New version 2017.11.2

[Aubrey]

Great new version.
I was going through the pre-release notes last evening, and thinking, wow there's a lot of great addtions... I wonder when it will be released.

I've added the new categories... my goodness it shows how much updating I should do!!!

Thanks Mario great incremental release. 

Aubrey.

[Mario]

me...

[thrinn]

Downloaded and installed without problems.
Leafing through the bunch of enhancements (not to mention the bug fixes) I am sure other companies would not call this an update, but at least an substantial upgrade...
Congratulations!

[Menace]

Downloading. Yes... Drag & Drop with "Alt"! Thank you!

[BanjoTom]

Very impressed by this new version!  I especially like the new workflow categories -- very helpful, indeed!  THANKS, Mario!!!

[Mario]

Thanks. Always improving. Spread the word about IMatch everywhere 

[Jingo]

Yes.. works wonderfully!  I continue to spread the word whenever possible - but... have you given much thought to a small marketing budget in a targeted place?  If you can get 1 large customer on board from the marketing fees, that should more than make up for it!

[ben]

 
Long awaited bug fix
Bug Fix | #00321 (Keyxword Panel - Top50 / Favorites tabs)

Works like a charm 

[Mario]

Good to hear. This was an obscure issue which apparently only ever affected you 

[Mario]

Yes.. works wonderfully!  I continue to spread the word whenever possible - but... have you given much thought to a small marketing budget in a targeted place?  If you can get 1 large customer on board from the marketing fees, that should more than make up for it!

I'm all ears. Specific Ideas?

Problem is that even a budget of 100US$ per day is considered minuscule... and that's a already lot of money for folks like me.
Getting your bid/ad to display is one thing. And when a click on an ad costs you 1 or 2 US$ and does not lead to a sale...

All the web-based marketing mechanisms favor large companies with deep pockets.
Adobe alone spends more than 150 million US$ per year to market their products. And there are many other DAM vendors.
We all compete for the same keywords and clicks...

if you spend only $1 per keywords and you have 10 keywords, a budget of several thousand US$  does not even last a week :-(

[jch2103]

Re Updated Default Metadata Panel Layouts #00358:

There appears to be an error in the text for the Release Notes here. This note says to load 'C:\ProgramData\photools.com\IMatch6\Presets\system-en.imcsx', but the file extension for Metadata Panel layouts is *.immdl.

I assume the text should actually be 'C:\ProgramData\photools.com\imatch6\Presets\system.immdl'. I accidentally tried to import the .imcsx file, but IMatch suddenly became very busy and the UI stalled. Also, the screenshot doesn't match the imported numbered layouts: 1 Default; 2 Describe; 3 Image; 4 IPTC Metadata; 5 GPS Details; 6 Darwin Core; 7 XMP IPTCCore / Ext; 8 Video. The additional layouts starting with letters match the screenshot. (I assume you Added 'Describe' at the last minute.)


Otherwise, I'm impressed with the number of improvements and fixes! Excellent work!

[hro]

Downloaded (some problems) and installed without a problem.
I look forward trying out all the new enhancement. Well done Mario.

The download had a few problems this time:
1. Extremely slow again, IM was sort of ok, IMA took 4 attempts to download as it timed out. I didn't see that for a long time.
2. Windows installer warned me again about unsafe version.
3. This time, even the Chrome Browser warned me about unsafe files, see attached screenshot.

[Aubrey]

Re Updated Default Metadata Panel Layouts #00358:

There appears to be an error in the text for the Release Notes here. This note says to load 'C:\ProgramData\photools.com\IMatch6\Presets\system-en.imcsx', but the file extension for Metadata Panel layouts is *.immdl.

I assume the text should actually be 'C:\ProgramData\photools.com\imatch6\Presets\system.immdl'. I accidentally tried to import the .imcsx file, but IMatch suddenly became very busy and the UI stalled. Also, the screenshot doesn't match the imported numbered layouts: 1 Default; 2 Describe; 3 Image; 4 IPTC Metadata; 5 GPS Details; 6 Darwin Core; 7 XMP IPTCCore / Ext; 8 Video. The additional layouts starting with letters match the screenshot. (I assume you Added 'Describe' at the last minute.)


Otherwise, I'm impressed with the number of improvements and fixes! Excellent work!

Yep I had same issue, the dreaded blue circle and then IMatch eventually crashed.
I did an export saw the file type and then realised the extension must be wrong - I should have flagged it for eerybody.

BTW my import went to C:\ProgramData\photools.com\imatch5\Presets
It may have been something in my setup as I still have IMatch5 installed (I haven't used it for months). IM3 is still installed on another machine, not sure I even remember how to use it 

[Ger]

It might be my connection, but IM Anywhere download failed (Firefox, Chrome). IM 2017 downloaded ok

[pajaro]

The download had a few problems this time:
1. Extremely slow again, IM was sort of ok, IMA took 4 attempts to download as it timed out. I didn't see that for a long time.
2. Windows installer warned me again about unsafe version.
3. This time, even the Chrome Browser warned me about unsafe files, see attached screenshot.

The same here. IM installed without problems, IMA downloaded but Firefox warned about unsafe file...

[Mario]

Downloaded (some problems) and installed without a problem.
I look forward trying out all the new enhancement. Well done Mario.

The download had a few problems this time:
1. Extremely slow again, IM was sort of ok, IMA took 4 attempts to download as it timed out. I didn't see that for a long time.
2. Windows installer warned me again about unsafe version.
3. This time, even the Chrome Browser warned me about unsafe files, see attached screenshot.

These dumb,dumb, dumb "unsafe file" nonsense. As if all users have an IQ of 10 by now (which is probably what these hipsters in the valley think anyway).
Google, Microsoft etc. -- all the same.
And death and destruction to all hackers, virus programmers and secret services which cause us to require all that.

If a file is not downloaded thousands of times per day, they out out that warning.  Even if it is properly authenticated and signed with a valid certificate - like my downloads. And checked with 40+ virus checkers etc.

Unless you run Google or Bing ads on the same page that is, which seems to give you better creds...figures.


I just went through a complicated and expensive two-week process to renew my Authenticode certificate - which I use to sign and seal the files you can download.

If you have never heard about that - you should. Because this is what is used to confirm that the files you have downloaded from my site is OK and valid.
Windows Installer checks it, you can see the digital certificate with my name when you right-click the downloaded file in Windows Explorer. I also sign all IMatch DLLs and executables with my certificate for extra security.

But there are now two types of certificates.

One costs between 100 and 200US$ per year. 1000US$/year if you go to Verisign.
This is a proper certificate I used all the years before. I must pay that to sign my downloads and to avoid the "Unknown publisher" warning in Windows Installer.

But this certificate apparently no longer protect me form getting my software sometimes flagged as "potential harmful" - even if my certificate is valid.

The new "extended validation certificate with instant credibility" starts at 500US$ per year (!) and is supposed to avoid the "potentially harmful" warning in the browsers.

I'm not willing or able to pay 500 US$ per year just to get a certificate that says that I am me.
And the 500US$ is just the start. I would also need a German notary who is qualified to sign and certify English language documents and this will cost me more than 500US$ per year on top.

All this is seems to be designed to favor large companies with deep pockets. They can pay the fees, have legal departments at hand and have a lot more downloads per day. All this to the disadvantage of small independent software vendors.

If you are so inexperienced that you cannot determine where you are downloading from, how to check a download for virus infection and a properly signed  installer, you should not download anything. Let Google and Apple tell you what to download (from their stores)...

[Mario]

The same here. IM installed without problems, IMA downloaded but Firefox warned about unsafe file...

Of course, Dumb software. IMA was just released yesterday and surely has only a few dozen downloads.
If you are unable to test a downloaded installer file yourself and don't know how Windows Installer behaves when the download is not signed or the certificate is no longer valid (hint: BIG WARNING MESSAGES will show up on you screen) you should not download anything from anywhere. Only if mamma Fixefox and pappa Google allow you to. Or maybe Facebook, Microsoft or Adobe 

Yes. This makes me mad. All this works against small independent software vendors - and in favor of the big software houses which get more powerful by the day. I really fear for the next poor generation of computer users - who only do what Google and FB wants. Smombies.

[clpratt]

Mario, feel so sorry for you fighting against such a tide of MS greed and incompetence.
What a waste of your hard earned cash, having to pay hundreds of dollars just to prove you are you. 

[Aubrey]

I'm beginning to feel left out... I didn't get any warning messages!!!!! 

Aubrey.

[clpratt]

Same nonsense here..

[Mario]

Unfortunately there is nobody to complain to or to ask about this. They just do it.

Maybe someday browsers will only allow you to download software certified by the browser vendor (for your own protection, mind).
And small software vendors will have to pay big money to Google, Microsoft and Firefox for the privilege...

Brave new world, indeed.

I think this all may be caused because I'm using my new certificate now. The old one expires tomorrow and so I had to renew. And this makes this a new certificate and Google/Microsoft go all bonkers about this. Sigh. If this is the reason this should settle once my certificate is in use for a couple of weeks.

I 've paid for 4 years up-front (because it is such a hassle to get a renewed certificate if you are not a company with a legal department) so I'm good till end of 2021. And then something totally different may be in place...

[BanjoTom]

Yep, I got the very same Windows Defender warning nonsense as clpratt . . .  Phooey!

[Mario]

Yeah. At least it shows my as the Publisher, so it has found and loaded the Authenticode certificate.

I think when you see this message and continue with the install, Windows calls home and tells the Microsoft cloud about it. What you have downloaded, from where and whether or not you have installed it. This should increase the cred of this download. Methinks.

[Jingo]

Just run off Window Defender via the group policy...  messages like this will no longer apear.  Take back control of your system!!  I KNOW what I am downloading and KNOW what sources are safe and valid and which are not... I don't need the Windows/Google/Firefox police holding my hand along the way. 

[Mario]

In general, shielding users from downloads from potential 'fishy' web sites is a good idea. You may always fall for a silent redirect, an iframe or something.
Web sites get hacked and malicious code is uploaded to replace the original file. There were several of these attacks in the news recently.

Not that the "This file is not commonly downloaded" will help much in that situation.
A digital certificate will - it guarantees that the file you download is precisely the one I've uploaded. Windows Explorer can check it, so can the browsers.
The problem is really that there is no way to register an Authenticode certificate with Google/Microsoft to make it 'known' to their scanning engines.

[jeknepley]

The Good News: I, too, got the warnings BUT ignored them & got a successful download of IM and IMA.

The Bad News: On one of my two PCs, the install (of both programs) hangs up at "Computing space requirements". Obviously the problem is with the PC and not IM since the same file (stored in a cloud) worked on the 2nd PC. I tried rebooting - no help. Task Manager shows no CPU or Disk activity for the Windows Installer. C:/ drive has over 300GB free.

Ideas?

[Mario]

Virus checker?
You can instruct Windows Installer to create an install log file, which may shed some light on this:

msiexec /i "<PATH AND NAME OF IMATCH INSTALLER.msi>" /L*V "C:\YOUR-FOLDER\install.log"

[jeknepley]

Disabling BitDefender virus did the trick. Strange that BD didn't interfere in the past nor on the other PC this time.

Thanks, Mario. What would we do without you?