What
does DanceMaster Player cost?
I wrote DanceMaster
for two reasons:
- I was tired of carrying boxes of records around. The solution
to that problem was either to put the music on mini-disks or try
to put it on a laptop computer, and I decided that I would much
rather buy a laptop than a mini-disk player.
- I wanted to see if it could be done.
Once I got into it, I started realizing some of the ways that a
laptop could be much more useful than
a mini-disk system. And other people started expressing an interest
in having a copy of the program. I was delighted to share it, but
before I could give it to someone else, I had to make it a whole
lot easier to set up and maintain.
-
I had to write a program to manage the database that DanceMaster
depends on, because I couldn't expect other people to maintain
a fairly complex relational database in Access, or even own
Access, for that matter.
-
I had to write manuals (Yuk!)
for both programs!
-
I had to write an installer to set them up on other people's
computers.
-
I had to write a maintenance program to update the structure
of the database in the field, so I could add more features to
the program after people started using it.
- I had to be available to help people get started in using the
program (and the computers they bought to run DanceMaster on).
All of that has turned out to be a LOT more work than writing the
program was.
Part of me feels: "Hey, this is a nifty tool, you've had fun and
learned a lot by writing it, you should share it freely with anyone
who wants to use it." Another part of me (the more rational part)
counters: "Yes, you've had fun neglecting your job, your family,
and all your other responsibilities while writing this, but releasing
and supporting it is going to take up even more time. How are you
going to justify that?"
I decided to compromise by releasing two versions of it.
The basic level is about equivalent to the version that Sandy and
I used for the first couple of years, as I developed and debugged
it and started writing the Advanced Edition. It includes the ability
to play songs, select them by rhythm and/or phase, to change the
speed, set bookmarks, create and save playlists... everything you
need to cue a dance from a laptop.
I won't require that you pay for the Basic
Edition of the DanceMaster. I would like you to let me know
that you are using it, but you don't have to pay to do so. If you
drop me an email or a postcard with your email address, I will attempt
to notify you when updates are available.
You are, of course, more than welcome (encouraged, even) to make
a donation to the cause, to express your appreciation and to encourage
the further development of the program. If you choose to do that,
you can "register" the program and it will display your name instead
of "Unregistered" at the top of the screens.
The Advanced version
has all the bells and whistles. It supports Karaoke Cue Cards and
Remote Control, it keeps track of what dances you cue and where
you cue them, so it can tell you what you have done, where you did
it , how often you do it, etc. It has a few minor additions as well,
such as the Hot List and Break Timer, and there is a list of other
new features that I have in the works. These will appear in the
Advanced Edition, but not necessarily in the Basic Edition.
I will request a donation of at least
$150 when you register the Advanced Edition. If you feel that it
is worth more than that (and I think you will), you are encouraged
to donate what you think it is worth.
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