Wow, Elfwreck.
Thanks! we really appreciate the effort you put into that!
You noticed that much of the content and many of the features of News2PDF are dynamic. This means that the number of Newspapers and magazines (and their subcategories) may (magically, automatically) increase or decrease from day to day - just like the offerings at your local newsstand. The list of publications you showed in your post were available on *that* day, but more publications are being added every few days, as users ask for them.
Of what you wrote, we believe the following to be critical:
1) The "crash on second run" Line error - This problem has been fixed in a version that will be released Monday afternoon.
2) Page and Margin sizing - We likely made the wrong decision when not allowing the user to modify these. The user will be allowed to change the page and margin settings in an upcoming version.
3) Dial-up Friendly - You are correct that News2PDF should at least allow the user to access the menu when there is no Internet connection (even if no articles can be retrieved). We’ll fix that.
4) File target -. I agree we should allow the user to select a file target destination. My personal preference is to write the PDF files directly to an SD card that I can then just pop into my Sony Reader or Palm Treo phone without having to manually move the files.
Images – We include the precise images in the PDF that the publishers provide. The best evidence of this is to look at the Readers Digest PDF files. In the “print”versions that we capture, many publishers don’t include the same images the they do on the versions of the articles that are spread out over several web pages.
>> it doesn't... put them in an obvious place to get them onto the Reader.
In the current version, click “View PDF” to easily and quickly open a dialog that contains the files. They’re currently written to C:\Program Files\News2PDF\PDF\ , but we’ll make this easier.
>> First thought: When I start a new program, the first thing I want to see is NOT an error message.
This is not an error, it’s a dialog telling you that some publishers may have changed some page formatting so corresponding changes to News2PDF scripts are forthcoming. We’ll likely move this “notice” to the download status area, instead of showing it as a pop-up, so it’ll be easier to ignore, if you choose to.
>>>Some articles say [Skipped]; I wonder what that means.
Your guess was right: News2PDF skips duplicate articles. In future versions we will display the word “[duplicate]” instead of “[skipped].”
>>>My guess: You can't re-create a file with the same name,
This is not correct. News2PDF should re-create a file with the same name, unless the file is unwritable because it’s open in another window. For example, if you have the PDF file open in Adobe Reader, or some other program, then News2PDF can’t create a new version while the file is open elsewhere. Close the PDF file in the other application and a new one will be written.
>> Can't make a news and separate sports/entertainment PDF from the NYT on the same day),
>> Separate file per news service rather than compilation (or option thereof); awful if all a person wants from several services is 1 article each.
You are correct. News2PDF wasn’t intended as an aggregator of content from differing publications. We’re always looking for analogies that will allow the greatest number of users to understand News2PDF right away: “News2PDF is like grabbing a newspaper or magazine with only full-text sections you’ve selected – Electronically Delivered as an industry standard PDF file.” Our primary goal is to give users (mostly text based) current news and newsmagazine content that they can transfer to readers or smartphones to read offline without an Internet connection.
We initially design an application with all the bells and whistles and options, then we pare it down to the bare minimum to try to make it as simple as possible. We want it to be valuable and easy for the greatest number of users (technophobes). We’re completely receptive to adding back in features that most users want – as long as we don’t sacrifice simplicity when we restore them. So, I’m eager to here any comments from anyone here who may have an interest. We know every program doesn't suit every user, but we'd love to hear from anyone who thinks that we're close to what they need, if only we made a few slight changes...
Elfwreck, you’ve given the most constructive criticism we’ve received in weeks. Thank you.
I hope you don't mind me quoting your "good bits" as a short version, for others who might consider using News2PDF for it’s good points:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
News2PDF Thoughts:
“Reasonable selection; I've got no problem finding half a dozen bits I actively like, and I consider myself anti-news. But the ability to read George F. Will without wading through Newsweek's ad-laden site is a wonderful concept, and putting him in the same documents with Mark Morford appeals to my twisted sense of balance.” (The selection is dynamic. Ask for your favorite publication)
“Articles loading. OMFG that's a lot of articles; how do the people who like *real* news tolerate it? (Wait--under options, I could've probably set a time limit.” (correct, set limit by publish date)
“...since it's grabbing each website for only a few seconds, there's no freezing issues. It'll lock my computer & internet while it's working, but it *will* work okay. I'm used to that, and so is anyone else who's still on dialup.”
“Manually transfer files to memory card on Sony Reader. Open files. Margins look good there (the default tiny bit of pixels is the right amount for me); font size 10 is good--hitting M makes it *smaller*, L makes it bigger for dim light settings; would be easy to start with larger font if I wanted it that way.”
“I'm sure the program is wonderful. It grabs content I'd love to read, and leaves out the annoying ads and having to click around. But the UI is simple enough to lack important features (like a choice of save locations)” (to be corrected)
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