17 Comments:

 George Pratt — February 11, 2010 8:43 AM

I'm less concerned about a new version than I am about having just a version that will actually work.

The 3D is still unusable and that's inexcusable. On the blog you mentioned that you're waiting for Apple to address some issues, but you also state that you did have a solution (this link has vanished). I wish you'd just post your solution so that we can use the software.

I've basically stopped using the software because the reason I bought it was the 3D implementation. Until that's fixed I'm not interested. It seems this is the only thing that differentiates Beedocs from the other contenders, but now, nothing differentiates this.

Please fix it and get us a workable copy of the software which is what we paid for.

 Andy — February 13, 2010 9:05 AM

This might be the comment you're talking about, George (it wasn't easy to find):

http://blog.beedocs.com/2009/11/performance-bug-with-mac-os-x-1062.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+BeeDocs+(Bee+Docs+Blog)

The more I test Timeline, the more I find that although it could be indispensable right now it's sorely lacking.

The broken 3D thing is huge. It's the flagship feature, proclaimed in the software's name, and it's been broken for nearly four months. For crying out loud, how can you charge for a software solution that can't do everything in its own name?

The timeline feature works, but it would be far more useful if I could reorder the display of individual events. It would be tremendously useful to group similar events. That would really help me track the timelines of my characters as they meet up and go their separate ways.

And the inflexible date format. Why does it refuse to let me enter events all in the same year... without typing the year again.

It's minimally meeting my needs, so I'm satisfied to continue testing. Until the 3D problem is fixed, I can't justify spending the money.

Hope to see an update soon.

 Andy — February 16, 2010 6:46 AM

So I purchased Timeline 3D, and was Initially impressed wit the ease of use, user interface and overall look and feel.

That was until I actually started trying to use the application, it locks up every time I try to export to Quicktime, during presentation the transitions jerk about like kung-fu master on meth, and to add insult to injury, the url links don't work in a live presentation.

In short, nothing you say this application can do, is a working function.

Thanks for ripping me off.

 Adam Behringer — February 16, 2010 7:57 AM

To the folks using this blog as a forum to complain about the 10.6.2 bug, I'd like to reiterate a few things:

1) Our software does work in 3D mode. The bug is a graphics technology in Mac OS X 10.6.2. We have been sending Apple details so they can fix it but ranting on this blog is a little but like complaining to Honda that there is a speed bump in your neighborhood.

2) Regardless of who's fault the bug is, we give refunds to people who ask. So, no need to feel ripped off.

3) We have done our best to communicate openly about the bug, but Apple has asked us not to discuss any of our conversations with them or any of their pre-release software. Since the bug is in their technology and can only be fixed by Apple, this limits what we can say.

4) As I mentioned, Gary and I have been working on a brand new technology for 3D that avoids the area that is broken in 10.6.2. This work continues. If we finish the work before Apple fixes the bug, this will be a free update to Bee Docs Timeline. If Apple fixes the bug first, we will ask you to apply their solution.

Thanks to everyone who has been patient and understanding through this process. I'd ask the people who are angry to try to work it out with us directly so that we can continue to use the blog for other conversations as well.

 buddha — February 16, 2010 10:02 AM

Hi there everyone! I bought this app a month ago. I intended to use it to organize a bunch of historic facts about economics, management, banking, auditing and ethics, in relation to the master's degree i'm taking. I find the possibility of adding more than one timeline side-by-side tremendously useful, even in the 2D version of it. The 3D has, so far, been working fine for me. But (and that's a big but) the app just crashed on me few minutes after i started using it. I had a Macbook Pro (one year old laptop that didn't gave me any problem so far) with the 4 GB activated and after 4 or 5 events the app just crashed. And, sadly, had no way to report that bug to this company. Is this still a beta version? why did I had to pay for that if it is unbelievably unstable?
So, as I can't trust this app won't just crash on me again, without allowing me to preserve the information I already inserted, I started to save what I do there each 30 seconds. And that's not a fair solution to the customers. We've paid believing this will work smoothly but that's not the case.

 Adam Behringer — February 16, 2010 10:17 AM

Buddha, we are happy to take bug reports and help you work through technical issues. Our personal contact information can be found in the "About Us" section of our website.

 buddha — February 16, 2010 10:36 AM

Just one more thing Adam: the use of multiple timelines should be complemented with the possibility of directly linking each timeline to the other by some kind of line, arrow ou layer. The relation between them could then become obvious.
I've got this kind of edit feature in a lot of Mac applications (thinking about the Ortelius App or about the LittleSnapper App from Realmac Software; you can check it out to understand what i'm talking about). This makes me believe this feature shouldn't be so difficult to implement. Ask for help if you need to.

Oh! And one last thing: why aren't we able to change the order beetween the timelines after we start inserting events?

 David Boyk — February 17, 2010 6:17 PM

Like Buddha, I'd also like to b able to rearrange the rows. Another thing I can't figure out how to do is vary the scale. For a long-term historical timeline, it doesn't make sense for, say, the 15th and 20th centuries to be on the same scale, since so many more events that I care about happened in the 20th. It seems like it shouldn't be too hard for the program to notice that there are only, say, 3 events in the 15th century, but 50 in the 20th, and nothing in between. In that situation, it might use decade ticks in the 15th century, year ticks in the 20th, and century ticks in between. The other flexibility I'm looking for is to be able to zoom in and out. Either based on importance that I assign, or just on length, some events should show up when I zoom out (which as far as I can tell isn't possible at all now), and others should either disappear or just become dots or something. Are there any plans to offer those features?

 claymont — February 25, 2010 7:47 AM

As much as I appreciated the software way back when it used to work, I am afraid I have to agree with George Pratt. I have completely given up on using the program or spending any time entering data into it since it no longer works for me. This is a shame, because this promised to be a really valuable tool.

Waiting for Apple to fix this problem is hardly satisfying and I think in all fairness if refunds are being offered this should be trumpeted loud and clear on the front page of your site along with a disclaimer that the software has not kept up with current Apple versions.

I wish you well, Adam, but my tools have to work, and work well.

 Unknown — February 28, 2010 9:02 AM

The first and second "Andy" comments were left by two different people. The first was me; I have no idea who the second one was.

Adam, I have to disagree with your speed bump analogy. It's closer to complaining to Honda that your engine fell out when you went over the speed bump in your neighborhood.

Despite that, I feel that it's only fair to say that no other timeline software I've tested so far has come close to the polish and function of BeeDocs Timeline.

Good luck getting the 3D issue worked out soon, one way or another.

 Unknown — March 13, 2010 4:07 PM

I want to second George Pratt's comments about the beedocs timeline software being problematic. It was very easy to make a timeline, and to view it on my own mac (new), but impossible to export in any of the methods provided with the software. I had contacted beedocs and was told I would receive a call to help me from your tech support and she never called at the arranged time. I would ask for my money back if I thought you really cared about your customers, but considering you are selling a product that cannot be exported I highly doubt this is a legit operation (although you look quite friendly). I do love the timeline idea for exhibiting information and encourage you to make the product work at the export end or make it clear that you need to use the timelines you make only on the computer you use to make it.

 Unknown — March 19, 2010 6:14 AM

Hi,
Here is a suggestion that would be great if you could take on board.

I teach a science of behaviour in Ireland and one of the greatest difficulties in teaching it concerns changes in behaviour across time. If you could allow video clips to be inserted on the timeline, along with pictures showing graphs of data, teachers could show how behaviour changes in time; and students could read the notes along the way. With the huge interest in Applied Behaviour Analysis for the treatment of autism, such an addition would be invaluable to parents who need to capture changes in the progress of their children across time. Professionals who teach the parents would be able to show how the program for a specific child evolves with changes in the child's progress.

I have used 3D in a similar way to you to raise issues about behaviour in time and really appreciate your development here.

Good luck with the program

Mickey Keenan
University of Ulster

 Unknown — March 19, 2010 6:15 AM

Hi,
Here is a suggestion that would be great if you could take on board.

I teach a science of behaviour in Ireland and one of the greatest difficulties in teaching it concerns changes in behaviour across time. If you could allow video clips to be inserted on the timeline, along with pictures showing graphs of data, teachers could show how behaviour changes in time; and students could read the notes along the way. With the huge interest in Applied Behaviour Analysis for the treatment of autism, such an addition would be invaluable to parents who need to capture changes in the progress of their children across time. Professionals who teach the parents would be able to show how the program for a specific child evolves with changes in the child's progress.

I have used 3D in a similar way to you to raise issues about behaviour in time and really appreciate your development here.

Good luck with the program

Mickey Keenan
University of Ulster

 Unknown — March 24, 2010 12:36 PM

Just downloaded your program - great work, nice design, fully Mac, and wonderful interface. As you are looking at new versions I had one suggestion - which I am sure others may have made. Is there any way to control the angle of the 3d projection? As I have been exploring your software that is one feature that I would love to have some control over.

 Adam Behringer — March 24, 2010 12:48 PM

David, would you please give us an example of a situation that would require a different 3D angle? Thanks!

 Unknown — April 15, 2010 5:47 PM

It's April 15, Tax Day here in the US. I'm running 10.6.3 on an older MBP. After all the pessimistic comments I've left here, it's only fair to come back and say that the 3D is now working.

Holy cow, is it working!

Very, VERY impressive. Cheers!

 Doctor Jones — May 12, 2012 10:02 AM

The software works right for me, but all I ask is to be capable of control the vertical arrangement of the events ant, please, let me zoom in and zoom out. And please, don't ask me in wich situations it would be useful to have a simple zoom tool.

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