Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: s_m_b on February 12, 2003, 02:02:27 am
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I might be new to the business of UML, but this is the first software that I've ever seen that does two weird things on upgrading
1) goes off and detects Macromedia products as having to be shut down to allow the install
2) insists on that long serial key being input again to start EA up again.
Don't get me wrong - EA is a great product, but these are just the sort of little irritants that can push folks against it.
IN a similar vein - has anyone tried to integrate Zircom Mentor? Try as I might, I can't find the 'register plugin' facility on 'help', or do I need build 361 in?
???
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S_M_B,
I did not experience these things. I'm still trying to figure out how a potential event that happens only on "upgrading" (as opposed to happening every time it executes) be an excuse to "push folks against it". If true, I'm sure those are the sorts of people that would find any excuse... bad hair day, sun came up, the computer turned on... to be against EA <rofl>.
Steve
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Really.
Have to say that I would. And always have. Tends to point at certain basics being overlooked.
Any comment on the Zircom bit?
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G'day,
Don't mean to be a smart-a$$ ... how's about just copy and paste for that serial key?
Of course, it has been a while since I upgraded, and I don't need to upgrade that often. So take with a grain of stevia :)
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Jason,
Well, cutting and pasting may too much for some to handle <rofl>... I mean, if one tries to do this with too much Vodka, the CTRL-C and CTRL-V keys can be dickens to press.
Cheers,
Steve
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Sorry, no experience on Zircom...
As far as "certain basics being overlooked"... what basics? That the Microsoft installer does certain things OR that Macromedia may be trampling on registry settings? As Arseno Hall would say with a smile... "Kindof makes you wanna go Hmmmmmm".... <rofl>
Steve
Really.
Have to say that I would. And always have. Tends to point at certain basics being overlooked.
Any comment on the Zircom bit?
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Re: Zircom Experiences: I have Build 600 installed. Downloaded Zircom Mentor Eval from Sparx website and installed it. Menu option under Help: "Register Add-in" is there. Pump in the information and no problems. Create a diagram, drag an actor on the diagram and right click. First option is "Mentor" - click and IE 6.0 opens up to the correct page. Slick and well worth the money. I'll be buying the product.
BTW, I entered the product key last year around this time. When I renewed this month, I didn't have to re-enter the product key. If you have problems with the registration process for EA, I suggest you never, never, ever buy Office XP :)
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My 2 cents worth - if you've got a gripe, send it in as a bug report.
I'm sending in dozens of the things - this is a great product and I'm right behind giving Geoffrey Sparks all the feedback he can get.
Better still, every time I submit a bug report, he write back to me, usually within a couple of hours (we're both in Australia). Find me any other commercial company that sells it's products for these prices and provides that kind of service....
B*tch about the big guys that charge a fortune and don't provide support that's worth a damn and I'm right behind you. But personally I think that EA is a product that deserves a lot of support from it's user-communuty.
Now let's all hold hands and start singing.... :-/
Ok...maybe not...
All the best
Andrew Webster
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Let's reply......
Jason: yes, but that's not the point. I have a fair number of progs installed and in use, and none of them insist on that each time you upgrade. It's a pain.
I habitually upgrade every build of anything from WinAmp to EditPlus, and even when I eventually find out about the M$ Office service packs. Good practice, as EA build 600 has brought in a very neat improvement when you select something from the toolbox and want to position it somewhere in a large diagram. Nice one Geoff!
Steve: Never seen the MS installer query anything that wasn't MS product. Never seen anything else mention Macromedia on the way past. I could understand it if the file extensions used matched.
Dave: Been through that. I have:
About/three license key ones/readme/ordering/help/resources/EA on the web.
I'm using buld 600, desktop. ???
Andrew: I'd done that and got a fairly wooly answer from the designer. Anyhow, Bugs are when the insides don't work right. I'll merrily shout on those, even though being on the other side of the world it'll take a little longer!
Please note, folks: I'm not knocking the thing. Believe me, I've seen products with an interface that a monkey could have built better, installed as a corporate system. I've also seen products with appauling graphics, but they work.
Good software doesn't get in the way. EA is good software, but just rubs me up the wrong way when it behaves like you've never run it before post upgrade.
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I have upgraded almost every time a new build was released since version 3.00 or 3.10, and I have only ever entered the serial key once.
Don't submit unnecessary gripes as bug reports. Do it only when you have something you feel would contribute to the improvement of the software. Otherwise we might end up drowning Sparx in e-mails. I already feel a little bad sending in new feature requests because I know how much attention they get. A bug report that I submitted about right-clicking the project browser in build 600 has already been addressed in build 601!
Mikkel
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Mikkel,
Well said!
Steve
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Ok, ok :P
If gripe = "Trivial whinge", too right, keep it to yourself or mutter about it here.
But, if gripe = "Doesn't work right" or "would work better if" then it's got to be helpful to Sparx if they not only know about it, but can get some idea of how many people are finding it to be a problem so they can prioritise their work.
Moreover, EA is a tool for software designers/analysts. Forgive me for sounding pompous, but that being the case, it seems to me that is should be a paragon of UI design itself. That's why I'm so impressed by the response I get from Geoff Sparks - he genuinely seems keen to make EA as good as it can be.
That's what needs to be supported, and that's what we should all bear in mind when we're deciding whether to bang on about something here, or submit it as a clear, thought out, well written bug report or feature request.
Ooops! I think I've used up more than my 2 cents worth...!
Regards to you all
Andrew Webster
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Andrew,
I think there is a difference between asking if anyone else is having a problem, stating the problem (without describing system configuration or anything like that!), and asking for help as opposed to adding the tidbit of "but these are just the sort of little irritants that can push folks against it."
I've always believed more flies can be attracted with honey than with vinegar. Bugs should always be reported, enhancements always requested, questions always raised (even if only ONE person has the problem)... but to sound preachy isn't, to me at least, what we're all in this for in supporting EA or any other tool/company that is trying to make a difference in a sea of software mediocracy.
Now, with your .02 and my .02, we need to scrounge around for a cheap cup of coffee.
Cheers,
Steve
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This is turning into one of those threads where we angrily agree with each other!!
So there!! ::)
I'm an Access developer, and I'm faced with a profession that tends to reply to that with "who isn't?" Almost all of my work is taking up the reins where someone else fell off the horse because they didn't know what the hell they were doing. I see so much mediocre and just plain hopeless programming I could weep. Worse, I meet other Access 'programmers' that think a naming convention is somewhere that registrars swap phone numbers. Almost all of my work is for relatively small companies that don't have much of a development budget, or for huge companies that assume all Access programmers are amateurs. The upshot is that I'm in no position to jump on the Rational ( :-X ) bandwagon, and all the other resources that I can afford are simply hopeless.
I don't really know why I'm telling you this, except to add force to my commitment to EA: in the world in which I work it's the answer to my prayers!
Uh-oh...evangelist in the making... :-/
All the best
Andrew
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I had the same experience as s_m_b when I upgraded today. Upon upgrading, I was asked for the Key again. I thought it was strange, but I found it on my original email. Perhaps it's just the newer versions of the software that don't retain the key during upgrades (I started with 3.50.5??).
This is not a gripe, I just didn't know any difference since it was the first time I upgraded the product.
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I think this canonly happen if during the upgrade you installed on a different directory. Normally it offers the C: drive, but if you have previously installed on a different drive, this may happen.
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I had some wierdness with the key as well. I installed the new build and that went fine. I then decided now was the time to upgrade to corporate and received a key via the registration service. That key did not work. I contacted Geoff who was nice enough to send me a new key and I did an uninstall and fresh install of corporate and that worked.
Today, I was configuring a SQL server database and ended up not getting the project treeview which I found very strange. I wondered if I needed to enter the key again for each new SQL server database I created and so, I took the key that Geoff sent me and entered it. It told me it was an invalid key. Then for grins and giggle I tried the first key sent to me from the registration service and that didn't work.
Finally, since it seemed that the registration failed, I chanced to look at the "About" box and there was a key I had never seen before. I cut and pasted that into the registration dialog and it *worked*. Very Very strange.
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Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think the problem is when installing from a full setup. Try replacing the old exe with the new one by extracting it (full setup).
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Hi all,
A couple of clarifications (I hope) ...
1. When you update an existing installation of EA, you will not need to re-enter the registration key -*unless* you install to a different directory than previously, or manually delete the previous installation directory. If you believe that neither of these situations apply, but you were still asked to re-register, please drop me a note with the circumstances.
2. Upgrade keys (when moving between EA editions) cannot be used by themselves to re-register EA - you have to first use the original key, then use the upgrade key. To avoid this process, in the Help/About box you can view and copy the 'derived' key that is created when you apply your upgrade key to an existing installation. Copy this 'derived' key and use if you ever need to re-register EA - instead of the two step process above.
3. As regards the installer issues - the installation software is the latest Wise installer which is layered on top of the Windows MSI. My assumption would be that MSI queries running applications for dll's and other files in use - and if a potential conflict is found with what EA wants to update, advises you that it would be best to close the other application. The aim is a clean install - and Im not sure why that particular conflict would occur.
4. A problem was found in the Desktop of edition of EA that could cause the Register Add-In menu item to be missing. This has been corrected in the latest build of EA (602)
I hope this is useful,
Geoff Sparks
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well, a week away on holiday and what happens?
:) (that's for the holiday btw)
A new build appears that addresses the Zircon problem - thanks!
I've found an easy way to upgrade - just download the patch file, not the lumbering great thing that wants you to rip everything out and reinstall it all. And it works!
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finally parted with my cash to register :D.
I have win98. When I manually move the start menu group created by EA into another folder, the next time EA kindly recreates the program group. :-/
Not a major gripe, but would be nice if the program either asked or had an option to disable this behaviour.
PS has microsoft's use of the name enterprise architect got enything to do with sparxsystems?
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finally parted with my cash to register :D.
I have win98. When I manually move the start menu group created by EA into another folder, the next time EA kindly recreates the program group. :-/
Not a major gripe, but would be nice if the program either asked or had an option to disable this behaviour.
PS has microsoft's use of the name enterprise architect got enything to do with sparxsystems?
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Hi Sunil,
The install program we use doesnt appear to support optional program group destinations (?) - Ill look into it further.
The name "Enterprise Architect" as it applies to our modeling tool has nothing to do with the 'Enterprise' edition of Microsoft Visual Studio ... it is just an unfortunate and unintended name clash.
Geoff Sparks