New SightSpeed Build Available

I noticed today that there is a new build for Windows available on the SightSpeed download page. It's still called 6.0, but build 6536. I have downloaded and installed it, and done a bit of testing with my brother in Atlanta (who also installed it).

There is a lot to like in this new build. Both video and audio appear to be significantly improved. When I first tested it, I was not able to use a wired internet connection because of the general state of disarray at my office, so I used an HSPA cellular connection, and even with that the audio and video were both good. There are innumerable changes to the user interface, many of them small but very significant. Icons and graphics have been improved, message have been made clearer and better organized.

Two things that I noticed in particular that are close to my heart, as I have complained about them previously. First, on startup, if SightSpeed notices that something has changed in your audio or video devices, SightSpeed brings up a window which, until now, offered to run the setup wizard or exit the program. In this version there is a third option - Ignore - so if you know whatever the change was is not significant, and your settings are still correct, you don't have to go through the setup wizard for nothing. Second, when a new release is installed on top of an existing version, SightSpeed does NOT set the "start on boot" flag back to active, as it used to. That's a very minor point, but when you install as many updates, as frequently as I do, it's one less thing to have to remember to go back and change every time.

Changes like these, and many others, show that the development team at SightSpeed is paying attention to detail, and that is a very good thing. I'm sure there are plenty more changes and improvements in this build which I have not seen yet, so I am likely to be writing about it again soon.

jw 20.6.2008