Some IMatch 2020 Sneak Peak

Mario · March 19, 2019, 09:02:06 PM

I'm working on many things for IMatch 2020 (in addition to the regular updates for IMatch 2019, see Release Notes).
New useful apps. New features and enhancements for IMatch...
I'm not sure if everything I have in mind is technically possible, or when, but I have some cool new things planned to make IMatch work even better for all user types.

One thing I've mentioned occasionally was the technology to create completely new Views for IMatch, driven by apps.
I want to be able to create completely new visualizations and user interfaces for viewing and working with your files.
Based on the latest web technologies available in IMatch.

We have discussed this in a local user group the other day and just I wanted to give a quick lookout for what will be possible.
For testing purposes, I have implemented a "Search Engine View" for IMatch. It works like a web search engine, but it searches your database.

Very easy to use, but as powerful as the File Window search bar.
Which is the goal. Quickly finding images and then having some awesome new visualizations to view and use them.

This is a screen shot of the technology study. An app that shows up as a new View (like Media & Folders or Categories). You can open and close it as needed.
The new View presents a search bar at the top. It always searches the entire database (very quickly) and then presents the results in a smart thumbnail layout.
You can change the thumbnail size via a slider bar. And you can control which tags or Attributes it searches, and some other options (regular expressions, Advanced Search Mode etc.).

This is only a technology study. But it may become a integrated feature in IMatch 2020, with some more stuff added.

This is how the new Search Engine View looks in IMatch:

And after searching for "miller":

bonsai · March 20, 2019, 09:56:24 AM

I hope you will continue supporting Win 7!

Mario · March 20, 2019, 10:56:46 AM

QuoteI hope you will continue supporting Win 7!

1. This technology is independent from the Windows version.

BUT

2.1 IMatch 2020 will contain some features which can only run on Windows 10, because it uses technology not available on the ancient Windows 7 platform. Windows 7 is OOOLD.
2.2 Toolkit vendors (IMatch uses several toolkits provided by 3rd parties) begin to announce end-of-life schedules for Windows 7 and 8 support in their products. W7 is aging fast.
2.3 The mainstream support for Windows 7 ended in 2015 already!
2.4 Extended support for Windows 7 by Microsoft will end on is January 14. 2020.
After that, no more security updates and bug fixes. Using Windows 7 after this date is extremely risky if you plan to install software or your PC is connected to the Internet.

Looking at the < 10% Windows 7 + Windows 8 users in the IMatch user base (and diminishing) it makes no sense to spend time and money to somehow keep IMatch working on Windows 7.

I cannot use the same code base for legacy Windows and Windows 10 if I want to use all the new features available on the current Windows version or the universal Windows platform. They are not compatible. Using Windows 10-only features requires me currently to write separate applications, just to keep IMatch running on Windows 7. This is a massive amount of extra work.

Otherwise I would have to limit IMatch to what Windows 7 could do in its days (meaning: up to 2015) and that would be nonsense considering the 90%+ of IMatch users who already use Windows 10.

Jingo · March 20, 2019, 12:25:14 PM

Great looking stuff Mario!! I fully support a more "general search/result" view like this... also intrigued by that AutoTagger app in the screenshot

DigPeter · March 20, 2019, 01:11:56 PM

Would this be able to handle multi-term searches - e.g. all images of David in 2005 in Sicily (assuming that these names have keywords of course)?

Mario · March 20, 2019, 01:32:25 PM

Quote from: DigPeter on March 20, 2019, 01:11:56 PM
Would this be able to handle multi-term searches - e.g. all images of David in 2005 in Sicily (assuming that these names have keywords of course)?

It has the same features like the Search Bar in the File Window. Which can already handle what you want. Enable the Advanced Mode to enable support for Boolean operations.
Then you can search for David AND Sicily. Check it out: Search Bar Options

DigPeter · March 20, 2019, 01:43:49 PM

Thanks, Mario

bonsai · March 20, 2019, 06:42:57 PM

Quote from: Mario on March 20, 2019, 10:56:46 AM
Using Windows 7 after this date is extremely risky if you plan to install software or your PC is connected to the Internet.

This is nonsense, it's much more risky to work with the never ending beta of Win 10.
Anyway...
So if IM2020 will not run with Win 7 then after years it's time to say goodbye.
Pity...

Mario · March 20, 2019, 06:57:06 PM

QuoteThis is nonsense, it's much more risky to work with the never ending beta of Win 10.

I work with Windows 10 on two workstations and a tablet for over 3 years. Never had a problem.

QuoteAnyway...
So if IM2020 will not run with Win 7 then after years it's time to say goodbye.
Pity...

If you really plan to continue with an unpatched and unsupported Windows 7 operating system after January 2020 I would suggest you think again. Or switch to Linux. And then IMatch will not work anyway for you.

I cannot change how things work and when toolkit vendors and Microsoft stop supporting an old Windows version after 15 years, so be it.

I've just checked telemetry and 6% of the participating IMatch user base use Windows 7. I estimate this will go down to maybe 3% or 2% till January.
If they all insist on never upgrading their Windows version, they are lost for me as customers anyway.
I cannot cripple IMatch for 98% of the user base to keep up support for these 2%.

ben · March 20, 2019, 06:59:30 PM

QuoteThis is nonsense, it's much more risky to work with the never ending beta of Win10

No. I think That ist nonesense. Win10 definitely has it's issues.
But Win7 will not be supported by MS anymore in the near future

Carlo Didier · March 20, 2019, 09:34:55 PM

Quote from: ben on March 20, 2019, 06:59:30 PM
QuoteThis is nonsense, it's much more risky to work with the never ending beta of Win10
No. I think That ist nonesense. Win10 definitely has it's issues.
But Win7 will not be supported by MS anymore in the near future

Fully agree with that. Or why not go back to Windows XP? Many swear it was better than W7 ... Then again, some still swear that W2000 was better than W7 ...
Come on, horse drawn carriages were nice to look at, but would you go back to those too?

sinus · March 21, 2019, 07:29:18 AM

Quote from: Carlo Didier on March 20, 2019, 09:34:55 PM
Quote from: ben on March 20, 2019, 06:59:30 PM
QuoteThis is nonsense, it's much more risky to work with the never ending beta of Win10
No. I think That ist nonesense. Win10 definitely has it's issues.
But Win7 will not be supported by MS anymore in the near future
Fully agree with that. Or why not go back to Windows XP? Many swear it was better than W7 ... Then again, some still swear that W2000 was better than W7 ...
Come on, horse drawn carriages were nice to look at, but would you go back to those too?

And I fully agree too.
The older we get, the more we tend to mourn the familiar.
I had to give away my old car (280'500 KM).
Now I have a new car (still used).
At first I thought, ah, this and that was much better with the old one, grrrr, the new one has a different turn signal and the door doesn't open as nice as with the old one.

But after leaning back a bit, I have to admit in principle that the new car is better in almost everything. Even if some things are unusual, it's better. Sure, the old one was built in 2006, the new one in 2015, so it's logical that a lot has been improved.

It's also logical that some things were "improved" too much and that the old one was better. But above all, no question, the new one is better.

And that's how I thought about Windows.
And to be honest, I personally think that no Windows was as good as the current Win 10.

Jingo · March 21, 2019, 12:00:58 PM

I know this is getting off the original topic - but add me to the list of Win 10 users with NO ISSUES for many years now. It's a computer that I is running 24/7, in use for about 12 hrs a day and while it does crash every so often - its really not a major issue and runs equally well to the old Win 7. Don't like the Win 10 start menu, just use Classic Start Menu (I often forget it really IS Win 10). Everything else should be "under the hood" and not noticeable to the average user.... All good here!

mastodon · September 22, 2019, 10:17:38 PM

Might we have any news about your plans?
Are you planning better support for face tagging, for face recognition (and other AI) by 3rd party tools and anything (I have no special idea) for geneology users?

Mario · September 22, 2019, 11:32:08 PM

Quote from: mastodon on September 22, 2019, 10:17:38 PM
Might we have any news about your plans?
Are you planning better support for face tagging, for face recognition (and other AI) by 3rd party tools and anything (I have no special idea) for geneology users?

I never comment on future versions. Details about IMatch 2020 and the new features included in this version will be published in due time.

kiwilink · October 25, 2019, 07:38:26 PM

Mario:

Thanks for the heads up. Can't wait to see more. Love it!

Kiwilink

BanjoTom · October 25, 2019, 08:54:25 PM

I, for one, am looking forward eagerly and with great anticipation to IMatch 2020 -- whenever it arrives. And I've also used Win10 for years now, with no significant problems at all. It's worth upgrading your Windows OS if only to keep the indispensable IMatch DAM program running. (Just my $0.02 opinion...).