Welcome to the IdeaMason Weblog!

Every now and then a customer contacts us with a frustrating list of problems. If you are experiencing problems with even the basic IdeaMason functions, like editing an idea or setting up a new source, your problem may be the presence on your computer of a software package called WindowBlinds.

WindowBlinds is a Windows overlay program that allows users to skin the Windows graphical user interface and reconfigure the basic behavior of the windowing technology.

If you have WindowBlinds installed on your desktop, it conflicts with IdeaMason’s movable docking panel technology and quite literally plays havoc with a number of functions in IdeaMason.

This conflict is a fairly common problem between WindowBlinds and a number of applications, which is why the product provides a simple solution: WindowBlinds gives you the ability to “ignore” a specific software package. So all you have to do is configure WindowBlinds to “ignore” IdeaMason. After this, everything runs normally.

See the Wikipedia article on WindowBlinds.

We heard this one from a customer recently who is now an active Mac user and using the Parallels emulation environment to run Windows applications on the Mac. Not being Mac users we were interested as we know there are quite of few of you out there who wish IdeaMason also ran on a Mac.

In a nutshell, Parallels is a software suite that brings hardware virtualization mainstream to Macintosh computers with Intel processors. For those of you working the fine line between a PC and a Mac, but frustrated with the lack of cross compatibility with your favorite applications, Parallels may well be an answer. We were happy to hear that IdeaMason does in fact run smoothly in this environment. So we wanted to pass the information along.

If you want to find out more about Parallels there is a piece on Wikipedia about all this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallels_Desktop_for_Mac

We had a banner day on our blow out one day sales marathon with BitsduJour and wanted to take a moment to welcome all the new IdeaMason users.

As you begin to work with IdeaMason remember there are a lot of help tools available, either on our website or built right into the software itself.

Online Video Tutorials: First and foremost we encourage you to view our tutorial video library on our website. Just click on the tutorials link. You can view them top to bottom but you can also come back anytime to review a particular feature area. The videos are always kept up to date as new features are added to the software and we also reevaluate and adjust aspects of the tutorials to keep up with frequently asked questions from customers. Our goal is to provide you with the best help we can so that you get the most out of the features available to you.

Help Menu: There is a help menu built directly into the software. Just click on the Help Menu.

Click F1: You can also just click F1 on almost any window in IdeaMason and instantly read help that directly pertains to the window or window panel that is active.

Today is the day to get IdeaMason for the lowest prices ever! Just use the discount code BIT2 on our purchase page to get the Bits du Jour discount. The discount will appear on the second page during the purchase process. This discount can be applied to any license type.

Visit the IdeaMason page on www.bitsdujour.com Bits du Jour for more details.

If you have ever lost work, which is more of a when and how many times issue more than an IF statement, then you will be interested in knowing that YES IdeaMason does have an automatic backup system built right into the software.

First, IdeaMason will automatically save your work as you are writing, according to the configurable autosave frequency, which is by default every five minutes. This protects you against machine crashes, low battery shutdowns, etc., whenever you forget to physically press the “save” button yourself.

The second way is that the entire portfolio is backed up into a separate file when it is closed. You have the option to select whether this is a “single file” backup, where the backup is overwritten each time, or (for the extra-secure) an “incremental” backup, which will save the backup to a new file on each closure. This way, should the file ever become damaged, it could be recovered from daily points-in-time.

See Options under the Tools menu in IdeaMason for more information. Click on the Backup tab for more details. You can also click on the Help menu in IdeaMason for more information. Just go to Contents - Options - and then click on “Backup and Restore Portfolio Files”.

I just wanted to let everyone know that IdeaMason will be partnering with Bits du Jour for a one-day promotion on Monday, November 12, 2007. This is only the second time in our history that we have participated in an external discount/promotional partnership, and the discounts on IdeaMason will be significant (43% off). This fantastic promotion will bring the price of a single educational license down to $33.63. An amazing value, and the lowest price at which IdeaMason has ever been offered!

If you are thinking of buying, are waiting for your free trial to run down, or are a cash-strapped student, mark November 12 on your calendar.

Visit the IdeaMason page on Bits du Jour for more details.