Reinstall ??

DHawthorne

I had a hard drive crash a few weeks ago, and am just getting around to re-install VA 1.2. Unfortunately, I can't, because the serial number has already been consumed and it won't let me proceed.

What's the recommended procedure here? Contact AMX and get a new serial number? Frankly, I think it's a dumb system that does more to discourage you from using the software at all. I'm very much inclined to do just that; I don't use it as a productivity tool anyway, I've only used it to get some idea of other ways than my own to do things. It doesn't seem worth the hassle.

[Deleted User]

Resetting Serial Number

The process to reset VA takes about five minutes if you call into AMX Customer Service with your VA Serial Number from your original installation disc. They will reset the ID which was bound to the old hard drive and you will be able to install on another PC or old PC with new hard drive.
AMX designed this system to control the distribution of VisualArchitect and keep it in the hands of AMX Dealers and Certified Programmers only. We are sorry if it has caused you any inconvenience. Hopefully you will find the tool more useful in the future as AMX is committed to VisualArchitect and it's ongoing development.

chill

Doug Hall wrote:

[...]
Hopefully you will find the tool more useful in the future as AMX is committed to VisualArchitect and it's ongoing development.

I hope AMX does not take this commitment too far. Some of the other programmers at my company are already complaining that Crestr0n will soon be *requiring* them to use SystemBuilder, which seems to be a roughly equivalent type of software product.

While I have no immediate complaints with VA, I would sorely miss having the option to build a system by hand. Most of us are not idiots, and I think we would prefer that AMX err on the side of "too much flexibility" rather than lock us into something that may not always be the best approach for a given project.

[Deleted User]

VisualArchitect Commitment

It is AMX's intent to provide tools at every level for the development of AMX projects. This commitment is extended to the core tools that must support VisualArchitect like NetLinx Studio, Cafe Duet, and TPDesign4.

vining

DHawthorne wrote:

What's the recommended procedure here? Contact AMX and get a new serial number? Frankly, I think it's a dumb system that does more to discourage you from using the software at all. I'm very much inclined to do just that;

I just downloaded the 357meg file, I guess out of curiosity. Now I have the serial number issue and Dave is exactly right! I'll probably now just delete it to free up drive space. And to think I was actually going to open it and see what it can do. Oh, well.

jjames

Doug Hall wrote:

It is AMX's intent to provide tools at every level for the development of AMX projects. This commitment is extended to the core tools that must support VisualArchitect like NetLinx Studio, Cafe Duet, and TPDesign4.

Really? When was the last release with any new features (much NEEDED features) for NLS or TPD4?

I see TPD4 was just updated a few days ago . . . for a new device. And that NS was last updated over a year ago. How can you say AMX's commitment is extended to core tools?

I haven't seen a build process as fast as VA in quite a long time. In just over a year AMX has gone from 1.0 to 1.3 (coming soon.)I think it's quite obvious where the commitment is.

Hedberg

I just downloaded the 357meg file, I guess out of curiosity. Now I have the serial number issue and Dave is exactly right! I'll probably now just delete it to free up drive space. And to think I was actually going to open it and see what it can do. Oh, well.

I have not tried VA, and I'm not sure I want to, nor why I should. Quite a while ago, when I first was exposed to G4, I tried the panel builder program. I am just now getting over the trauma. Is VA any better than panel builder?

NMarkRoberts

jjames wrote:

I see TPD4 was just updated a few days ago . . . for a new device. And that NS was last updated over a year ago. How can you say AMX's commitment is extended to core tools?

Yeah.

We have established on this forum within a reasonable degree of accuracy that the number of people who use Duet and are willing to write about it is... NONE.

Meanwhile the number of known and reproduceable (although largely minor) bugs in NS is... HEAPS.

And the number of people who use NS is... thousands?

vining

Hedberg wrote:

I have not tried VA, and I'm not sure I want to, nor why I should. Quite a while ago, when I first was exposed to G4, I tried the panel builder program. I am just now getting over the trauma. Is VA any better than panel builder?

Neither have I and my reasons for downloading it was simply curiosity. I did go to some training event when VA was first released which was one of those deals where the REPS makes you feel like this is required training for the ultimate tool for all things AMX. Needles to say I wasn't impressed and as I've eluded to in other posts IMHO this development is a strain on AMX resources and can never really do what they think it will. You can't automate a predominately custom process. As far as I know at least from that training event a few years back VA doesn't have the ability to received strings from devices or at least handle strings so your not getting real feedback. Your feedback is based on the fact that you sent a string not that device actually acknowledge it and sent a reply. Expensive IR! Maybe this has changed but I don't know cuz I can't activate the program.

I haven't tried panel builder either so I can't make that comparison.


jjames wrote:

I see TPD4 was just updated a few days ago . . . for a new device.

Now what's the chance that they fix the issue where TP4 crashes after a NS2 file transfer. I personally enjoy re-opening TPD4 10 times an hour when I'm in the middle of program changes and tweaking!

TurnipTruck

I did the walk through on VA at the InfoComm show. While I DO appreciate anyhing that a company does to make the lives of their product users easier, I cannot see how VA will assist the workflow of a moderately experienced programmer. I think the true test would be for AMX to ask around within their own programmers and see if any of them would consider using VA instead of shooting from the hip or working with UIs, modules, code blocks, etc that they had previously created.

AMX as a whole does have a reputation in the AV community as having a tremendous, and to many, prohibitive learning curve to get started in. VA may serve as a marketing tool to help diminish that notion. But, down here in the trenches I cannot see it making much difference.

I would be curious to know how much time and energy was put toward the development of VA versus other software and hardware. (I do realize that we'll never know.) At the end of the day:

1. TPD4 still crashes!
2. KPB is still very clumsy!

These are the things that AMX has a reputation for INSIDE the trenches. I have not heard of many programmers that go from here to the other side then come back. It's usually the other way around.

All that being said, my experiences with AMX system design and programming as a profession have been extremely rewarding and I wouldn't trade them for anything. This post is not intended to be a whining session, but just a reminder that the "Nuts and Bolts" issues are just as important as the entire hardware store.

jjames

vining wrote:

Now what's the chance that they fix the issue where TP4 crashes after a NS2 file transfer. I personally enjoy re-opening TPD4 10 times an hour when I'm in the middle of program changes and tweaking!

Oh! You mean you're not lucky enough of having to "log off" Windows or reboot Windows because you don't have permission to open the file you were just working on after it crashes? I love having to do that too.

I also appreciate all the hard work AMX does, I really do. I'm not a complete "trash talker", I just point out where AMX has (IMHO) made mistakes, but I also won't hesitate to point out the great improvements either. But VA . . . expensive mistake IMO. To me it appears to be a version of Design Express on steroids.

vining

jjames wrote:

Oh! You mean you're not lucky enough of having to "log off" Windows or reboot Windows because you don't have permission to open the file you were just working on after it crashes?

No, if I had to go through that I'd be throwing my laptop out the window and possibly go postal.

[Deleted User]

TPD4 Update

TPD4 release last week fixed the annoying problem of crashing while connected to a panel. Every time we go under the hood for a new feature, we try to fix as many bugs as possible.
I hope this helps.

jjames

WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!

Two thumbs up on the fix (though I haven't tried it yet.) That will be a HUGE help when out in the field. Kudos to AMX.

NMarkRoberts

Doug Hall wrote:

Every time we go under the hood for a new feature, we try to fix as many bugs as possible.

Does that mean you leave known bugs there until the next time you want to put in a new feature?

[Deleted User]

Thread drift

Doug Hall wrote:

TPD4 release last week fixed the annoying problem of crashing while connected to a panel. Every time we go under the hood for a new feature, we try to fix as many bugs as possible.
I hope this helps.

Doug's post needs to be moved to http://www.amxforums.com/showthread.php?t=2466

jjames

I'm starting to get the vibe of a general displeasure with AMX's software and general feeling that they've dropped the ball on the "core tools", even though they claim not. Granted, I understand AMX is very busy with new and exciting things, but I agree with many of the reasons why people are upset. Granted, I will stand by AMX for as long as they're arround (or something better comes along - which is not likely), but I would be lying if I said I'm happy with their current stance on their software tools for us programmers.

My question is: what is AMX going to do about it?

vining

Doug Hall wrote:

TPD4 release last week fixed the annoying problem of crashing while connected to a panel. Every time we go under the hood for a new feature, we try to fix as many bugs as possible.
I hope this helps.

OK, that's great and we do appreciate all the hard work that all you guys at AMX are doing but this was released on the 1st, 5 days ago. I happened to download it over the weekend because I did a web update to get VA which revived this thread, then jjames made reference to the TPD4 update that was available and so on and so forth until Doug's post saying this bug that has been the subject of many, many threads and posts has been fixed. Although I had already downloaded the newly released TPD4 I haven't yet used it so I was unaware of the fix.

This bug has been driving us crazy for at least 6 months and if AMX is paying attention to us here on the forum you would think as soon as this was released there would have been a post from you guys saying "your pain and suffering is over", "the TP crashing bug has been exterminated" and we would be over joyed by this simple accomplishment. But what a round about way of finding this out. If this thread hadn't taken this turn we could have been living with this bug for a couple more weeks or months with out knowing the damn thing had been fixed. I seldom ever check for updates on TPD4 or NS2 unless I see something on the forum. You guys missed a perfect opportunity to pat yourselves on the back.