Armstrong: First impressions

Jim Simmons, Research Fellow
Jim@alamodelabs.com

Version 6 of WinTOTAL, codename Armstrong is here! A working build fresh from the developers lair was made available to a small group of alpha testers about two weeks ago. The Labs group has been able to get screenshot glimpses for months now but this build was a huge step from concept to reality. For the first time we were able to take this pre-release prototype for a test drive and get a true feel of performance. A detailed analysis of features and workflow would be premature at this point as this is a work in progress and the final release will no doubt change as a result of the Labs process. What we are seeing however is all the tools you need to get a report out including the newest member of the a la mode product line, a desktop version of the DaVinci sketcher. So everything is there to complete a report from beginning to end. And it works. And it's stable too. Armstrong naturally inherits basic elements from its' most recent predecessors Athena and Aurora. Users of either version have a rather flat learning curve.

The Contents selection and Quicklists are familiar. Some new and cool features include: the ability to collapse all forms and pages within forms; the ability to switch from vertical to horizontal forms view; the ability to "pin" or "unpin" Quicklist window, detach it altogether or anchor it to the left or right side of the main window. My personal favorites so far are the addition of rounding by 500's (something I've been wishing for since I first started using WinTOTAL) and a floating Addendum text editing window.

Keep in mind this is a Standard Edition level program. As such it has, even in its' current state, all that is needed to process data to produce a complete appraisal report. As the Labs process moves forward we will have in hand a stable, complete, and intuitive application to serve the immediate needs of both entry level appraisers and those needing a lightweight mobile solution. It will also serve as a great foundation to build a high end application replete with the databases and utilities power users need.

Please go to http://www.alamode.com/labs/projects/Armstrong/default.aspx to learn more about Armstrong.

As always, your thoughts and feedback are always welcomed and encouraged. Please reply to labs@alamodelabs.com