Offering My Apologies

Recently a rivalry between my software and another member's software heated up and went too far. The result was a challenge between the two software packages which came across as aggressive advertising. I then realized this challenge between these 2 products had no real benefit to members on here, but instead fueled the rivalry further. I tried, without success, to turn it into a beneficial resource by trying to initiate an unbiased comparison of all software products in the same class.

So I offer my apologizes to everyone for crossing the line of advertising on this forum and will refrain from any future mention of my software.

Archie,
I can only speak for myself, but you have nothing to apologize for in my eye's.

You have created a great product and offered it to the world for free and have been very humble in doing so.
If I had the ability to do what you have done....I would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Hopefully you will still continue to contribute to the forum on all matters Advanced HMI, keeping us up to date on any improvements or additions to the software and keep offering help and advisement to everyone in need on your product.

Thanks for your contributions,
BCS

bering c sparky said:

archie,
i can only speak for myself, but you have nothing to apologize for in my eye's.

You have created a great product and offered it to the world for free and have been very humble in doing so.
If i had the ability to do what you have done....i would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Hopefully you will still continue to contribute to the forum on all matters advanced hmi, keeping us up to date on any improvements or additions to the software and keep offering help and advisement to everyone in need on your product.

Thanks for your contributions,
bcs

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+1

I think you are wrong about the benefit. Tutorial videos are sometimes hard to find and having a thread where the basic functions of 2-5 different HMI softwares are explained and compared is beneficial to people who have already chosen a software and want to learn more or are still trying to decide which software/hardware to choose. I know I would be interested in seeing videos of the basic functions explained on software I don't know yet.

Diameter157 said:

I think you are wrong about the benefit. Tutorial videos are sometimes hard to find and having a thread where the basic functions of 2-5 different HMI softwares are explained and compared is beneficial to people who have already chosen a software and want to learn more or are still trying to decide which software/hardware to choose. I know I would be interested in seeing videos of the basic functions explained on software I don't know yet.

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Bering C Sparky said:

Archie,
I can only speak for myself, but you have nothing to apologize for in my eye's.

You have created a great product and offered it to the world for free and have been very humble in doing so.
If I had the ability to do what you have done....I would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Hopefully you will still continue to contribute to the forum on all matters Advanced HMI, keeping us up to date on any improvements or additions to the software and keep offering help and advisement to everyone in need on your product.

Thanks for your contributions,
BCS

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Mickey said:

+1

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++

Archie, even though I've not commissioned any equipment using your software, I am always inspired by the lengths that you go to in helping a forum member implement something new/unforseen in your software.
I think that I have learned a lot (in VB) in just browsing your code and also alot (in how to help) in reading your tech support replies here.

Thank you.

I for one think that the information you have provided to the forum members is priceless. I have used the Advanced HMI only a few times but defiantly have a want to use it more.
There is nothing wrong with friendly competition and if somebody is offended or does not like what you have written, they could simply click the mouse and read something else. While the rest of us take benefit of the gracious offer of time and commitment you have put in to this.

I thank you for creating a free software package with such capabilities, as somebody like myself without the big wallet full of money can still play the game and have an alternative to the big name, big price tag packages.

my 2 cents!

Don't tell me the comparison challenge is off?

I was really looking forward to seeing the differences in several products, both free and expensive.

I applaud the efforts many of the contributors have made to help us all in this ever-changing field. The help and hints I pick up here are priceless!

Bering C Sparky said:

Archie,
I can only speak for myself, but you have nothing to apologize for in my eye's.

You have created a great product and offered it to the world for free and have been very humble in doing so.
If I had the ability to do what you have done....I would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Hopefully you will still continue to contribute to the forum on all matters Advanced HMI, keeping us up to date on any improvements or additions to the software and keep offering help and advisement to everyone in need on your product.

Thanks for your contributions,
BCS

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Very well said, and I agree completely.

I appreciate all of the positive comments. I do owe a great deal of appreciation to quite a few members on this forum. My software was practically born here and through the contributions and feedback of members has grown it into the mature product it is today.

I will continue to answer questions posted here that people have directly on the software, but out of respect for Phil's advertising policy, I will avoid directly posting anything that can be considered as advertising, such as unsolicited postings on new features or "challenges"

Gene Bond said:

Don't tell me the comparison challenge is off?

I was really looking forward to seeing the differences in several products, both free and expensive.!

Click to expand...

I will still be producing my video for the comparison and I would still would like to see the same done with other software packages. But the link to my video will be posted on the AdvancedHMI forum and not here in order to avoid crossing into that advertising area. As was pointed out, no matter the cost of the product, it can still be viewed as promotion and advertising.

Actually I find that even blatant advertising can be of value.
It just have to be relevant, not spam. For example if a great new and unique product becomes available. The poster just have to present the information in a sober and objective way, and to state up front that it is advertisment.
I know that it says "Please DON'T use it for advertizing" at the top of this page, but how about if there is a special section called "Advertisment and product announcements" ?The german sister site sps-forum.de has such as section, and it is actually of value to the regular members there.

Apart from that I agree that Archie has nothing to apologize for, on the contrary, and I hope that the comparison of various SCADA and HMI softwares is going to happen sometime.

"The clear problem of the outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such. Criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy, can be interpreted as insult." Rowan Atkinson

This quote came to mind...

bering c sparky said:

archie,
i can only speak for myself, but you have nothing to apologize for in my eye's.

You have created a great product and offered it to the world for free and have been very humble in doing so.
If i had the ability to do what you have done....i would be shouting it from the rooftop.

Hopefully you will still continue to contribute to the forum on all matters advanced hmi, keeping us up to date on any improvements or additions to the software and keep offering help and advisement to everyone in need on your product.

Thanks for your contributions,
bcs

Click to expand...

+1

Hello again Archie,

I could not help but think on this all night and it really bugs me.

There are some people in the world that you could hand a 100# bar of GOLD and they would still complain that it is too heavy......get what I am saying.

There will always be Haters and Haters will hate.....that is what they do.

The world is becoming far to PC for my liking, and the moaning, groaning and crying of a very small minority seems to set into action censorship of the majority just to keep a hand full of people from becoming Butt Hurt over what amounts to nothing.

There was a time in this country when Men where Men and not whinny little *******.
We are headed down a path of self destruction I fear.
It seems more and more that the righteous man ends up caving in, to make way for some ridiculous off the wall thing that some person or group of people are whining about , then ridiculous becomes the norm and righteousness is tossed out the window.

I would hope that you will just keep doing business as normal so that the majority of righteous people on here continue to reap the benefits of your vast knowledge and experience.....after all if it were not for you mentioning Advanced HMI on this forum, I know that I would have probably never heard of it and I am sure there are others out there that would say the same.

Stay the course my friend and let the Haters, hate. Pay them no mind and don't cave into the ridiculous notions of a small minority.

What you do and have been doing on this forum is no different than my saying "An Allen Bradley Micrologix would be the best solution for your application"!!!!
And this gets said a lot......If this or what you are doing is considered advertising then A.B. owes Phil "Retirement Kind of Cash".
I am most certain that if what you were doing was offending the forum, a moderator or Phil himself would have PM you and had this conversation.
So until you get that call I say, "Just keep on keeping on" with business a usual.

You are ok with what you where doing and I for one hope you stand your ground and just continue forward, for if not, it is the majority of us that loose, because of the crying of very small minority.

[Rant Off]

BCS

Archie said:

I appreciate all of the positive comments. I do owe a great deal of appreciation to quite a few members on this forum. My software was practically born here and through the contributions and feedback of members has grown it into the mature product it is today.

I will continue to answer questions posted here that people have directly on the software, but out of respect for Phil's advertising policy, I will avoid directly posting anything that can be considered as advertising, such as unsolicited postings on new features or "challenges"

I will still be producing my video for the comparison and I would still would like to see the same done with other software packages. But the link to my video will be posted on the AdvancedHMI forum and not here in order to avoid crossing into that advertising area. As was pointed out, no matter the cost of the product, it can still be viewed as promotion and advertising.

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Archie, if you got some PMs from Phil or the Mods complaining about your behavior, then I'd have to defer to them.

Otherwise, I'd say that your behavior has been a benefit to the forum, and it would be a detriment to the community if you changed it. There are many in the forum that are quick to post a one liner, suggesting a product as the solution and then nothing else. You may be suggesting your own product, but you also provide guidance and useful examples. This is far more than mere advertising.

According to a quick perusal of your post history, you don't create many threads (1-2 per month), and maybe 10% of those were specifically about Advanced HMI. I don't see anything wrong with that.

I think the idea of the video challenge, regardless of original intentions, has grown to something better than that. Personally, I think it would be great if iwe expanded it to PLCs as well. If this forum had easily comparable "quickstart" videos with standardized steps, that would be a huge value both to anyone starting out as well as experienced programmers jumping to (or just considering) a new system.

mk42

+1

Paul