Windows: Version 11 of JwContactsUD is now in Microsoft Store with several bug fixes, updated third-party controls, and twenty-six non-English versions. (A complete list is on this web site, in the Downloads page.) For each of those versions I created a virtual machine with an appropriate language and region setting, and then installed each from the Store. The page formerly on this web site with alternative Windows downloads has been deleted as no longer useful.
Interestingly, as Russia is NOT an allowed country for JwC, I had to set the Russian virtual machine to think it was elsewhere. No matter where I tried, the Store only offered me English textual descriptions for JwContactsUD, though I knew I had submitted a Russian version. Nonetheless, when I did the install anyway, the app ran in Russian (thankfully). So, the supplying Microsoft server did recognize the machine’s desired language.
All texts are machine translations as rendered by Microsoft’s Business Translator. Therefore, each would benefit from verification and adjustment by an interested, qualified publisher fluent in both that language and English. Free software is available to any such helpers; if you can help, please contact me. Version 11 also includes a Translation Assist form on the non-English opening screens.
A slightly updated User Guide is included.
I now have machine translations of the User Guide’s texts for each language and am trying to find a local helper who will use my help preparation software (on my extra computer) to make a new Guide for each language, replacing the text accordingly. (As above, I could also use a remote helper to verify each translation.) Then will come the more arduous task of replacing the embedded screenshots. In the end, I hope to make a User Guide available on this site for each language.
The list of countries where JwC allows use was revised to take into account U.S. Government’s list of relaxed restrictions on simple encryption technology and removal of any on the non-relaxed list. A few countries disallow such importation; any of these were removed. Finally, a few countries allow importation but require the user to possibly obtain a special license. Where that could be determined, the new user will receive a warning he may need such a license before use.
Upcoming version 12 will have a breaking change when released (also applies to next Android release). JwC data initially was contained in the very common SQLite format, which lacked the capability of being encrypted for security. A couple of years ago a thorough rewrite replaced that with Realm, also a free local database, but encryptable. About last year Realm was acquired by a competitor, MongoDB, and its “engine” (the central software) replaced by MongoDB. Externally it is still called Realm, but is really a different animal.
A .Net / Xamarin Forms version became available last summer, but my first tests indicated it would require another huge rewrite yet offered no actual improvements. Apparently the vendor decided to make the new Realm act like the old and a test of the latest offering showed all need for code rewrite had vanished. Therefore all current Jwc code, including that for JwContactsUD, has been upgraded to allow continued use of the most recent Realm versions.
However, behind the scenes, the data is stored in a very different format invisible to both the programmer and user. Therefore, on first run, new JwC Windows and Android versions delete ALL old data in order to implement the MongoDB scheme. Long ago I provided a mechanism where that first run could use the separate backups created when the app last Quit (Windows) or Slept (Android) to recreate a newer database. Testing has indicated this may work for some users, but perhaps not for all. I will try to improve reliability before next releases, but will also trust users to have accepted my long-standing advice to make their own backups.
Android: A new version was released just after the Windows version and also has many third-party control updates. There remains an issue that one vendor’s controls have an issue with the most recent versions of a single required Microsoft code library, after that library corrected a mis-spelling of a single word in its namespace. I had no choice but to keep using the older library versions if I wanted to release an updated Android JwC. Also, in order to meet stringent Google requirements for new and updated apps, I had to make my own versions of two open source software JwC uses but had not yet been updated to those standards.
The few non-English languages embedded within each install had been region-specific; now they are region-neutral French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. As ALL of these get installed, it will not be possible to expand the list greatly without bloating installations. I will see if there are alternatives. The same translation verification needs exist as in Windows above. The countries list is now identical to the Windows list and warnings described above.
iOS: Though I have used this version on my iPad for years, it has not yet been released. It has now had all the same updates as Android, plus it now uses the latest version of Realm. I am satisfied this version IS ready, finally, and hope to get it released very shortly.
Help Needed: In my February Development Status Update I mentioned several ways a willing, qualified publisher might be able to lend a helping hand. Those needs remain. Please review that Update. Thank you.
