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Plant Base Release Status (June 2010)

New release 9th June 2010 - version 1.6.1

This new version is now available on the Downloads page. It only has minor changes and bug fixes, so is not an essential update for users already running 1.6.0. However it does include a lot of updates to the plant data and may me desirable for that reason.

1.6.1 is the recommended installation for new users and existing users with versions older than 1.6.0.

Brief summary of changes in this release:

• Several bug fixes.
• Several minor "cosmetic" fixes for the user interface.
• Right-mouse-click menu added to Selector results.
• New option to run the Picture Slide-show for Plant List plants only.
• Find dialogs have an added button - Find Previous.
• The "Reset window panes" menu item also now resets child windows (e.g. pictures).
• Completely new Extra Characters tool panel, now renamed Extra Keys (for Win2K or newer) .
• Help file updates.
• Some new plant entries and pictures, plus a large number of updates to existing plant records. The new database has 11,025 plants and 5,306 pictures.

At the moment this version is from download only - the new CD's will not be ready for a liitle while as we to include a revised version of the mobile edition on them. Users who have difficulty downloading the full release are recommended to install 1.6.0 from CD and then apply the small 1.6.1 update patch. Some CD's are still available from our retail partners such as Combley Plants.

Note for Beta testers: - The production release is virtually identical to Bete Release Candidate 1. The database is the same, so just installing the update patch gives the equivalent of the full install. Thanks for all your time and effort.

Version, 1.6.0, released 24th August 2009

This was major release that has many changes to the user interface. The main window is now an SDI (Single Document Interface), replacing the old multiple windows with split screen panes and tabs. This makes more effective use of the window space and also adapts better to different screen sizes.

A completely different installer routine is used, NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System). This has better support for Vista (and Windows 7) and resolves a number of issues with updated and incompatible Microsoft component files.

The database files themselves are still compatible with older versions.

The database is release 20 and has 10,603 plant records with 5,104 pictures.

 

General release notes

Existing users can download an update patch file from this web site, which can be applied to any installed 1.4.x or 1.5.x version. Note however, that this does not include changes to the plant data, which are available on the new CD or full product download. See Upgrading Plant Base for more information about update options.

The current release has approximately 10,000 plants and 5,000 pictures. However our eventual aim is for this to grow considerably and loading additional data and images will be an ongoing process for some time to come. For this reason all registered users can update to new versions at no additional cost.

This product is English language only (we would love to offer other language editions at some time in the future).

Installation is supported under any MS Windows 32-bit operating systems (95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7). Yes, we still support the older operating systems and will continue to do so as long as it is possible.

Future developments

We are now actively working on the future evolution of Plant Base. The current product uses "classic" Windows technology, which is efficient and stable but is now becoming somewhat outdated. Long term development will involve a major transition to newer and broader technologies. This will enable added functionality and an enhanced user interface. We are also aiming to provide native editions for other platforms, notably Mac OS and Linux.