Doug Krause:
We have just uploaded a significant upgrade to OceanLog 2.X download/upload USB PC Interface (version 2.1.0).
Well, it still looks pretty broken to me. In some very important ways it's much worse than previous versions. I'll wait for the Aeris version* since we use 3 Aeris computers and I suppose the data files _might_ have some huge difference, but...
I just tried to create a manually-entered dive. This is a very important feature, even for a computer owner. If I use a buddy's equipment or rent on a trip (for example, they won't let you use your own gear at Disney's DiveQuest) I still want to log the dive. However, the program won't let me enter any cylinder-related data, including starting and ending pressure. Thus, it won't calculate SAC for me. It won't even let me calculate it myself and manually enter it! This was at least possible on the prior verson. There is a spot where it _looks_ as if I could enter "pressure used," but I can't just enter starting and ending pressures. Yes, I can subtract and compute it myself, but this is a COMPUTER PROGRAM running on a COMPUTER. There is no conceivable reason why I should have to grab a pencil and paper or a calculator to subtract two numbers. Maybe there are people out there who jot down "pressure used" on the boat, but I've never met one. In any event, when I try to enter a number there, it is not accepted and remains at zero. Why am I not allowed to store ANY data about gas consumption for a manually-entered dive?! In a similar vein, I can enter dive start and end times, but the program won't compute a dive duration for me - I have to do that myself. If I do enter a duration, it will change the end time to fit.
The silly "gear bag" feature still forces me to create an entire new list of gear for any change. If I change my weight or gloves for one dive, it changes that data for all dives that use that "gear bag," which creates an inaccurate (and therefore useless) record. That means I need to create, name, and store a separate "gear bag" for every conceivable configuration and weight adjustment. I actually have about 20 gear profiles just to let me accurately record minor weight and trim adjustments and which gloves I carried. The "gear bag" names have to carry almost the full information of the equipment profile just to tell them apart ("Tropical Day 3mm Gloves No Hood 18lb"). This is dimwitted. Why not let me store some basic gear profiles to use as templates then store any changes I make with the individual dive? And there's no such thing as "intergrated" weight. I've reported this several times before, and I realize most people don't give a tinker's about spelling. However, I fail to see what it could hurt to change it so it looks as if you care about your work. Is that extra "r" holding the entire program together? Or is it just that nobody reads feedback emails?
The "History" screen still shows me how many PSI I've "consumed." Guys, you can't consume pressure! I'd be interested in knowing how many cubic feet or meters of gas I've breathed, but PSI? What possible use is that to anyone? It's a meaningless and arbitrary number that the program reports because it can (why not use all that computing power to figure out dive durations, for example?) The min/max SAC items look intriguing but... All my SAC's (in a data file from my Aeris computer) are now zero. There's no way for me to enter working pressure, so that sort of makes sense. However, the min and max SAC's are given! If all my SAC's are shown as zero (and they are), how can my minimum be 15 and maximum 25?! Those are suspiciously whole numbers, to boot. Where do they come from? What other erroneous data is this program reporting to me?
Importing and exporting remain brain-dead. The program can't import its own export files! Exporting is in comma- or tab-delimited text files, but the program can only import MS Access files. And, of course, MY data is still password-protected to prevent me from accessing it using another program.
I realize that a dive log program is not of quite the same importance as a computer in terms of safety. However, I've got evidence of some very silly programming and signs of false data being reported. Are the same people writing software for the computers? Is this going to get me, my wife, or my kid killed?
There is absolutely no way that I can believe a proper beta test was done before release. It's taken me _way_ longer to write this rant than to find the problems I'm describing. With 10 more minutes, who knows what other problems might surface? As computers become increasingly common as basic dive equipment, the logging programs supplied with them are going to become part of the purchase decision. I do like my Aeris computers, but if I had been smart enough to download and test the logging software I would most definitely have purchased 3 computers from a different company. That none of the significant problems with it have improved in over a year (and some even gotten worse!) merely adds insult to injury.
