A new improved version of Extra Keys has been released – our small tool that makes it really easy to type accented letters and other characters that may not be on your keyboard.
I know there are plenty of other ways to do this, but it can still be quite awkward. In fact the Extra Keys tool is our most popular program with very many thousands of downloads (well it is free!), so I guess quite a lot of people are finding it handy.
We have recently changed our Cookie Law compliance so that we now use a kind of semi-implied consent. We still show a banner asking first-time website users to agree to our use of cookies, but it no longer blocks continued navigation of the site and the notice is now shown as a bar at the bottom of the page. The notice is still more conspicuous than many – so we can be sure that users are well informed.
Another new Beta Test version of Plant Base 2 is up on the website.
This is mostly a bug-fix release, but the install file also includes the recently issued database release 23. Together with the features added in the last couple of test versions, this brings the Plant Base 2 package up to a level that is very equivalent to the current production version (or better in some parts!).
An update to the plant database content has just been made available on the website – Data Release 23.
This is similar to the update released about a year ago – no change to the version of the live-product program, which remains at 1.6.1. The data for the mobile edition has been updated to match, as has the free web database, Plant Base Online.
Another version of the Plant Base 2 Beta is available for download from the website, 2.0.33. I don’t talk much about each update, but this one is important as it is a significant step toward production release.
You will have noticed by now that when first visiting this website, and many others, you see some kind of notice about the use of web cookies.
If you didn’t know already, cookies are just small text files on your computer that are accessed by the web browser. They have various uses, but as they can be used to gather information about your web activities they are now subject to the EU e-Privacy Directive regulations. In the UK this is implemented by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The first public Beta test version of the new Plant Base 2 program is available for download. A lot more information and download links are on the web pages for the Beta test.
Some sections of the program are not finished yet, but with most of the main features working I thought that some users may want to to take an early look at it. As with any Beta software, it is best to treat it with a little caution! However during many hours of testing here, recent builds have behaved well with no major issues.
We have reduced the cost of the Plant Base licence to £25. This a permanent reduction by £10 and not just a seasonal sale price, but is equal to the Spring and Autumn offers that we ran last year.
Effective from today – see the purchase page
Things have been quiet recently here on the web-site, but there has been a lot of activity going on in the background!
From this spring there will be some some significant changes in the way that the business operates. We are moving onto a strictly part-time basis, to allow scope for other activities. The biggest impact is on the garden maintenance side of the business and other on-site visits, which will be reduced to a minimum. The other effect is that there may be lengthy periods when there is no contact cover, so from time-to-time there might be delays responding to emails.
It has been quite a long time since there was an update to the plant database itself, so here it is – Data Release 22.
There is no program version update to go with it, the production program for Windows remains at version 1.6.1 and the mobile edition at 1.7. The downloadable install files now use Data Release 22, as will all newly supplied CD’s. The free web database, Plant Base Online, has also been updated to the same release level.