the revision history.
An upgrade to VBLM5 costs $300. A new license costs $395 (yes, we raised the price, but VBLM is still one of the most capable yet cheapest localization tools around).
WhippleWare is Moving!
The main reason why VBLM5 slipped yet again (here it comes -- the excuse of the
week) is that WhippleWare is preparing to move. Much of the preparations involve making
our current home look like two slob adults and two slob kids haven't been living there for
years making a mess of the place. This has meant moving every piece of furniture at least
twice, supervising painters, fixing a million broken things, etc, etc. There is urgency to
this, because we need to get this house on the market ASAP or we're going to end up owning
two houses at the same time (not good). We will close on our new house May 3rd, and move
as soon as school's over. WhippleWare's new home is a neat old Arts & Crafts style
house in Brookline, where the slob kids can go to public school. Maybe I'll get a picture
up on the Etc page.
Oh No! Not Again!
Has anyone noticed that WhippleWare has been even
worse than usual at keeping on schedule lately? That some of our email has been, well, a
bit brusque? That some email doesn't get answered promptly? That our telephone manners
have deteriorated? There's a simple reason -- Ben Whipple (that's me) is trying to quit
smoking again. During my last attempt 2 years ago, I spent 5 months power-walking around
Boston in a state of perpetual agitation, unable to concentrate enough to write code;
heck, I could barely focus long enough to take down a credit card number. I kept waiting
for my brain chemistry to recover, but it didn't, so I gave up, bought a pack, and got
back to work. This time, I'm counting on modern pharmaceuticals (Zyban -- GREAT stuff) and
nicotine gum to escape my 30 year 2 packs a day habit. I don't have my usual powers of
concentration, but I haven't had a cigarette in 345678910 11 months and I
am writing code, albeit slowly. Sorry for delays, and for the incessant gum chewing you'll
hear if we talk on the phone. CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP
VB Compress Pro Version 6.1: Ready
for VB6
We're pleased to announce the 11/12/98 release of VB
Compress Pro Version 6.1, with full support for VB 6 and enough spiffy new features that I
would have called it Version 7 if I hadn't wanted to resynch with VB. Upgrades cost $150,
new licenses $195. Read about what's new on the revision
history page, and grab the demo on the download page. If
you're entitled to a free upgrade, contact us with your serial number.
VB HyperDocs Enters Beta Test
VB HyperDocs, our new automated documentation tool,
is available for beta testing. Gee, only 6 months behind schedule. But I kept thinking of
neat new features that it really needed...well, you know how it is. See VB
HyperDocs for more info.
Year 2000 Compliance
Every version of every product we've ever
shipped will be completely unaffected when the Year 2000 arrives. See Y2K
Compliance for a full statement.
No Future for VB5To3
For the last few months, I had a question
posted here soliciting feedback on a tool that reads VB5 code and generates VB3-compilable
versions (I've got a working, in-house prototype, and was trying decide if it was worth
the effort to make it into a real product). Interest has been slight, so don't hold your
breath waiting for a commercial version of VB5To3 -- it's not going to happen.
Free tool to hinder VB3
Decompilation
Do you still use VB3? I do (sometimes). Are
you concerned about those jerks out there using decompilers to steal your work? I am, and
that's why I wrote a utility that modifies VB3 exe files to prevent or at least hinder
decompilation. This utility, including full source code, is yours for free on the download page. Please help yourself, and distribute it freely. No
guarantees, but I promise it works better than the buggy "VBGuard" thing
published in VBPJ a while back. Incidentally, I got some interesting email from the
decompiler's author not long ago, threatening me with legal action for calling him a
pirate in the code comments-- what do YOU think?
Latest Versions
VB Compress Pro 6.11, for all versions of Windows and VB, is now
shipping. VBCP6 includes parallel 16 and 32 bit editions, both of
which work with all versions of VB except VB1 (you do, however, need VB5 or VB6 to use the
32 bit version, because we're not distributing those troublesome runtimes). You can
download the demo or full product from our download page,
and/or find out what's new in the revision history. The price
remains $195.
Note: If you purchased VBCP Version 5.0, you can still download a free upgrade to Version 5.1, which your V5 serial number will unlock.
VB Language Manager Pro 6.0, for all versions of Windows and VB, is shipping. The price, for now, remains $395. An upgrade from Version 5 costs $300. Go to the download page to try it or buy it, or to the revision history to read about what's new.
VB/ Rig Pro Sails Away...
Despite the ad that VBPJ ran by mistake in the 11/97 issue,
WhippleWare no longer sells VB/ Rig Pro. See 'Rig Sails Away' for
more information.
Revision Histories
Want to know what's new, feature- and fix-wise? Do
you need the latest version? Click for a history of all changes to VB
Compress Pro and VB Language Manager
Pro since 1995. If you've ever reported a problem or made a suggestion, you might even
find yourself listed in the Hats Off! list.
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