Bitten Again - All Extremes set to 1:00 AM

I don’t know why it is but every time I install a new version WD I get bitten. This time WD has decided that all of my extreme temps all occurred at the same time, 1:00 AM. Even today’s high temp suddenly has been reset to 1:00 AM.

Brian, I know you mean well. I know you work very hard to make WD a better product. For myself, though, I have to admit that I’m getting really burned out on spending hours just undoing update damage . I’m also discouraged that I don’t trust my own data. I should just give up and find another hobby.

I just applied the latest version of WD and this is what happened to my WD.INI file:

[Extreme conditions times]
Max temp=01:00 AM
Max av speed=01:00 AM
Max speed last hour=10:00 PM
Max speed=01:00 AM
Max rainrate=02:55 AM
Min temp=01:00 AM
[Daily high temperature]
number2time=01:00 AM
number2=62.1

I’m not sure the extent of the problem, but I can’t get the gust speed to reset nor can I get the time of occurrence to change. Perhaps the database is damaged as well (again).

Throwing hand grenades in messages posted to user forums isn’t my way of having fun, so I’ll be a bit more specific about my gripes.

The first issue we need to deal with is trust. Folks who visit my website do so because they’re interested in information. But only if they can trust it.

When they see information that is laughably incorrect, like the high and low temps both occurring at 1:00 AM (or any of the other long list of terribly wrong data WD has generated, often as a result of a version upgrade) how can they believe any of the other information presented to them? How can they discern which data is correct, which data is sorta close to correct, and which data is just plain goofy? And how embarrassing do you think it is to get an email from a visitor pointing these things out?

WD insists that the max gust past hr is 12 mph, and oh by the way it happened at 8:30. There isn’t a damn thing I can do to change this. Nothing resets it. f I reset it to 1 mph it will set itself back to 12 mph if I exit and restart WD.

I haven’t changed any of the program options in six months.

Yesterday we received .03" of rain. This is the first rain since July, the beginning of the rain year in California. WD insists that we received .1" for the year and .1 for this month.

Other weird data I’ve presented to the world includes solar readings of bright sunshine during a downpour. No rainfall recorded after hours of record breaking rain. And data that doesn’t change day after day.

I’m all for adding cool stuff to a program, but the first priority should always be to do no harm. Perhaps a dual track of stable release versions for those of us who don’t have the time or energy to play around with damaged systems anymore and risky beta software for those like it rough.

This latest problem won’t even allow me to revert to a previous version of WD. The problem exists even if I revert to version from July. So please don’t anyone tell me to try that option.

Finally, I no longer trust my own weather website. I look at the Vantage Pro console for information and rarely even log onto my own web page. Lately most of the problems with WD have been brought to my attention by visitors sending email. I’m not putting any more effort into the darn thing. I don’t recommend it to anyone anymore because I don’t know if I’ll be embarrassed by what they see when they log on. If I had to start over tomorrow… I wouldn’t.

Frustrated? Yup. Burned out? You bet!

do you wd getting data from the data logger at start up?
it might be that wd then decides it has gone trhough the reset time as that data arrives, and done the reset

thats what i can think of
it shuld correct itself on the next day

i use every verison of wd i update, and nevery have any problems

but, as i have posted here already, if wd drives yu crazy, then dont use it
use something else
i dont want something i have worked on for 3 years to drive people crazy

I’m sorry to see that you are having problems with a VP and WD. The VP is a great weather station and it’s a mystery why some VP users seem to have all kinds of problems, and others (like me) are very happy with the combination. I have 2 VP/WD stations, one of them up for about a year and one in test, and I’ve rarely had any significant issues.

maybe its a daylight saving thing…i.e check the time on the VP console

the strange thing is i got a email from fireaxe, and i replied straight away, even though the wife was yelling at me to go to bed
i get up in the morning, and i find this posting on the forum,…and yet i had emailed and suggested things to look at…i.e to work together through it
so my support is not good enough…and so i would like to give you a refund

one other thing:
if backing up data, then make sure if its from a CD you un set read only on files like wdisplay.ini

maybe its a daylight saving thing....i.e check the time on the VP console

the strange thing is i got a email from fireaxe, and i replied straight away, even though the wife was yelling at me to go to bed
i get up in the morning, and i find this posting on the forum,…and yet i had emailed and suggested things to look at…i.e to work together through it
so my support is not good enough…and so i would like to give you a refund

If you’re frustrated with my frustration, then we’re equally frustrated.

If I could ask for just one thing from Weather Display, it would be information I can believe in. When I used a Weather Monitor II for several years I don’t recall any of the problems that I’ve experienced in the past year of using a Vantage Pro. Certainly the issues concerning the solar sensor didn’t exist with that older system. WD was a simpler program at that point as well, no doubt.

Brian, do not take my post as a personal attack. Nothing I have said is directed at you or your abilities as a programmer. My frustration is born from your method of releasing software updates that often follow the old programming adage that the solution to a problem simply changes the problem. I know this is your hobby, that you don’t need the aggravation of dealing with pissed off end users. However it might be time to step back and reconsider the why of your software release method instead of just the when.

A common shareware software update release method is to post one “stable” model and then offer “beta” updates to those who are willing to be on the bleeding edge. This allows one to get feedback from the operators who have the time and energy to apply the latest version and observe it’s effects.

I have no idea if this type of distribution would have had any effect on the potholes I’ve run over in the past year of running the Vantage Pro, but there is no denying (in my mind at least) that 90% of the disasters that hit my system occur after installing a new version of the program.

Once again, I am not slamming you. I have often written to prospective WD buyers who have asked my opinion of the product, telling them that the author is extremely responsive to suggestions and willing to work hard to fix any problems that crop up, often releasing an updated version of the program just minutes after receiving a problem report. The other edge of this sword is that there are new versions of WD posted every day, and the old saw of fixing one problem only to move the problem happens… true?

As for myself, I am guilty of violating my number one rule of never posting an email/forum message while angry. It makes me look like a complete idiot and hothead. I always end up regretting it later, as I do in this case. However, I cannot deny that the frustration is real. I want to take pride in my website and in the data that my weather station collects. When data is corrupted or information presented to the world laughable, I’m humiliated. These are strong emotions, and emotions are strange things to us engineers. We don’t deal with them very well, hence the regrettable barrage from Tuesday for which I will now apologise. Sorry.

-Rob

i was just surprised that some one was so concerned at some readings at 1am…who is going to worry and who is going to look?
i think there are bigger things in life to worry about
veriso 9.96a has been out for a while now, and no one else reports this problem that i know of.
so i am calling it quits
no more
final version
i dont want people getting frustrated, getting angry, having it drive them crazy …
its been fun sometimes,stessful most of the other time.

i was just surprised that some one was so concerned at some readings at 1am...who is going to worry and who is going to look?.

The problem was that the 1:00 AM time was true for the high temp reading at 5:30 in the afternoon, as well as the max wind gust and every other reading. Every reading, min & max was set to 1:00 AM for two entire days, all day long. No matter what time it was, the high/low occurred at 1:00 AM.

i think there are bigger things in life to worry about Version 9.96a has been out for a while now, and no one else reports this problem that i know of. so i am calling it quits no more final version i dont want people getting frustrated, getting angry, having it drive them crazy .... its been fun sometimes,stessful most of the other time.

With all you’ve been through, I can’t say I blame you. When you start any enterprise, suffering the slings and arrows goes with the territory. I’ve known many software authors who’ve been tempted to hang it up because of the frustration of having their blood sweat and tears stolen by software thieves who love their warez. Having to deal with jerks like me can’t help things on top of that.

-Rob

fireaxe, try a new 9.96a version now…
i have put in another check for the daily reset time at 2 minutes past the reset hour…i.e a 2 to be sure to be sure check…let me know if that fixes it
and I assume this is not your posting here:
http://www.weatherwatchers.org/bbs/wxstationboard/messages/394.html

and is instead either the author of a competition software or similar

fireaxe, try a new 9.96a version now... i have put in another check for the daily reset time at 2 minutes past the reset hour....i.e a 2 to be sure to be sure check..let me know if that fixes it and I assume this is not your posting here: http://www.weatherwatchers.org/bbs/wxstationboard/messages/394.html

and is instead either the author of a competition software or similar

What the heck is that all about? No, I have no idea what they’re even talking about. Are they bitching about the graphics I’m using on my website? My website is based on a template I purchased from a website that sells website templates (how many times can you say website in one sentence?). It’s called “Well Orgainzed” I know somebody else is using those graphics, but I build my website without knowing about them. If that’s what the fuss is about, they need to get a hobby or something.

-Rob

Hi
thats good it was not you ,just some idiot trying to pretend to be you, and have a link to this thread, to make weather display look bad (there are some strange people out there)
Your web site is awesome fireaxe (I have said that before)
what they are refering to is the new free feature in WD
see mine:
http://www.weather-display.com/windy/svg.htm

(updates when I am connected to the internet)

so, is a new 9.96a ok now?
(i have reports from 2 other affected people its OK)
which is good
just been fisihing with the kids…but could not get the father in laws seagull to go