Looking for volunteer software reviewers

[bill.young]

I've been thinking about setting up a software reviews section somewhere...maybe in a blog or on the ShopBot web page somewhere...so that ShopBotters can find out about all the neat programs out there (like Sketchup, my current favorite) that they might not have seen before.

It seems like the best way to do it would be to have ShopBotters themselves write about the software that they use and like, with a brief description of what it does and how it's useful to ShopBotters and maybe a list of pros and cons. If anyone has a program that they like, especially an unusual one or one that's inexpensive, and would be willing to do a quick review of, please get in touch with me and I'll send you a rough template as a guideline to get things started.

Bill

[paco]

Hey Bill!

This is something I already plan to do on my blog (http://pacosarea.blogspot.com/) but I'll be happy to contribute to your project whatever way you go.
Since this project is partially for newcomers, may I suggest to have some sort of category like 2D, 2-1/2D and 3D, CAD, CAM and CAD/CAM... with so many products around, it could just help to sort them out into sections or with tags. Say if someone is looking for a full drawing/modeling and toolpathing capability package, he could start by looking the CAD/CAM section/tag.
To make it up to you Bill, there should be a section/tag for Bill's utilities/virtual tools so we can get more people to know about all the great work you've done so far (http://www.shopbottools.com/shopbot_labs.htm)!

While at it, anyone have a nice utility to stretch my day length?!

[harryball]

Great suggestion and ideas. Another way to categorize might be in a show and tell format. Have a picture of some work, like a 2.5D or 3D sign etc... then have the article focus on how it was created as it relates to software in the overall creation process.

For example, tell how the original design was sketched on paper. Then explain why CorelX3 was used to create the first .eps file, what tools made me choose Corel. The how it was imported into VCarvePro. How I conceived the toolpath scheme etc...

I think for newcomers seeing an end product similar to what they want to create and going through the process would greatly accelerate their understanding of the differences in CAD, CAM, 3D Modeling etc...

Robert

[hines]

You'll also need a section for cabinet making. I.E. Cabinet Parts Pro and E-cabinets.

[conceptmachine]

Great idea,another good idea would be a thread or topic area on the forum for botters to share sb files,dxf images artwork etc..i know there's a thread on the vectric forum where they are doing this and it's a big hit!FORUM ADMIN would this be allowed as a thread or topic on the shopbot forum thaught i would ask before posting!
shawn

[paco]

While lunching, I thought it would be nice, yet relevant, to include other kind of softwares too. What I have in mind is such thing as accounting and contacts management, office suites and Internet related applications, miscellaneous utility... I know it can go crazy but I do use quite a lot of other softwares that do not draw, model or toolpath but still are related to my business (http://www.cooptel.qc.ca/~usinum/) thus my SB tool.

[bill.young]

Shawn,

I can't speak for Admin but one problem would be that it would be tough to be sure of the copyright for files that were posted. ShopBot would have to be sure that the person posting them had the rights to that design...that the designs were original to them, that they had permission from the copyright holder, or that they were public domain.

Bill

[bill.young]

Hey Paco,

Good idea...I'm sure there are some people that use the spreadsheet in Open Office to do part files. And there are a ton of text editors and programming tools that might be of interest. A good tagging or labeling system might help keep it all sorted out, like the one that Blogger has.

I'll see what I can get going...

Bill

[jsfrost]

Posting about SW I like is great, but there have been past issues with posts from several people regarding aspects of SW the poster did not like, and it seems this can be a problem for Shopbot's relationships. On this forum I have no issue with following Shopbot's rules, but unless a review can cover all sides, the review has limited value. Is there a way around this issue? Perhaps, to allow reviews to be completely candid, a different venue is more appropriate. Paco'place?

Jim

[paco]

Bill (and Jim),

with Blogger you can be independent and you can gather people into a team to work on the Blog spot... lots of other features to look at.

[myxpykalix]

It seems to me that the best place to have this is totally away from this forum. I think the forum admin enforces rules set down by shopbot and in cases their own attitudes which conflict with a majority of people here. I am very frustrated by the "50k rule". I would love to be able to post big pictures to show off the detail of my work, elsewhere i can.
Maybe they should put up a poll and ask what speed internet connection most people have. If they find a majority have higher connections then increase the posting limit.
If they say they don't have the storage space I know where you can get 1 gig bandwidth or more with unlimited storage for $2.-5.00/month.
In the alternative have a seperate folder for "High Speed Virtual Show and Tell" where those of us who have high speed lines and want to post large files with lots of detail can post in there and those who are still in the internet stone age with 56k connections won't be affected.

I know this can be done but can't explain it right off but another alternative might be to post your 50k picture as you normally do but then if you click on it, it is linked to the bigger version in the high speed folder.
There are tons of alternatives and great suggestions we all thought of to do things better here, none of which have been implemented so far.
How bout starting with a poll or survey? If anyone is interested in setting something up where we can display our work without the 50k constraints imposed here I would be willing to put in some work designing and setting it up. If others have better solutions but need help i'd volunteer to help.

[bill.young]

John,

You can get a free Flickr account that will let you upload 100 megs of pictures a month, or an unlimited account for around $25 a year. Then upload your pictures to Flickr and link to them from a forum posting.

There are lots of other photo sites if you don't like Flickr...Ed Lang uses SmugMug I think...but Flickr is the only one I'm familiar with.

[billp]

I'm not sure why some people have issues with the 50k limit. If you look at the size of the pix I post on the Forum regularly you'll see that they are pretty large, yet they all meet the 50k limit. Yes I DO use Photoshop/Image Ready to create these pix, but I'm sure there are other software packages capable of doing the same...

[paco]

Google and Yahoo both offer such features too... and more.

[ed_lang]

Yes Bill, I use SmugMug and have so for years. It is just the ticket for me and my pictures. I can password folders or make them public.

If anyone would like to see, follow the below link

http://www.kc4ylx.smugmug.com