forty-two v1.5 is done...please read

[KaiCherry]

First off, check our site's progress page

http://homepage.mac.com/kaicherry/

Secondly, stop with the questions and emails about pre v1.5...they are *all* irrelevant

We are fixing up the docs for v1.5 and expect to release it in the next 24-48 hours barring no surprises.

Its really, really nice We did it. As far as we are concerned, its over. Easy conversions for everyone, from now on.

Subs, alternate audio, *any dvd* that has at least two chapters and is not PCM or DTS only will work with v1.5 for mpeg transcodes, and even PCM is supported if you want to make a divx.

ETA's on mpeg video transcoding, *filesize* info, PAL/NTSC whatever you want.

We handled it.

We will have a full installer for new users (you DO NOT want to run this if you have 1.02 install, and we ain't checkin' either...) or a simple drag and drop replacement app with the new docs and goodies for upgraders.

No fuss, no muss.

And its still free. In a manner of speaking

We are releasing an *expiring* version publicly. We feel that we honestly put enough into to make it a commercial app, but what the hell

However, we will, erm, gauge u$er interest in our work, and we feel the $upport will be there for us to continue on and make it even better. We still have a couple of ideas up our sleeve.

We are confident that we have delivered now what people want and that any thoughts of Windows portage or closing up shop were silly, as Mac people know a good thing when they get it and love to lord it over the "Windows lamers". Why in hell else would we use Macs, right?

Our plan is to gauge the u$er response, which we know will be positive, and release a non-expiring version, free for everyone. Forever.

And yes if you supported us in the past, we know who you are

But it won't come to that. We know folks won't let this die

Of course if by some bizarre turn of events we are dead wrong about this, we'll be more than happy to mail our loyal dedicated supporters a personalized non-expiring copy on cdr, each and every one of them

Cus there aren't that many

-K

-K- it looks like the improvements are many and if it works better then 1.02 then it is definately worth $upport. The PAL support is a godsend for our friends across the pond. All in all good job

A@ron

Btw is it dual processor aware and does it use altivec? Just wondering if those would be future areas of improvements or is that already a reality?

[KaiCherry]

-K- it looks like the improvements are many and if it works better then 1.02 then it is definately worth $upport. The PAL support is a godsend for our friends across the pond. All in all good job

A@ron

Like I always say:

"We Try"

Look, we love you guys *especially* the folks here. We are sure that the reception will be a postive one.

And we are tossing in a lil' extra too. Its a surprise "goodie" for the coolest kids on the playground

-K

[DannyZR2]

Support this software People...

Mac users often think software should just be... but don't understand that real people have to make it happen.. Kai and Bilestyle have been working on this for US..

One or two questions... were you able to implement the VIDEO_TS output as you'd hoped? Oh, and were you able to maintain DVD Chapters for DVD-R output? Even if the chapter thing didn't come through, I am pumped!!! No more PC!!!!!!!!!!!!! streaming files to and from the PC was SO SLOW since my DVD-R is in my Mac... Thank you for your work. I've submitted a small donation of what I can do right now, when I try it out, I'm sure I'll be so amazed that I'll scrounge up more donation for ya...

-DannyZR2-
dannyzumwalt@mac.com

[KaiCherry]

Support this software People...

Mac users often think software should just be... but don't understand that real people have to make it happen.. Kai and Bilestyle have been working on this for US..

Thanks man! We went for it with this version...I'm almost sick of looking at it, lol.

One or two questions... were you able to implement the VIDEO_TS output as you'd hoped?

Too complicated for some users to deal with. How about a ready-to-burn .iso instead?

Just drag on Disk Copy and live the dream

Oh, and were you able to maintain DVD Chapters for DVD-R output? Even if the chapter thing didn't come through, I am pumped!!!

Depending on user support, I might have worked out a way to preserve chaptering for the next version.

Perhaps 1.6 we'll see if there is a way to do this for (s)vcd tho'.

-K

[KaiCherry]

-Btw is it dual processor aware and does it use altivec?

Where it can, yes on both.

-K

[quasor]

Congratz on 1.5

Ready for download?

[KaiCherry]

Congratz on 1.5

Ready for download?

Today (late) or Friday. Gotta build installers, docs, etc.

-K

[elreeko]

Awesome work guys!! Can't wait to try out 1.5 (not that I have had any complaints about the earlier versions) Can't wait to try it out on the badly authored disks that wouldn't work in earlier versions.

$upport will be coming you way soon (this would be true even if you hadn't upgraded it).

[jefwest]

Questions for Kai.....

1) GREAT WORK KAI!! Just a quickie...on DVD to DVD-R .......I don't really care about chapters if the .iso DVD image that I burn can be fast forwarded and I can jump 5 minutes at a time on it.......is this possible? the other dvd image I made with sizzle wouldn't let me fast foward....or use my apex's goto function....it woudl just stop after like 1 minute of fast forwarding....will yours allow me to go to specific spots or fast forward???? that'd make my day

[flenser]

And its still free. In a manner of speaking

We are releasing an *expiring* version publicly. We feel that we honestly put enough into to make it a commercial app, but what the hell

After a bit of work re-activating a paypal account I haven't used in about five years, I was able to donate $20 for 42. I assume I'll have some way to de-expire 1.5?

Kai, I wrote shareware for quite a few years before I ran out of free time. Here are a few things I've learned:

1) If five percent of the people who use your app pay the shareware fee, you're doing well.

2) You can boost the pay percentage by adding gentle nag screens. Once every five runs or so, display a little dialog asking them to pay for it. The dialog can even be non-modal so that it's less annoying. If it nags too much, people will get pissed off and just stop using the app rather than pay. GraphicConverter's startup screen that makes you wait for 30 seconds if you haven't registered the app is on the strong side of this nagging.

3) Have a free version and a not-free version that has more features. Or better yet, make the free version shareware $10 (or whatever), and the Pro version $25 (or whatever). A high percentage of the people who go to pay for the shareware version will see the Pro version and buy that -- if they're paying, they figure they might as well get the best. It's a psychological thing, and it works.

4) Either write shareware for the love of writing software, or set up a business and run it as a business. Giving software out, and then getting pissed off when people don't spontaneously donate is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

In addition, you're working on a program that appeals to a limited set of users, and is in a legal gray area to boot.

Having said all this, 42 has awesome functionality, and it's well-designed as well. Congratulations, and thanks!

[CaseyComb]

Will someone please tell me how to open the .bz2 file. I have OSX 10.2+ Jaguar and stuffit expander. What else do I need? I can't seem to open the file. I Unzip the file Say... "File.bz2" for example and I get an unreadable file called "File.bz2.1". Help please, Yeah I know I'm stupid.

Thanks in advance!

[jefwest]

I hate it when people say "thanks in advance", I mean, what if no one ever tells you how to do it? I for one have no clue what you're talking about so you'll have to be more specific, is a bz2 from 42? what did you use to get it? sounds like a bzip file....terminal stuff might do it.....

[KaiCherry]

Ya know...if you would drag the file onto the stuffit expander icon it would take care of this. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this has escaped you

If this does not work, then your system is horked in some way and you'll need to download stuffit expander and (re)install it.

-K

Will someone please tell me how to open the .bz2 file. I have OSX 10.2+ Jaguar and stuffit expander. What else do I need? I can't seem to open the file. I Unzip the file Say... "File.bz2" for example and I get an unreadable file called "File.bz2.1". Help please, Yeah I know I'm stupid.

Thanks in advance!

[CaseyComb]

I'm not all that mac literate and for that I guess I'll apologize?!? I asked for but a solution not blatant sarcasm JefWest. Instead of going on a long winded rant I simply explained my problem, Unzip "File.bz2" = Unreadable "File.bz2.1" Next time keep it to yourself.

[KaiCherry]

[quote="flenser"]

And its still free. In a manner of speaking

We are releasing an *expiring* version publicly. We feel that we honestly put enough into to make it a commercial app, but what the hell

After a bit of work re-activating a paypal account I haven't used in about five years, I was able to donate $20 for 42. I assume I'll have some way to de-expire 1.5?
[/qoute]

Yep. But from early indications I don't think this will be an issue.

Again, think PBS. We got PAl support for all over Europe due tho the genorous donations of a few Europeans of both the disks we needed, playback help and a bit of cash.

forty-two isn't as much as a commericial venture as it is a publically-funded development project.

Every mac user out there that can benefit from it will as long as we have enough time, energy and funding to keep doing it.

Thats how it works, how people get the features they ask for, etc.

*Very Simple.* Kinda crazy, but simple, nonetheless. Would we like everyone that uses forty-two to send us a buck or two? Sure. But some can't or won't.

If enough folks do, everybody wins. People are starting to slowly understand this...that's how, and why forty-two gets better.

I'd rather spend my time coding *useful features* than worring over serial numbers and registration schemes. No one working on this is getting rich, or paying any bills.

Just need enough to justify the time, nothing more and nothing less. Very simple.

I am well aware of the schemes and methodologies one can use to *urge* registration.

This is a different twist on those schemes. The expiring version use as much as you like. When the time comes, its over. No date tricks, no prefs games, no "lock the file so it can't change itself" will make forty-two operate after the time its set to stop. You will literally have to stop time

No non-expiring versions will be *built* even privately before the trial period has ended; we don't have one either

Everyone will have ample time to figure out if forty-two is useful to them, and what its worth.

If we get as cool as a response for 1.5 as we got for the previous versions, then the project will slow to a snail's pace. Everyone that has sent a donation, or lent support will be offered the opportunity to have a non-expiring version, sent to them on cdr. Each of these versions will be personalized for the individual it is intended for.

What we think, and hope, will happen is that everyone, or mostly everyone that finds forty-two genuinely useful to them, or believes in what we are doing and our potential to improve, will determine what that worth is to them, and contribute back to the development.

Like I said, we still have a trick or two we want to try that we are researching to relly push forty--two over the top if we can pull it off.

-K

[DannyZR2]

Thank you Kai. I think you are going about this very well.

-Looking forward to the download-

DannyZR2

[dj_yerba]

Everyone that has sent a donation, or lent support will be offered the opportunity to have a non-expiring version, sent to them on cdr. Each of these versions will be personalized for the individual it is intended for.

If we make donations for 42 Ver. 1.5, what happens for the people who live outside the US... like Chile for example. will i be able to get a non expiring version on cdr or by email?

I really like the program, is just that i can't seem to discover yet my personal settings, that's why i need to try and try untill i get what i want... like subtitles to work with a really good looking movie.

And one final request: what happens if i want to make a donation via western union for example... can you give us another way to make donations... i rather this way than pay pal. i don't have good experiences with other methods.
Maybe pay pal is the easy way for you... but try to reconsider some others.

[KaiCherry]

Everyone that has sent a donation, or lent support will be offered the opportunity to have a non-expiring version, sent to them on cdr. Each of these versions will be personalized for the individual it is intended for.

If we make donations for 42 Ver. 1.5, what happens for the people who live outside the US... like Chile for example. will i be able to get a non expiring version on cdr or by email?

Yes...but this should NOT be an issue...see below.

I really like the program, is just that i can't seem to discover yet my personal settings, that's why i need to try and try untill i get what i want... like subtitles to work with a really good looking movie.

Let me put it this way:

If *everyone* felt like this, there would not have *been* a v1.5.

Don't be the guy thinking "Ahhh, the next guy will take care of it, and we'll all be fine."

YOU are some other guy's 'next guy'....

Something to think about.

And one final request: what happens if i want to make a donation via western union for example... can you give us another way to make donations... i rather this way than pay pal. i don't have good experiences with other methods.
Maybe pay pal is the easy way for you... but try to reconsider some others.

We are looking into other stuff right now. A PO Box should be available by Monday.

We are glad folks want to help us out, and are doing what we can to facilitate this.

-K

[tgpo]

I sent my donation. And plan to keep doing it on a weekly basis.

[dj_yerba]

Don't be the guy thinking "Ahhh, the next guy will take care of it, and we'll all be fine."

what do you mean by that? (sorry my english is not so good so i want to get this right) You mean that we should tell you what we want to see in you program... something like... why don't you consider adding this function, for example... or you meant something else?

[KaiCherry]

Don't be the guy thinking "Ahhh, the next guy will take care of it, and we'll all be fine."

what do you mean by that? (sorry my english is not so good so i want to get this right) You mean that we should tell you what we want to see in you program... something like... why don't you consider adding this function, for example... or you meant something else?

What I mean is a lot of people feel like you do: Our work is "worthless" to them unless it does Thing X or Feature Y.

Or they figure that *other* people will contribute towards development, so they can hold off, it will be taken care of.

My point is that this is a wrong way of thinking in this case. forty-two isn't shareware, or commericial. It only continues to get better because people "chip in" to help us justify the time and expense of developing it, write docs, do testing, localization, send dvds from around the world, and yes funds.

BELEIVE ME, there is NO WAY IN HELL v1.5 would be as good as it is if that didn't happen. People that *couldn't even use it at all* ("My computer doesn't have a DVD drive, but a friend told me about what you all are doing. Here's $20 for a great effort that will help many mac users! Thanks for not charging $50-$100 for this software") have sent donations.

ALL Mac users that want to use this everywhere should *really* thank these generous folks. Without them, YOU wouldn't have forty-two.

And for those that have stated its a 'niche program" etc...

OF COURSE making vcds and stuff has been "niche" and "leet" because it was so damned confusing

I get emails *every day* from folks that say they never had a hope in Heaven of doing this before forty-two. So that niche is getting a bit bigger

-K

[jbcandkc]

I am very happy :P to hear about the upcoming po box as I don't ever plan to have a paypal account. Hopefully there are many others like me who will now be "able" to contribute. Thanks K & B for your dedication to 42.

[galactica]

K-
Keep up the good work. Before forty two came out, i was about this close to tying a knot around my neck and the bed post and jumping out the window!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every dvd to svcd program out there (before forty two) should have come with a small * saying "may induce suffering and pain when used on your mac inorder to get the prodcut you think you have only to find out it is not in sync"

I have wasted many a months on all those "easy mac svcd" programs only to find out they are not so easy.

I love this project and program. You guys are definatly helping out the mac users of the world.

HECK! ive even had some of my pc friends tell me how nice forty-two is! for svcd conversion!

Ok, enough babble, keep up the good work!
Cant wait for the link for v1.5 to get online!
/Galactica

[dj_yerba]

don't get me wrong, i don't think your work is worthless unless it does thing x or feature y, i think 42 is more than a great program cause you don't have to use 1.000.000 apps to make one movie, 42 does it all for you, and that is just great. (and for english spoken movies is ok to me if there's no subtitles cause i can understand better than other languages).

(in my particular case) i like movies in different languages, and 42 have the option to make subtitles, so if you are planning to make svcd or vcd from a dvd from china, of course you may want to have subtitles. for me, the movies must be watched in their original languages.

i don't want you to feel angry about this issue, is just i want to know if 42 will help me to achieve what i'm loking for... a good looking movie with subtitles in spanish, that's why i said before that i need to try and try to see if my movies will work the way i need them to work. that's all!

that's why i can hardly wait the new improved 42. if this program can give me what i need i'll be more than happy to contribute to get a non expiring version, and if not i'll have to move on and see how to get what i need.

[Matsaki]

Can't wait until You release the 1.5 But will it work for PAL as well?

[sherry]

K-
Every dvd to svcd program out there (before forty two) should have come with a small * saying "may induce suffering and pain when used on your mac inorder to get the prodcut you think you have only to find out it is not in sync"
/Galactica

Galactica, you're not really fair with Major who did a hell of a great job. ffmpegX is just a top-knotch app especially as you can now do authoring for Xvid which more or less matches video quality of PC's DivX5.

[KaiCherry]

Can't wait until You release the 1.5 But will it work for PAL as well?

Abosolutyly. It detects PAL dvds automatically and transcodes accordingly.

BTW...

If you'd like, you can download the forty-two updater or full installer from:
http://homepage.mac.com/kaicherry/downloads.html

More mirrors/links will be posted on aor download pages, as soon as Apple clears their caches

-K

[BernieR]

Hello Kai,

OK, i d/l the updater (i was still using V1) It uncompressed automatically and mounted on the desktop. I double clicked on forty-two icon. The program comes up and info says V1.5. I drag Starwars II onto it and it prescans for a minute then, "The application has unexpect quit..."

Did i miss a step in the updater process?

Bernie

[KaiCherry]

Hello Kai,

OK, i d/l the updater (i was still using V1) It uncompressed automatically and mounted on the desktop. I double clicked on forty-two icon. The program comes up and info says V1.5. I drag Starwars II onto it and it prescans for a minute then, "The application has unexpect quit..."

Did i miss a step in the updater process?

Bernie

Nope.

no idea man. Log out and log back in.

-K