peterharper

I'm very glad to hear that Pictures to exe is so close to release. I've heard a lot about this program in comparison to its competition. So far, I can definitely tell this program is tops in image quality. What I like best about Pictures to exe is what you put in is what you get out. That's definitely not true with the competition. I'm less clear on what some of the other advantages are. Can someone shed some light on what Pictures to exe has that its competition does not? In my case, my experience has mostly been with Memories on tv and Proshow. Peter

So the last time I was here there was a beta version 11 and now I see there's a beta version 16. So I'm hoping that means this program is closer to actually being released? I will have to say that this new version is much better, a lot closer to a finished product. I'm still pleased with the high resolution quality and I'm even getting used to the somewhat convoluted interface. Now my only gripe is that it seems stuck in beta mode indefinitely. Peter

Lin, Ever spent hours on end creating a presentation using beta software only to have things suddenly go awry and the developer giving you nothing more than "what did you expect from a beta"? I have. I don't plan to repeat that. I don't care about the price. The low price tag makes me suspicious, that's all. If Picstoexe lives up to all you claim and is such a low price, I have no problem what-so-ever. Believe me, I know higher price doesn't always equal higher quality. Honestly, guys, I've just really been burned by fly-by-night software companies that don't give a fig about their customers. I really like the idea of the underdog having a better product, but my experience has just proven otherwise. That said, you all seem to be quite supportive of the software. Assuming none of you are getting paid for your views, that speaks very highly about the product. So while I am not 100% about Picstoexe yet, I will give it a chance. At this point, it does appear to be the best of the lot. Even in beta. I wouldn't waste my time asking critical questions if I thought the program wasn't worth it. Al, So it seems honestly no one knows when the full version will be released. This is fine by me, I can be patient. I just have my limits. Regardless, your straightforward, cordial response is well taken. Peter

Lin, I'm not as concerned with bugs as usability. As you said, all software has bugs. If a company is actively making an effort to fix those bugs, I have no problem. My fear is rather the unattainable goal of perfection. Too often, the company just goes bankrupt first. I've seen this happen more times than I care for. And your promises of "coming soon" do nothing to lessen my concern that the next Picstoexe version is vaporware. Whether Picstoexe is useful or not to me is exactly why I am asking this. Steve, You had the guts to answer my question. I have no problem waiting months if a release is definitely in sight. The ability to honestly answer that is more important. I, for one, need to have DVD burning so waiting is not as much of an issue. I'd rather see it done right than poorly. But waiting several months is much different than waiting several years (although not as ideal as several days or weeks). Al, I inquired about the full release, not final, which I think Steve's response was concerning. Overly positive statements at the expense of the facts are another thing that sink software companies. I would rather hear the unvarnished truth, than pie in the sky idealism. Peter

I was referred here from the DP Review forum. I've been carefully comparing the output quality with other slide show programs such as Memories on tv and Proshow. Picstoexe definitely comes out on top in this department, which right now is most important to me. However, I'd ultimately like to sell slide shows to supplement my income. So whether or not I use this program will depend on if it is useful for professional purposes. While version 4 is fine, lack of basic features like pan and zoom make it a no go for professional work. I normally never touch betas, but I did look at version 5. Although promising, the lack of a firm release date is rather bothersome. To be blunt, I've been screwed by vaporware in the past. I am not interested in investing time and energy into a program that will be dead in 6 months. So can anyone tell me when a full version of 5.0 is expected for release? I don't expect an exact date, but from what I can tell there is just an open ended promise that it will be released sometime in the future. Peter