Join the Bumble Bee Prototype beta test

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While you and I were slogging through the latest Windows and Microsoft minutia, my #1 son, Justin, was secloistered, perfecting his mobile game — now
[See the full post at: Join the Bumble Bee Prototype beta test]

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No Windows version available?

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Not yet. There’s some talk of getting a UWP version out, but it’s far down the road. The costs are too high, and the potential return just doesn’t make a Win10 version worthwhile.

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No wonder M$-Windows Store is so barren, ie it costs a bumb to put your UWP apps in there. Similarly, you have to pay “extortionary” fees to M$ to develop your Win32 programs for Windows, eg for MSDN and Visual Studio.

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anonymous wrote:

Similarly, you have to pay “extortionary” fees to M$ to develop your Win32 programs for Windows, eg for MSDN and Visual Studio.

I’m not sure what you mean by that… Visual Studio 2017 Community Edition is both powerful and free to use (for a very small business).

-Noel

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@ Noel Carboni

The free Visual Studio Community Edition is likely crippled like Win 10 S.

Visual Studio 2013 Ultimate with MSDN currently costs $13,300 for a new subscription and $4,250 for a renewal subscription per user per year. And Visual Studio Premium with MSDN currently goes for $6,120 for a new subscription and $2,570 for a renewal (again, per user, per year).

http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-unveils-visual-studio-2015-pricing-version-line-up/
.
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https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/96798/why-does-microsoft-charge-a-fortune-for-its-developer-tools

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Sounds like you’re speculating. I use it every day on complex products. It’s not particularly hobbled.

-Noel

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Thanks for the information Woody; the game looks really interesting, but when I asked about a Windows version it didn’t dawn on me that anyone would even be thinking Windows 10.

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AH, a Win32 version? That’s even MORE difficult.

There are tools to help bring games to UWP. With Win32, you’re slogging it out from the first bit.

There’s a reason why there aren’t any new complex Win32 apps. Every old-fashioned Windows program you see or use is on life support.

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Kirsty, ryegrass

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I found this sequence of communication amusing.

To be fair the tools for generating serious Win32 applications are still current. I develop high-end graphics software for use with Adobe Photoshop, for example, using Visual Studio 2017 Community Edition.

That being said, getting the user interface just right is challenging in Win32. But the price paid to create a fully featured user interface ensures that it integrates with the desktop properly. That’s no small thing, because then the software is intuitive for a Windows user to use, possibly even in ways the designer didn’t think of.

What’s the bottom line?

It’s impossible to oversimplify what it takes to fit an application into a serious, powerful desktop environment that’s full of features designed to make it an integrated, rich experience.

It took decades for Microsoft to polish the desktop experience so that it actually delivers a lot of value. I’m flabbergasted that Microsoft thinks all that can just be blithely thrown away for a UI reminiscent of 8 bit computing in the 1970s (albeit with better graphics).

-Noel

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woody

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woody wrote:

There’s a reason why there aren’t any new complex Win32 apps. Every old-fashioned Windows program you see or use is on life support.

There aren’t Win32 apps because they’re called programs, heh!

Seriously, though, I don’t think that’s true.  Win32 versions of Firefox, LibreOffice, etc., are still very much in active development, not to mention lots of games, which are among the most complex programs written to date.  A lot of the WindowsMicrosoft Store offerings for PCs are “desktop bridge” setups, meaning they are natively Win32 wrapped in a layer of UWP for store compatibility.  I think the platform has some life left in it!

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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woody

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I agree, but I don’t see any new, sizable Win32 programs.

Did I miss something?

Being on life support isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You could think of it as continuing to support a solid foundation. But the future’s in the other direction.

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What!, No buzzing banter containing puns!? Approximately how long will this larval beeta testing phase remain open to the public?

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Not sure. Probably until Justin gets a sufficient round of capital, or a formal distributor.

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Capital? Sounds like the software is nearly done already.

Never underestimate what can be done on a shoestring budget with software and a willingness to work hard and learn. Then there’s no one to pay back!

-Noel

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woody

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Got to first screen, hit the triangle buton.

Dialog box came up.

#########################

#########################

FATAL ERROR in action number 1 of step event0

for object  obj__main button

 

A bit of work still needed.

Samsung Galaxy S2 tablet.

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THANKS!

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Ill go look it up right now and go get an update for it. thank you for the heads up

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Ok i am about 90% sure i nailed down the problem, the little triangle in the middle of the button was was attempting to switch its size right after the button was pressed, im still curious about why your machine was causing a crash and hope i can get some more input but for now i am currently recompiling an update, version 1.0.85, and its going to be available within the next few hours.

Thank you for warning me about that problem, if you see more mistakes please shout me down and ill fix them immediately. 🙂

Justin Leonhard

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Greetings,

The update was just released 30 seconds ago, if you see this problem happen again, or any others, please let me know ok? this is why betas are invaluable.

and thank you.

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I’m getting the fatal error… 🙁

Even deleted and reinstalled.

Android version

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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Greetings,

would it be possible to have a screenshot taken if an error message pops up please? the beta testing log is not showing these crashes and im really curious as to the cause.

https://www.greenbot.com/article/2825064/android/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-your-android-phone.html

Thank you,

Justin Leonhard

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Turns out my phone had the update, but hadn’t installed it… timing? Working now. Happy.

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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Thank you for letting me know.

And please feel free to hit me over the head if you find something i can do better. 🙂

Thank you.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Elly

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I went ahead and put the game in full release so as to make everything easier, the game is still very much in beta but you dont need to have special access in order to grab the latest version.

On google the latest is currently available and on apple it will be out in a few hours after apple reviews it.

Thank you everyone.

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Sent you (JL) a separate email with a screenshot of the error message from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.

= Ax Kramer

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woody

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So, FYI, why I had problems was that I signed up on the link that Woody gave… but that was on the computer. They want you to download Bumble Bee Bom first, then sign up for the beta testing. Signing up  sends an update to my phone. Until that update was installed (which I had to do manually) I was returning the error. Once it installed, I was up and playing.

I really like the mellow music and flow… and I realize ads keep it going, but I wish there was a way you could chose ads that kept the same relaxation and flow, rather than be jarringly noisy. They tend to spoil the mood, but I don’t think you have much control over that part.

No other problems  so far…

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

3 users thanked author for this post.

HiFlyer, Justin Leonhard, woody

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I agree. That bee ought to go back to the hive and take the 2nd “Are You Sure?” dialog box with her. Otherwise, going great… I am up to Level 13.

= Ax Kramer

 

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woody

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