Agendus V11 for Th55

[Shun]

Anyone tried the V11 on Th55? Anyone encounter any problem? Just want to do a check before installing V11 on mine! :p Cheers...

[Dirk Hasloewer]

I got a good idea. Shun, can you please install and try out the V11 on your TH55? Can you please post a report about the problems with the version? That would help me with the decision on installing the V11 on mine :D

[wellsjs]

As an iFTM forum team member I have been running v11 since first beta. The public release is quite stable. There are a few reported bugs that should be fixed in soon to be released minor revision, but you shouldn't wait to start enjoying the many nice new features. The "Trip" feature is not yet usable, I'm afraid, but the developers are working hard to get it right.

The devices experiencing more than usual "bad behavior" with v11 are Treo 650/700s, and that is not entirely iambic's fault. Seems Palm has deployed some very agressive memory management changes that shift file storage around and large apps like Agendus are experiencing problems. But that too, iambic's developers are working to overcome.

If you experience slow performance (another fix coming soon), here are some things you can do as workarounds now:

What you might consider also, is archiving some of your historical data to the desktop (feature included in Agendus) to reduce the database size. All database applications reach a threshold of diminishing returns.

To purge your records:

Menu -> Options -> Performance -> Purge Items
Check Meetings and Tasks & Calls
Choose a past date such that dates prior to that are unlikely to be needed for referral. Typically 90 days worth of meetings and completed Tasks is sufficient.
Check "Save archive copy on PC (See Palm Desktop "Help" for importing archive should you need to restore this data)
Tap Purge and then OK
Check the performance for improvement

Many repeating meetings are another cause, ones that occur with higher frequency, such as weekly with no end date extending years out into the future. iambic is working on a solution to this, but as a workaround, you could set end dates for these to . . . say one or two years out.

As the features and code of Agendus have grown proportionally, our engineers are constantly striving to optimize and keep performance (startup and view change times) at reasonable and acceptable levels, but database size and content work against that means as well. Among the worst database performance reducers are: expired tasks, expired tasks/meetings with alarms, long notes (in certain views, Agendus must read every note before drawing the view).

[Shun]

Thank you very much for your detail reply. I guess I just have to give it a try!

[Shun]

Dirk, sounds like it's pretty stable except from the long list that wellsjs mentioned ;p Come on Dirk, give it a shot man! ;p

[Dirk Hasloewer]

:p
I'm quite happy with the chapura keysuite...

[Munan]

Anyone tried the V11 on Th55? Anyone encounter any problem? Just want to do a check before installing V11 on mine! :p Cheers...


It's working perfectly on my TH55 as an upgrade from 10.7...
No worries at all.

[wellsjs]

:p
I'm quite happy with the chapura keysuite...I really like Chapura's PocketMirror - use it to sync with Outlook, but I've checked out KeySuite and it's feature set is far short of Agendus'.

[Dirk Hasloewer]

I really like Chapura's PocketMirror - use it to sync with Outlook, but I've checked out KeySuite and it's feature set is far short of Agendus'.
Agreed. I use it because of the perfect syncronisation of contacts and the integraton between contacs and dates where agendus can´t sync this feature with outlook.

[wellsjs]

Agreed. I use it because of the perfect syncronisation of contacts and the integraton between contacs and dates where agendus can´t sync this feature with outlook.Agendus Pro and Agendus for Windows Outlook Edition are working great for me! ;)

[Horsmann]

I have no complaints at all. EXCEPT it is s-l-o-w--slower than 10 by quite a bit when starting. I'll try the archive dumping and would love to see a repeating appointment work around if that's a cause of the slowing. I have many appointments which are recurring; not being able to have those extending out a ways would be a problem, sufficient to push me back to 10. But I can live with 18-24 months worth. I'll try those changes and let you-all know.

[squeff]

If you plan on running Agendus on the TH55, take note of this.

As per Adriano, Iambic's COO: "Unfortunately at this time we have other priorities not allowing us to address issues specific to older / obsolete devices."

The TH55 is an "obsolete" device, and therefore any bugs discovered that are specific to the TH55 will not be addressed. Also, Iambic customer support will not provide any TH55-specific help.

However, wellsjs (see his post above) has been pretty helpful to TH55 users. What he cannot do, however, is help you with something that requires a developer.

As to how well it works on the TH55:

Putting aside issues shared by users of multiple devices, I know the following problems on the TH55:

(1) Voice recording is not supported. If you try, you'll get a cryptic error message.

(2) Automated Wi-Fi features (what they call "OTA") will cause crashes, sometimes involving loss of data. Make sure not to set your device to automatically download weather, quotes, history, etc. Always do this manually.

I think both of these features are only found in the Pro version.

(3) Although it's getting better, there are occasionally problems with the VG area not opening or not closing when it should, within Agendus.

(4) Not a bug, but be aware that timezone features are not supported on the TH55. Yes, we know, there's a timezone in Preferences. That doesn't mean that it's supported in Agendus. This was by design, so it's not a bug. But don't buy thinking you'll get timezones, because you won't.

(5) Performance problems. While shared by users of several devices, Iambic has long blamed the TH55 for them. And, of course, this means that they won't address.

Basically, use of Agendus on the TH55 (or any "obsolete" device) is at your own risk. If you find a bug or have a problem, Iambic will turn its back on you. Your best hope is that it's something that wellsjs (nice guy!) can help you with. But he has no access to software code, so his abilities are quite limited.

[Horsmann]

I guess it's back to version 10 then.
I don't use all of Agendus' features and update primarily to keep current and to use the latest version. Not rational, I know.
But the list of problems scares me.
Version 10 was stable. I'll get rid of 11.

[CGS]

I have recently upgraded from version 9 to 11... and yes it is to SLOW!! Slow to enter.... inside is ok. I have written to Agendus to complain... I understand from these notes, that they can not do nothing.
I am forced to start using the standard Palm calendar, contacts and to do.. when I am in an other application and I need to check something fast.. That is unacceptable.

Speed is much more important than the new and good things that have ver 11...
Please, How can I get version 10? I have already paid for version 11.

[fengwei007]

Hmm, I'm still using the ancient v8.06 :( Oh well, it's been working great for me, I guess no need for upgrade yet :)

[wellsjs]

If you plan on running Agendus on the TH55, take note of this.

As per Adriano, Iambic's COO: "Unfortunately at this time we have other priorities not allowing us to address issues specific to older / obsolete devices."

The TH55 is an "obsolete" device, and therefore any bugs discovered that are specific to the TH55 will not be addressed. Also, Iambic customer support will not provide any TH55-specific help.

However, wellsjs (see his post above) has been pretty helpful to TH55 users. What he cannot do, however, is help you with something that requires a developer.

As to how well it works on the TH55:

Putting aside issues shared by users of multiple devices, I know the following problems on the TH55:

(1) Voice recording is not supported. If you try, you'll get a cryptic error message.

(2) Automated Wi-Fi features (what they call "OTA") will cause crashes, sometimes involving loss of data. Make sure not to set your device to automatically download weather, quotes, history, etc. Always do this manually.

I think both of these features are only found in the Pro version.

(3) Although it's getting better, there are occasionally problems with the VG area not opening or not closing when it should, within Agendus.

(4) Not a bug, but be aware that timezone features are not supported on the TH55. Yes, we know, there's a timezone in Preferences. That doesn't mean that it's supported in Agendus. This was by design, so it's not a bug. But don't buy thinking you'll get timezones, because you won't.

(5) Performance problems. While shared by users of several devices, Iambic has long blamed the TH55 for them. And, of course, this means that they won't address.

Basically, use of Agendus on the TH55 (or any "obsolete" device) is at your own risk. If you find a bug or have a problem, Iambic will turn its back on you. Your best hope is that it's something that wellsjs (nice guy!) can help you with. But he has no access to software code, so his abilities are quite limited.It's me, the limited abilities, big hearted guy! :p :)

A few comments on Squeff's comments:

(1) This is entirely Sony's fault. With the embedded DSP processor for sound in the HHE processor, Sony handles sound/voice differently . . . quite differently than Palms. Sony refused to release information to assist iambic with voice integration. iambic tried . . . Sony refused! :(

(2) While I tested to reproduce Squeff's experience on this, dialoging with him in the process, I was able to reproduce a hung condition . . . no crash . . . no loss of data . . . just a soft reset to break out of the hang. I don't find the auto-update feature practical as I don't want it going off when I'm away from home, i.e. not in WiFi coverage, hanging and draining my battery. So unless you're a "shut-in," enabling auto-update is not a wise choice of options, IMHO.

(3) Honestly I haven't noticed any problems in this area. If there are any, they are . . . well . . . so minor that I don't notice. :)

(4) Correct - nailed it on the head!

(5) Working in support, I have to disagree. I have no performance issues with my TH55. Less than two seconds to start the app and moving between views is less than a second even on the slowest one. It's Treos, Tungstens, LifeDrives (i.e. NVFS devices) that are consistently reporting performance issues.

I have been told outright by NormSoft (PocketTunes) and OliveTree (BibleReader) that they will not guarantee 100% functionality and will not troubleshoot Sony device issues. When you've got a handfull of developers and hundreds of bug tracker issues, I can see where the hard and unpopular choice to not devote resources to fixing obsolete device problems must be made.

Thanks for the kind words Squeff! :)

[squeff]

I have been told outright by NormSoft (PocketTunes) and OliveTree (BibleReader) that they will not guarantee 100% functionality and will not troubleshoot Sony device issues. When you've got a handfull of developers and hundreds of bug tracker issues, I can see where the hard and unpopular choice to not devote resources to fixing obsolete device problems must be made.

Note that this is not a reason to forgive Iambic. It's a reason to be wary of PocketTunes (for which I've never had a problem!) and OliveReader.

Bottom line is, as I said, if you have a TH55, Iambic will not support you. If this matters to you, then stay away. If you're OK with it (as wellsjs is because of his personal needs), then go with Agendus.

I think you can see that wellsjs has well confirmed Iamic's position on the TH55, huh?

[CGS]

I am going to version 10. I have been using version 9.

Please could you let me know base on your experience with version in 10.x is the more stable and fast??
I have tried some 10.7, 10.6, and is still slow to enter to Agendus (mora than 10 - 15 sec) in version 11 it was more than 20. Switching the views is fine.
I am using the standard edition
Thanks

[wellsjs]

At some point in version 9-10, some code change made a considerable impact on speed, but not universally for all users/devices. Pinpointing what code lines it was is not as easy as it sounds as there are users of all device types that fall into both the "too slow" and the "acceptable" performance categories. A change to the code "here" improves it for group "A" while it makes it worse for group "B." Some database situations have been found to contribute to slowness, and certain corrections advised to reverse the slowness, but there is no pancea today. Believe me, iambic developers are seeking a solution(s), have made some progress, while admitting room for futher improvement.

There has been talk about a "lite" version of Agendus with considerable scaleback in features, to target those who don't want all the bells and whistles at the cost of performance. Whether that will happen or not, I do not know. ;)

[CGS]

Well Thks, I will try what works better for my case with the th55

[Chou Chou]

As an iFTM forum team member I have been running v11 since first beta. The public release is quite stable. There are a few reported bugs that should be fixed in soon to be released minor revision, but you shouldn't wait to start enjoying the many nice new features. The "Trip" feature is not yet usable, I'm afraid, but the developers are working hard to get it right.

The devices experiencing more than usual "bad behavior" with v11 are Treo 650/700s, and that is not entirely iambic's fault. Seems Palm has deployed some very agressive memory management changes that shift file storage around and large apps like Agendus are experiencing problems. But that too, iambic's developers are working to overcome.

If you experience slow performance (another fix coming soon), here are some things you can do as workarounds now:

What you might consider also, is archiving some of your historical data to the desktop (feature included in Agendus) to reduce the database size. All database applications reach a threshold of diminishing returns.

To purge your records:

Menu -> Options -> Performance -> Purge Items
Check Meetings and Tasks & Calls
Choose a past date such that dates prior to that are unlikely to be needed for referral. Typically 90 days worth of meetings and completed Tasks is sufficient.
Check "Save archive copy on PC (See Palm Desktop "Help" for importing archive should you need to restore this data)
Tap Purge and then OK
Check the performance for improvement

Many repeating meetings are another cause, ones that occur with higher frequency, such as weekly with no end date extending years out into the future. iambic is working on a solution to this, but as a workaround, you could set end dates for these to . . . say one or two years out.

As the features and code of Agendus have grown proportionally, our engineers are constantly striving to optimize and keep performance (startup and view change times) at reasonable and acceptable levels, but database size and content work against that means as well. Among the worst database performance reducers are: expired tasks, expired tasks/meetings with alarms, long notes (in certain views, Agendus must read every note before drawing the view).


Can you tell me if Agendus Professional 11.03 is any quicker?? I have Agendus 11.01 on my TH but wonder if there is any advantage to upgrading to 11.03. You advice please. It is always good.

[squeff]

Can you tell me if Agendus Professional 11.03 is any quicker?? I have Agendus 11.01 on my TH but wonder if there is any advantage to upgrading to 11.03. You advice please. It is always good.

All depends on the reason for slowness. For some, it is faster. For others, not so much.

In general, if you found 11.01 to be too slow, 11.03 isn't going to "rock your world." However, it's worth a try, since it might fix your particular problem.

For me, 11.01 and 11.03 are pretty much the same. However, 11 is faster than 10. And most of my performance problems were "fixed" when I trimmed down my databases. Keeping only a few hundred meetings, purging completed tasks, and getting rid of old DateBk tags made a significant difference.

[wellsjs]

All depends on the reason for slowness. For some, it is faster. For others, not so much.

In general, if you found 11.01 to be too slow, 11.03 isn't going to "rock your world." However, it's worth a try, since it might fix your particular problem.

For me, 11.01 and 11.03 are pretty much the same. However, 11 is faster than 10. And most of my performance problems were "fixed" when I trimmed down my databases. Keeping only a few hundred meetings, purging completed tasks, and getting rid of old DateBk tags made a significant difference.That's good to hear! I agree that there probably isn't significant performance improvements between 11.01 and 11.03.

Chou Chou,

I would upgrade because between the two minor updates there is a pretty long list of fixes. Depending on how you use the product, you may notice some fixes / improvements or you may not. I have to admit I probably only use about 20% of Agendus' features . . . there are so many . . . maybe too many. I suggested to Adriano that they develop a "lean" version but I doubt it will become reality . . . UNLESS, enough customers request it in the Feature Requests forum. That's what gets his attention. I could do without Trips, hierarchy, matrix, about half of the views . . .

But then therein lies the problem . . . you get 40 of us in a room to decide what the "lean" version should consist of and we'll wind up with 45 different opinions! :eek:

[Chou Chou]

That's good to hear! I agree that there probably isn't significant performance improvements between 11.01 and 11.03.

Chou Chou,

I would upgrade because between the two minor updates there is a pretty long list of fixes. Depending on how you use the product, you may notice some fixes / improvements or you may not. I have to admit I probably only use about 20% of Agendus' features . . . there are so many . . . maybe too many. I suggested to Adriano that they develop a "lean" version but I doubt it will become reality . . . UNLESS, enough customers request it in the Feature Requests forum. That's what gets his attention. I could do without Trips, hierarchy, matrix, about half of the views . . .

But then therein lies the problem . . . you get 40 of us in a room to decide what the "lean" version should consist of and we'll wind up with 45 different opinions! :eek:


I agree with you that I could do with a lot less and a leaner version would be better but you are right we'd never agree what is necesssary. The slowness for me is just in the loading of the program. I have it attached to my first button. Like the convenience.

[Rudy_Q]

I upgraded to Version 11.3 and its OK for me. Program start takes about 3 seconds. I had more problems with the 10.x versions after 10.4 where for some reason all my ToDos were not visible. I do miss the list views like "next 30 Days" etc. that are no more available in Versions newer than 10.4

[squeff]

I upgraded to Version 11.3 and its OK for me. Program start takes about 3 seconds. I had more problems with the 10.x versions after 10.4 where for some reason all my ToDos were not visible. I do miss the list views like "next 30 Days" etc. that are no more available in Versions newer than 10.4

Still there. You can still do a list of: Today, Tomorrow, This Week, This Month, Next Week, Next 7 Days, Next 14 Days, Next 30 Days, Due Today, Past Due, Future Due, Undated, Annual, or Choose Date.

This is 11.03. And it's been there in all versions since (at least 10.0), since I've been using these views with every version.

[Rudy_Q]

Still there. You can still do a list of: Today, Tomorrow, This Week, This Month, Next Week, Next 7 Days, Next 14 Days, Next 30 Days, Due Today, Past Due, Future Due, Undated, Annual, or Choose Date.

This is 11.03. And it's been there in all versions since (at least 10.0), since I've been using these views with every version.

:) Now I found it .. I was a bit confused because the standard list view after installation was Birthdays and not the "this month" or "this week" view... thank you!

[Chou Chou]

Can anyone tell me where the Agendus icons are stored. I have created several of my own. Every time I update my version I lose my carefully designed icons. I would like to backup my icons before updating to the latest version.

[squeff]

Can anyone tell me where the Agendus icons are stored. I have created several of my own. Every time I update my version I lose my carefully designed icons. I would like to backup my icons before updating to the latest version.

I assume that when you're creating them, you're just putting them in the same "place" as the icons that come with Agendus. If so, the reason you lose them on each upgrade is that, when the Nutshell Installer runs, and it asks you if you want to replace the icons, you say "Yes." Just click "Cancel" and it will leave your existing icon file.

If you want to backup, the file is Icons-IAMBIC.pdb.

Also, if you ever delete Agendus (ActNames.prc), it will automatically delete the icons (and a bunch of other configuration files). Depending on how you delete, of course.

You can also create a different icons file and store your icons there. This won't prevent the delete problem, but it will stop the overwrite problem when you install a new version.

[wellsjs]

Also, I recommend keeping a copy of your iconsets in a folder (named "icons") on your external card, or you can download the free IconManager app that will manage your iconsets, mass convert them to / from Hi Res / 16-bit and move them from RAM to card and visa versa. Working in iambic support I've had customers in tears because they lost their treasured, personalized iconset that they had refined over the years. This need not happen. Backup, backup, backup. Backup your RAM to your card, and backup your card to your PC and backup your PC to an external drive . . . ;)

[wellsjs]

Another thing I thought of that is most useful to know: Icons-IAMBIC.pdb becomes the default iconset when in RAM, regardless of how many other iconsets you have in RAM.

Two ways to deal with that:
1) Rename your customized iconset to "Icons-IAMBIC.pdb"
2) Remove "Icons-IAMBIC.pdb" to your card and then you can have an iconset named anything you want in RAM.

I don't recommend having more than one iconset in RAM . . . it wastes RAM space. ;)