7Zip an Excellent Option

I am always on the lookout for software that is a good subsititute for commercial software. I have been using WinZip for years. I was introduced to 7-zip by a coworker and I have been very pleased with the performance and functionality.

Program: 7-Zip, version 4.65
Publisher: Igor Pavlov www.7-zip.org
Category: Compression Utility

You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a commercial organization. You don't need to register or pay for 7-Zip.

The main features of 7-Zip:

• High compression ratio in new 7z format with LZMA
• Supported formats:  Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
• Unpacking only: ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, DMG, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MSI, NSIS, RAR, RPM, UDF, WIM, XAR and Z.
• For ZIP and GZIP formats, 7-Zip provides a compression ratio that is 2-10 % better than the ratio provided by PKZip and WinZip
• Strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats
• Self-extracting capability for 7z format
• Integration with Windows Shell
• Powerful File Manager
• Powerful command line version
• Plugin for FAR Manager

I strongly recommend you try this software out and let me know what you think.  7z is free and works well for my needs.  

Amaya, GREAT IDEA, but...

I heard about a new version of this software from a friend and in my quest to find a well functioning website editor for scouting units, I decided to give it a test drive. Amaya is a Web editor used to create and update documents directly on the Web. This is a GREAT idea and here is what I found:

Version Evaluated: Amaya 9.53 (12 December 2006)
Supported Platforms: Linux, Windows and MacOS X PowerPC and Intel
File Size: 5.5 MB
Manufacturer: W3C
Cost: $0, open source

Description: Amaya is an open source software project hosted by W3C. Amaya is a Web editor used to create and update documents directly on the Web. Browsing features are integrated with the editing and remote access features in a uniform environment. It supports HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0, XHTML Basic, XHTML 1.1, MathML 2.0, many CSS 2 features, and includes SVG support (transformation, transparency, and SMIL animation). You can display and partially edit XML documents.

Evaluation: The browser was easy on install and open. My experience with this software was not good. It does not work well as a browser. I found the software to be awkward and non-intuitive. It does not work as well as IE or Foxfire. As for editing features, I found them to work fairly well, but the browser portion made the pages display poorly when working with a document.

Summary: This software may have been ten years in the making, but it needs more work before it is ready for primetime.

Scouters avoid this software until a new version is available.

FrontPage is Dead!

A Reasonably Priced Replacement is Needed

Amoung scouters, I have found that many have been using Microsoft Front Page to develop their unit sits. Microsoft announced earlier this year, that they will stop supporting MS FrontPage software. Frontpage has been long critized by professional website developers for bloted code and add-ins that were only available through Frontpage extensions. Microsoft seems to have started over in the development of a product that will compete well with Adobe's Dreamweaver.
Many Website servers for Linux have already started dropping the support for Frontpage extensions. That means the MS navigation, counter and other special features will stop working. You need to remove that code from your scouting website as rapidly as possible.
Amazon is reporting the upgade price of $99.95 to Microsoft Expression Web Designer 1.0. You can download the Beta. Visit Microsofts' Expressions Products page and give it a test drive.

-Happy Scouting

Getting Help With Your Website

Designing a website can be a lonely business for a scouter, especially when thing are not working. Searching the web is often very fruitful, but sometimes you need some help. I have found a forum for Scouts and Scouters that has been very useful: eScouts.org.uk . The UK Scouting community seems in many ways to be far more developed, as it relates to scouting websites support and design. This community is useful, friendly and upholds the best traditions of the scouting brotherhood.

If you have a problem, you sign-up for an account, select the appropriate forum (very important) and post your request. The difference in time zones works to our favor. I usually post between 8-12pm and within 12-24 hours I usually have a response and often several. Many of the Scouters on this site are teens and twenty somethings and are dedicated to scouting and to site design.

I have not found it to be a problem, but you should remember Winston Churchill's quote "We (US & UK) are two peoples seperated by a common language.

--Happy Scouting

CoffeeCup VisualSite Designer

CoffeeCup VisualSite Designer is a WYSIWYG Website Creator.This is an entry level software that automates some advanced features. The CoffeeCup Website lists features for their software.

• Free Support & Free Upgrades for Life
• Over 25,000 Graphics & Photos Included
• 100 DHTML & JavaScripts Included
• Fast & Simple Image and Link Inserting
• Wizards for Frames, Tables, Forms, Fonts & more
• Easy Drag & Drop WYSIWYG Visual Editor
• Full-Featured HTML Code Editor with Quickstart
• Includes CoffeeCup Image Mapper
• Built in SiteMapper Creator
• Includes Over 1000 XP Style Graphics.
  

Observations:

I downloaded the 15 day trial software. I strongly recommend test driving this software before you buy it. The users of this software seem to very loyal. They either absolutely love it or hate it.

The website price is $49. A good price for most Scouters. This software has a unique look and feel. Most website editors are based upon a text editor, this software is based upon a graphics editor.

Good Tutorial for beginners

The files you create are saved in a unique file format. This is a negative for me.

Summary

An interesting concept, in theory, but the software feels very confining. If you use this software, you will needs lots of scouting related graphics. Visit escoutingGraphics and pickup the graphics you need to create your scouting unit website.

--Happy Scouting

Calendar Softare for Scouts

Over the years I have developed more than a few Scouting websites. I have found many units seeking sofware that provides a good scheduling function. I have finally settled on one package. There are a number of new services free and otherwise, so I do not expect this to be end of the story.

PlansCalendar is an excellent choice. This software is open source with browser based management. It also supports multiday events, reoccuring events on multiple calendars.

The software is written in php and you do not have to be a programmer to implement this gem. The documentation is adequate and easy to read.
Scouting websites need a good calendar. If you want something a little more exotic than the standard list of dates. Try this program.

The only real negative I can voice is that only one password and log in is available.

Visit the updates to escouting.net

--Happy Scouting

NVu A Good Start for Scouters

With the death of Front Page, I have started searching for reasonable replacements for the average scouter. Scouting websites are usually designed by individual with a limited personal budget to invest.

Today, I downloaded and installed NuV (pronounced N-view). This software has been around for almost two years. The software has it's roots in Mozilla Composer. The website claims that this new product rivals MS Front Page and Adobe Dreamweaver. Here is what I found:

• The price is right $0.
• Versions are available for the Mac, Lynix and Windows systems.
• The installation was quick and easy from www.nvu.com. Without reading the documentation, I was able to connect to a test website. A novice will need to read the documentation.
  This software gives you WISIWIG with very clean code.
• Management of your website is very easy. I was able to add, edit and delete for the file window. The software uses an FTP connection.
• The table making functions are teriffic. These functions are as strong as FrontPage and in my humble opinion superior to Dreamweaver. Plus, the final code is much cleaner than either of these programs. I wish Microsoft would take note of this!!!
• Text & image editing were also more than adequate with a spell checker included.
  If you are starting with a template for your scouting unit, such as the ones you can find at escouting.net, then you can get your website up and operational very quickly with a very small learning curve.

A good evaluation includes the negatives:

• You cannot directly edit a css page.
• There are no extras with this software. Additional features such as a java button, a navigation component would be nice to have.
• Some features css were not well supported such as columns.
• You cannot place an image anywhere on the document. This is the bigest difficency of NVu.
• This version does not support PHP or ASP. This is the one area where NVu is significantly behind the commersial packages. In addition, the software changed hand coded software. I hope this will be fixed in the future. For more advanced webmasters, this is a very big negative.
• NVu 1.0 website development software is a good entry level website management software. As for the claim of rival for Dreamweaver, it is still premature. I look forward to the next version of this well designed software.
  

Summary of NVu 1.0
I will keep this on my system for future use. I will be using the table making functions of this program. I do recommend the software to scouters who are just starting out.

Over all I give this software a 7 out of 10.

This software is Open Source. It would be nice if one of the scouters out there could develop a scouting version!!!

--Happy Scouting

Microsoft Expression Web Designer

With FrontPage dead, many scouters who have been using FrontPage regularly, have been apprehensive about an upgrade path forward. Some of the Lynix hosting services have started dropping the FrontPage extensions. RELAX, you will be very pleased with Microsoft Expressions Web Designer. In just under an hour from the time I completed the download, I accessed and edited a Scouting unit website I created with FP. This software had a familuar feel, but is completely different. FrontPage users will not have any difficulty adapting to this product.

This new software is not a new face on the old FrontPage product. This software has a very professional feel and is still very intuitive of those of us who used FP. Expression Web Designer was built for Web 2.0 and the standards for today. A major plus for this products is that it does not let you insert poor coding practices. It has On-The-Fly validation for XHTML and CSS!!!

Many of the tools that we like in FP have returned without the use of FrontPage extensions. Thank you Microsoft!!!

It's very fast. Uses about 40 MB of RAM. It does not feel bloated. However, it's a 250
+ MB download because it is built on top of MS Office.

The cost of this new software is a realy big problem. Some vendors are indicating that current users can upgrade for about $100. That is good for those of us who already have FrontPage. The rumor mill has it that to buy this package new will be r ~$400. No matter how good the software this cost will eventually exclude it from most of the scouting units. I am afraid that the solution to reasonably priced software for the Scouter Webmaster is to be found else where.

--Happy Scouting

Software for Scouting Websites

About four years ago, I started the Boy Scout training course called Woodbadge. In order to complete the eighteen month course, I had to complete five projects. One of the projects (called ticket items), was to develop a guide for scouters to develop scouting unit websites. The ticket item resulted in a website escouting.net. I have been collecting and writing papers to help with the various topics of creating and publishing a scouting website. The site includes graphics, templates, guidance and other resources. The site is non-profit and it has become a passion.

I am now looking to expand the eScouting dot net site dramatically, more tools and information. I am looking for individuals to contribute to the site. I need individual who have designed scouting websites or individuals who would be willing to write about their experiences with various webiste design software.

If you are interested, or know someone who is please respond to this posting.

Happy Scouting