LiveCode Forums.

I tried this on the list, but no reply. I looked around on the RR site, but couldn't find the right page.

My DC 2.7.4 license will soon expire, if it hasn't already. I'm ready to pay for Media, don't think I need Studio. So, I downloaded a trial copy of Media. My stacks seem to work okay, so far.

Just a couple of questions... I'm willing to RTI if someone will tell me where the instructions are.

I noticed the version number for the current version of Media is 2.7.4. That's the same as my version of DC. Does that mean that the two products are almost identical?

Are there new features in Media, relative to my version of DC, or earlier versions of Media? If so, where can I learn more about them?

If, for some reason, I need to return to DC, will stacks saved or altered in Media 2.7.4 be backward compatible in DC 2.7.4?


Thanks,


Tim

Replying to myself,

Maybe I should explain a bit more.

I did find the read_me_first.text document that came with my trial download of Media. It's not particularly informative, and it seems to address version 2.7.3. It's dated August, 2006. I have version 2.7.4. Maybe that's a maintenance upgrade, containing bug-fixes only. I dunno. Seems like the read-me ought to say so.

I've looked at the What's New page on the runrev site. New features and improvements in Revolution 2.7.4 are described, but it's not clear what applies to Studio and what applies to Media.

On http://downloads.runrev.com/section/platform.php I learn that the full-screen backdrop is "always on" in Media. Yet that appears not to be so, thank god. I wonder if I should anticipate (dread) that anti-feature in subsequent upgrades.

I looked at http://www.runrev.com/section/features.php. I was troubled to note that "Lock projects to prevent modification" appears to have been eliminated from Media, relative to DC. This worried me, because one of my DC stacks is security-sensitive and password-protected. This issue is not further explained. By trial and error I have learned that the password protection works okay in Media, just as it did in DC. That could have been a huge backward-compatibility problem for me.

At http://www.runrev.com/section/features.php, I learn that SQL inquiries are not supported in Media. Yet one of the sample projects I encounter from the "Media Starter" screen is a simple SQL inquiry kiosk, or something of that nature. I've inquired about that apparent discrepancy. No one has replied.

I can't give you the precise name of the sample project because I turned off the option of displaying the "Media Starter" screen at startup and now I can't figure out how to display it again. I can't find it on any menu, or in the documentation.

There have been backward compatibility issues with previous minor upgrades of DC and Studio. It seems reasonable to wonder about that as I transition from DC to Media. I have now made the inference that I probably don't have to worry about backward compatibility on this upgrade cycle. I had to figure that out for myself.

I have no idea whether RR is committed to supporting and upgrading Media alongside Studio. Given the conspicuous absence of replies to my perfectly reasonable questions, combined with the dearth of information about Media on the RR website and seemingly lackadaisical documentation there, you can't blame me for wondering.

I am inclined to suspect that these admittedly minor problems with documentation of Media on the RR site, and other inconsistencies, have occurred, and not been fixed, because Media is not widely used, and is not expected to grow, so no one cares much. If that's true, I'd like to know about it now, so I can plan accordingly. I depend heavily on DC/Media, not as a developer, but for day to day use. I have no developer to advise me or bail me out if problems occur, and I am hardly an expert, as you can see.




TM

DC and Media are not identical. It is a long time ago when I tested DreamCard, but if I remember correctly, DC was exactly the same as Studio, except for its inability to create standalones. Media includes a number of templates, which are not available in Studio, and lacks several features that are available in Studio and Enterprise.

An important feature you really might expect but is not available in Media, is the plug-ins submenu in the Development menu.

I can't find anything related to SQL in media. As far as I know it is not included. It would be useful if RunRev Ltd indicated in the docs that Media doesn't have any dedicated database features.

There are a few new features, such as private handlers. You can read about all new features in the files that have "What's new", "Read Me" and "Change Log" in their names. What is new in Studio and Enterprise is also new in Media. I fully agree that this is not clear and actually it is possible that a new feature is left out in the future. To be sure about it, you should write support before buying anything.

I hope this helps.

Best,

Mark

Thanks Mark.

I'm pleased to see that at least one person understood the significance of my concerns.

Do you think Media is likely to remain in the product lineup, at least for the next couple of years?

Tim