Greetings to everyone at OutlinerSoftware. I've read through comments and it's great to see so many names from the old days of EccoPro at Yahoo.

I am honored & excited to announce the first public showing of a late alpha version of StoryServer. Sorry it has taken longer than anticipated to reach you. I have looked at it for a couple days and I think "yes, this is the real deal" and "this is a dream come true". Looking forward to seeing what you think.


But first, I see there is skepticism whether someone/anyone could reproduce a modern, 64-bit version of EccoPro - one without memory limitations and one with modern web interfacing. And there is debate as to whether something like this is even needed/wanted/warranted in 2019. Understandably so. We'll have to let the 'market' decide if StoryServer is needed. As to the claims .... most of us have gotten excited only to be frustrated one too many times. Do you remember back in 2010 a developer posted something that looked promising, and then nothing? If I recall, it was rumored the developer had gotten sick from trying to replicate Ecco, it was so impossible. Well, let this be a lesson to us all...

Perseverance pays off.

Read the StoryServer story here for inspiration next time you get stuck.

https://storyserver.polywickstudio.ph/ss/briefhistory.html

Yes, this software really has been in development for 10 or more years.

- - - - - - - - -

StoryServer could have been released in skeletal form in January. If you program, you know the concept of "feature creep". It has been the developer's desire to make ver. 1 of StoryServer robust and to that end has studied not only EccoPro, but the great add-ons including Walter Hendle's early Ecco stuff, YSWT's EccoMagic apps, Cold Mountain's ideas, and of course Slang's EE. Figuring out new ways to do old routines takes time. I have been in touch with developers at Polywick for a few months offering "old fart perspective" and I can tell you these people do not sleep. They are "on fire" to make an incredible new piece of software that honors an old tradition, and with a path forward. I see the progress and can honesty say I am proud and amazed of the work being done. Please download the alpha, look through the menus and I think you will too be amazed.

Keep in mind this alpha is 'read-only'. Please note StoryServer writes *no data to the registry*, the install path is user definable, and SS can be installed 'portable' on USB stick. Also note there is an Ecco32.exe in the package. This is a 'DDE dummy' allowing Ecco & StoryServer to talk to each other and the rest of the DDE world.

Installation is straight forward. Installer should place a shortcut on your desktop. If not, find "storyserver.exe" in the install folder and launch from there. Documentation is still WIP but installation section is fleshed-out. If you need more info...

https://storyserver.polywickstudio.ph/ss/installation.html



Get your alpha copy now at ...

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=kZILad7ZepgrlvregNfvngavAztwtfxIkJjV


Looking forward to your reactions and I'll check back to answer questions.

Cheers,
Mark/MD/airchecklover/EverEcco guy

I think I'll wait until someone virus-checks the download.

What happened to the other guy?

Hi tightbeam. Are you asking about the other poster from Polywick? I think either coding or taking a nap.

Good idea. FWIW, I've got Bitdefender and it passes.

Who am I?

Sorry everyone, should have spelled this out earlier. I am an EccoPro user from 1993. I am not a coder, I am an end-user who has learned Ecco (+EE) really well over the years. I heard about StoryServer and saw it as a dream come true ... if it were to make it to market. I really really need an Ecco replacement and just cannot warm up to putting all my data into the cloud, ala Airtable. So I've been helping Polywick developers with feedback and ideas, and now have been asked to help launch the first public alpha. So for me this is exciting. For you it may seem like something you need to poke a stick at. I get it. Curious what your poking reveals.

Mark/airchecklover

That long "crypted" downloadlink is fishy again...

tightbeam wrote:

What happened to the other guy?

I hope he has to visit a seminar on social media marketing before he is allowed to post again.

I will try this as soon as i have setup my Windows7 VM.

This appears to be our new "Polywick StoryServer" friend:

https://twitter.com/airchecklover

http://earmark.net/EverIcon/history.htm

But...I don't see his connection to Polywick. My brain hurts!

Wish I could reply directly. Being new to forum, there is a delay on me responding.

tightbeam wrote:

This appears to be our new "Polywick StoryServer" friend:

https://twitter.com/airchecklover

http://earmark.net/EverIcon/history.htm

But...I don't see his connection to Polywick. My brain hurts!

Seems easy to explain for me. He is the guy behind the idea of a new Ecco clone and tried to do it on his own but then he decided to hire some programmers in Manila to do the job he was not able to finish (either because of lack of time, interest of this type of programming, or programming skills). Polywick is describing themself as an "programming outsourcing studio".

Lothar Scholz wrote:

Seems easy to explain for me. He is the guy behind the idea of a new Ecco clone and tried to do it on his own but then he decided to hire some programmers in Manila to do the job he was not able to finish (either because of lack of time, interest of this type of programming, or programming skills)

Not really. I know Mark, he's an Ecco Pro user and big fan. Like me he has used Ecco from the very start (mid 90's) and helps the Ecco Pro community. He recently got involved with the folks at Polywick to help them in their effort to make a "modern" version of Ecco.

Pierre
IQ Designer

He ought to stick to those two things. You seem to be a much better "face" for the company.

airchecklover wrote:

Hi tightbeam. Are you asking about the other poster from Polywick? I
think either coding or taking a nap.

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum, and many thanks for providing the context of StoryServer's development. It's also great to actually have a real piece of software to try out.

Cheers,
Alexander

Hello again to all and esp. to Pierre.

Sorry my intro to group was not as smooth as we all would have liked.

IF CURIOUS: I did the EverEcco project while recovering from cancer and subsequent health b.s. It forced me to 'super-learn' Ecco b/c I needed then and still need now a tool like Ecco for my next big project. I ran extensive memory tests on Ecco and used my wife as a test subject to figure out how to configure Ecco so that a techie person could use it in a multi-user networked environment. Coloring Ecco Icons and creating new ones was part of the project, as were coming up w/ some scripts. Given that I am a dyslexic creative type, the colorizing icons was the easy part. Coding and me do not get along.

CONCLUSION: As wonderful as tool as EccoPro (+EE) is, do not put your important business life into a multi-user EccoPro setting. Some have done it and are still doing it but unless you work with all Mensa-level computer brainiacs, you will end up doing too much support on top of admin.

ENTER SS: Every past and present EccoPro user wanted or wants a 64-bit clone. Ecco's downfall is not inherent complexity - even with the wonderful but complex & kludgy EE patch - it is the three waaaaaay undersized memory buffers on top of smallish 32-bit addressing. SS showed up and I started pestering developers. I see a long coding road ahead to make SS a finished reality but I think, based on what I've seen in 6 months, the gifted coders at Polywick can pull it off.

ME & SS: My fingers are crossed and cheer-leading outfit is on. I've offered to be the interface between Polywick developers and a couple boards and they accepted.

OK, hope that helps explain things.

If anyone does test the SS alpha & you know Ecco+EE, you will notice two things:
• this release truly is an alpha (read-only at this point)
• this project is ambitious, embracing all past ideas and suggesting new innovation is coming.

Cheers,
Mark

Hi and hello. Thank you for feedback on first public alpha review of StoryServer, v09.150.

New builds continue. Latest is 09.153 dated 3/5/2019. Found at ....
https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=kZILad7ZepgrlvregNfvngavAztwtfxIkJjV

SS is still read-only. A minimal dataset is provided. To activate, File --> New --> New StoryServer Database
Menus are in place so you can see features and toolbar can be populated.
There are bugs to be found, but the program does not make registry entries and will not lock your cpu. Not here on XP, 7 & 10 anyway.


News ....
Developers spent last few days fixing all reported bugs. No date set for beta as additional features are being considered &/or added.

One design goal of StoryServer is near instantaneous speed. To that end, SS is largely new, tight, 'from scratch' code. As new features are devised, dependent routines break or need to be created. In the process new bugs appear. This is the nature of writing tight and integrated code. Takes longer but the results are worth it. Especially if you are a speed freak :-)

Mark
EccoPro+EE user and cheerleader for StoryServer development

Thank you for valuable feedback. New builds continue.

Latest is 09.154 dated 3/6/2019. Found at ....
https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=kZILad7ZepgrlvregNfvngavAztwtfxIkJjV

• Fixes almost all reported bugs.
• Work continues on grid and columns mimicking Ecco functionality and enhancing formatted data storage.
• New Forum being tested.

alpha 0.90.157 dated 3/8/19 released.

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=kZILad7ZepgrlvregNfvngavAztwtfxIkJjV

• Fixes reported installation hangs on Win10
• Includes auto-path detect for email clients with custom installation paths
• Fixes minor UI issues

New Forum for feedback & bug reporting soon.