Basic and Advanced

1.	I was tired of carrying boxes of records around. The solution to that problem was either to put the music on mini-disks or try to put it on a laptop computer, and I decided that I would much rather buy a laptop than a mini-disk player.

Once I got into it, I started realizing some of the ways that a laptop could be much more useful than a mini-disk stystem. And other people started expressing an interest in having a copy of the program. I was delighted to share it, but before I could give it to someone else, I had to make it a whole lot easier to set up and maintain.

•	I had to write a program to manage the database that DanceMaster depends on, because I couldn't expect other people to maintain a fairly complex relational database in Access, or even own Access, for that matter.

•	I had to write manuals (Yuk!) for both programs!

•	I had to write an installer to set them up on other people's computers.

•	I had to write a maintenance program to update the structure of the database, so I could add more features to the program after people started using it.

•	I have to answer questions and help people get past snags - provide Technical Support.

•	I have to (for the foreseeable future) add new features and fix bugs.

Part of me feels: "Hey, this is a nifty tool, you've had fun and learned a lot by writing it, what the heck. Why not just give it to anyone who wants to use it." Another part of me (the more rational part) counters: "Yes, you've had fun neglecting your job, your family, and all your other responsibilities while writing this, but releasing and supporting it is going to take up even more time. How are you going to justify that?"

The basic edition is about equivalent to the version that Sandy and I used for the first couple of years, as I developed and debugged it. It includes the ability to play songs, select them by rhythm and/or phase, to change the speed, set bookmarks, create and save playlists... essentially all the current functionality of the "Advanced" version without the remote control, karaoke cue cards, or dance-logging / dance history capability. DanceMaster is a work-in-progress, and the Basic Edition will continue to get bugs fixed and rough points smoothed out, but it won't necessarily get all the new features that are in the pipeline.

I won't require that you pay for the Basic edition of DanceMaster. I would like you to register it, to let me know that you are using it, but you don't have to buy the program to do so. You are, of course, more than welcome to make a donation to the cause, to express your appreciation and encourage the further development of the program. If you do, I'll send you a registration code that will display your name on the program and on printed lists.

The Advanced version has all the bells and whistles. It keeps track of what dances you cue and where you cue them, so it can tell you what you have done, where you did it, how often you do it, etc. It keeps track of your place in cue cards as the music plays. It lets you start the music at any point in the dance by clicking that spot in the cue card. It lets you use a remote to control the program from the dance floor. It has a few minor additions as well, such as the Break Timer, and there is a list of other nifty features that I have in the works. These will appear in the Advanced Edition, but probably not in the Basic Edition.

I will request a donation of at least $150 when you order the advanced edition. If you feel that it is worth more than that (and I think you will), you are encouraged to donate what you think it is worth.