PlanMaker 2006 Public Beta

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.softmaker.com/english/pmp06_en.htm">http://www.softmaker.com/english/pmp06_en.htm</a><br /><br />SoftMaker is readying PlanMaker 2006 for Pocket PCs. Beta 1 is available now and is a free download. It expires October 31, 2006, by which point they will either have a new beta out or the final product. If Pocket Excel just doesn't do it for you, PlanMaker may be just what you need.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2006/20060925-planmakerbeta.png" /><br /><br />PlanMaker has 320 functions, support for form controls like list boxes and checkboxes, array formulas, input validation and much more.

[Marcel_Proust]

http://www.softmaker.com/english/pmp06_en.htm

SoftMaker is readying PlanMaker 2006 for Pocket PCs. Beta 1 is available now and is a free download. It expires October 31, 2006, by which point they will either have a new beta out or the final product. If Pocket Excel just doesn't do it for you, PlanMaker may be just what you need.

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2006/20060925-planmakerbeta.png

PlanMaker has 320 functions, support for form controls like list boxes and checkboxes, array formulas, input validation and much more.

The added features are nice, but the upgrade cost looks high for what they are.
Haven't tested it long enough, but hope they've been able to fix the frequent crashing and problmes that characterizes both Textmaker and Planmaker.
The Textmaker 2006 beta has not optimized its code at all. It's in a late beta and crashes often andfrequently.
That should have been their first priority rather than trying to charge money by making their programs even more bloated.
Features count for little if the program isn't stable.
Saying that, they are very nice programs, and work very well if you have 128 mb or RAM (persistent storage doesn't count)
I do wish like SBSH and SPB, or PI and Agenda Fusion, they would have some competitors that would force them to do better.

[SoftMaker]

Marcel_Proust, I am seeing you saying this repeatedly here on Pocket PC Thoughts, but I don't see you participating in our beta test forum at www.softmaker.net/forum

If you want us to fix bugs in the betas, you need to tell us about them. Many beta testers do just that in our beta forums, and I invite you to do the same.

Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

[Marcel_Proust]

Marcel_Proust, I am seeing you saying this repeatedly here on Pocket PC Thoughts, but I don't see you participating in our beta test forum at www.softmaker.net/forum

If you want us to fix bugs in the betas, you need to tell us about them. Many beta testers do just that in our beta forums, and I invite you to do the same.

Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

I participate actively in your beta forums and have communicated with you under my real name. (I'm not actually Marcel Proust you know.) The problems that I and others have noted in the forums, I don't think have been dealt with adequately.
But you are right, I am repeating myself, and will make no more complaints about it here. I think I was hoping it would stir up a company to compete with your potentially excellent product and spur you on.
Hoping that the betas continue to improve in stability.

[buzzard]

I've heard stories about "sales" that have occurred in the past on this product on November 11. Any possibility that there could be a repeat this year ?

[SoftMaker]

I've heard stories about "sales" that have occurred in the past on this product on November 11. Any possibility that there could be a repeat this year ?
No, not this year. We cannot put two products out for these prices just a few weeks after they hit the market.

Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

[SoftMaker]

Marcel_Proust, I am seeing you saying this repeatedly here on Pocket PC Thoughts, but I don't see you participating in our beta test forum at www.softmaker.net/forum

If you want us to fix bugs in the betas, you need to tell us about them. Many beta testers do just that in our beta forums, and I invite you to do the same.

Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

I participate actively in your beta forums and have communicated with you under my real name. (I'm not actually Marcel Proust you know.) The problems that I and others have noted in the forums, I don't think have been dealt with adequately.
But you are right, I am repeating myself, and will make no more complaints about it here. I think I was hoping it would stir up a company to compete with your potentially excellent product and spur you on.
Hoping that the betas continue to improve in stability.

I assumed (perhaps naively) that your forum name here would have a relation to your forum name on our site. Seems I was wrong...

Mail me your SoftMaker forum name to martin-k (at) softmaker.de and I will look over your postings to check if our tech support guys answered your posts adequately or not. If not, I'll ensure you get competent replies.

Best,

-mk