The 0.9.3 update is out, so after I catch my breath, it's time to think about what to do next.
I'd like to get a "complete" DecoderPro version out by early July, but I'm not certain what should be considered the most important things to put in it. I've got a long list of little updates, fixes and cleanups to include, and I'll probably get to most of them. Big features are a little more problematic, as I don't often have the large chunks of time they require.
I've already promised to add Lenz XpressNet support to JMRI and DecoderPro, and C/MRI support to JMRI itself. So those will be happening. I've got some other stuff I'm playing with on the layout-control side of the house, and I'll probably keep doing that too.
But beyond those, I'd like to see what people think are most important. What would you most like to see?
Some of the items that have been suggested include:
a) Ops mode programming
b) Better programming GUI, for example making it possible to have some variables control whether others display, etc. Break some parts (roster pane, function mapping) into smaller parts so you could create a programmer that walks you through one item at a time (e.g. a "step 1" pane that handles the address, then a "step 2" pane that saves the file, then a "step 3" pane that sets momentum, etc)
c) Much smarter speed-table support, with various tools for smoothing curves, resetting the curve to a standard one, adjusting it to the contents of Vstart/VMid/VEnd, etc
d) Improvements to the roster - being able to copy & delete locomotives, better editing, import/export to various common formats, etc.
e) Fix the long-standing problem with many PCs not being able to connect at the MS100 baud rate. (This is a LocoNet-only problem, and I'll need help from somebody who speaks windows)
f) Integrated installers, esp. for Windows. The current multi-step install process is getting in the way. It would be pretty simple to create a two-step install process of the form "Run this Java installer, then run this DecoderPro installer", perhaps with an updater that makes future updates quicker downloads.
g) Lots more decoders
h) Add a progress bar when programming. This is not trivial, unfortunately, because the program doesn't really have any idea how long the programming will take, or even how many CVs are left to do. It would take a little effort to get that right-enough to be useful (nobody likes a progress bar that gets shorter, then longer, then shorter)
i) Get the "confirm" button working. This is really only faster on LocoNet command stations right now, as all others need to do a complete read to implement it. But it's still a useful thing to have when working with problematic decoders, e.g. you wonder whether the decoder's been changed, etc.
j) Make the programmer GUI more bullet-proof. Now, if you type letters in a decimal field, enter a too-large or negative number, etc, Bad Stuff happens. It would be good if that were more robust.
What do people think?
Bob
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Bob Jacobsen (Bob_Jacobsen@..., 510-486-7355, fax 510-495-2957)
Bob Jacobsen