LaserSoft Imaging

Hi,

from my experience, keeping SilverFast up to date (i.e., always installing the newest updates) is very recommendable; therefore, it would be very helpful

- to be able to see the most recent version in the downloads area without having to enter the serial number first;

- to be notified of updates for selected scanners by an e-mail newsletter one can subscribe to;

- keeping the version history up-to-date would also be an option, but it often took more than a week for this file to be updated.

Regards,
BB

Dear BB

thank you for posting with these requests:
(1) see most recent version for my scanners
(2) newsletter with update info
(3) up-to-date product history

ad (1)
I already suggested a kind of my.silverfast.com part of our website which is intented to deal with this issue. 2005 might bring some information improvents for SilverFast users.

ad (2)
Problem with such things usually is that people don't like newsletter when getting them as well as when they subscribed.
Though unsubscribing isn't a pain, most often people simply declare such mails as spam, being completely unaware that this might lead to SilverFast mail to that server being blocked.
In an extreme case an answer to a support request to another user having an email address with the same provider will not reach its destination.

Also, lots of emails come back from newsletters and need to be unsubscribed manually which caused quite some work in the past.

Therefore I am not too positive concerning such things, but we shall see...

ad (3)
It has been agreed internally that product history updates and available version updates to be better coordinated.
Lags like we had in the last quarter of 2004 are not likely to occur again in 2005.

Kind regards
Sonny Noack
- technical support, LSI AG -

ad (3)
It has been agreed internally that product history updates and available version updates to be better coordinated.
Lags like we had in the last quarter of 2004 are not likely to occur again in 2005.

Two ideas:

1. The newsletter could be delivered to our Private Message box here on the forum.

or

2. You kind folks could start a blog that gets regularly updated with the latest news. That way, customers can come directly to the Silverfast website to read the blog, or they can subscribe to an RSS feed.

This would solve the problem of bounced emails.

Feel free to contact me if you need help setting up and maintaining the blog. I would be happy to volunteer my time in exchange for an upgrade to Silverfast Studio.

I agree with the newsletter-related problems; just another very annoying side effect of spam. However, the idea with something like my.silverfast.com sounds great, that would at least be a great improvement (if properly maintained...)!

Thanks in advance,
BB

I think the automatic notification of updates when starting the application every so often is preferable to receiving an e-Mail. It is the trend with most applications and has been adopted by hardware manufactures as well.

My thought only.

You're right, that seems to be the trend with a lot of applications, but I personally just don't like all my applications accessing the internet on their own. Admittedly a little paranoid, but I prefer to be in control of that (well, at least believe to be in control...).

BB

Hey,

I hear what you are saying! For me a web check from a reliable source is no more risk that receiving and e-Mail from a trusted source though. I suppose that is because I have helped people who have had their computers trashed from either source (email or web). The missing component is "trusted".

Hi,

I see, that's a good point. Basically, all security issues are a matter of trust anyway, so granting an application (SF in this case) access to a trustworthy website is probably no more dangerous than visiting there yourself (or opening emails with 'LaserSoft' in the sender field).
Then the only disadvantage left is that when I start up SilverFast to do some scans is usually not the perfect time to start downloading and installing. However, these is only a minor issue, and it would certainly be better than not being notified at all!

Yes,

That is my point exaclty. You can check for updates from within Silverfast right now. It also does a check every x number of days on it's own.

i fully support the idea of a my.silverfast.com

great idea, mods!