Bring Back v.5.8 Capabilities?

[DERoss]

I am still using Eraser 5.8.2.0 for three reasons:

1. When I attempted to install Eraser 6.0.10.2620, I was not given any option where to install it. It automatically went into C:\Program Files\Eraser. Eraser 5.8.2.0 allowed me to install in any directory I chose. Yes, there was a Browse button during installation of Eraser 6.0.10.2620; but it was disabled.

2. Eraser 5.8.2.0 allows me to create my own erasing methods. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does not.

3. I feel that Eraser 5.8.2.0 has a much better user interface than Eraser 6.0.10.2620.

I first noted the above with Eraser 6.0.8. Would it be possible to provide those Eraser 5.8.2.0 capabilities in a near-future version of Eraser?

 

[DavidHB]

When I attempted to install Eraser 6.0.10.2620, I was not given any option where to install it. It automatically went into C:\Program Files\Eraser. Eraser 5.8.2.0 allowed me to install in any directory I chose. Yes, there was a Browse button during installation of Eraser 6.0.10.2620; but it was disabled.

The browse button is enabled on my machines; I'd guess that there is some issue with the Windows installer on your machine.

Eraser 5.8.2.0 allows me to create my own erasing methods. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does not.

Actually, it does. See page 14 of the User Guide (opened by clicking 'Help' in the Eraser window)

I feel that Eraser 5.8.2.0 has a much better user interface than Eraser 6.0.10.2620.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that the last version of Eraser 5 was 5.8.8. You don't say why you think that the earlier UI was better, and while I can think of ways in which the Eraser 6 UI can be improved, none of them involve a reversion to the Eraser 5 way of doing things. There is a difference in philosophy; Eraser 6 is intended to work more in the background (at least for file and folder erasing) than Eraser 5, and, personally, after the initial culture shock, I found that this approach better suited my needs. But UI likes and dislikes are always a matter of personal opinion.

I first noted the above with Eraser 6.0.8. Would it be possible to provide those Eraser 5.8.2.0 capabilities in a near-future version of Eraser?

For the reasons I have given, this seems unlikely. Also, in my own opinion, it would be both unnecessary and retrograde.

David

 

[DERoss]

Having installed Eraser 6.0.10.2620, I wish to refine my comments.

When I installed Eraser 6.0.10.2620 with the Custom Install option, I discovered that I can select the location to install it. However, that option is available only if I do not change any of the other options in the same window. As soon as I selected a level of installation of the non-language features (the name of which I forget), the Browse button was disabled. This is a bug in the installer. The order in which I select options on that particular window should be irrelevant.

In Eraser 5.8.2.0, erasing a file or group of files via a Windows context menu allowed me the option to select an erase method different from the default. Effectively, I could change "on the fly" which method would be the default. This is missing from Eraser 6.0.10.2620.

Typically, I am erasing very large files (5-7 GB), after which I will create new versions of those files with different file names reflecting the generation dates. If erasing the old files occurs while generating the new files, I will get significant disc thrashing. Eraser 5.8.2.0 provided a progress bar that I could monitor and thus avoid generating the new versions of those files until erasure was completed. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 requires that I open the application window to view a progress bar.

 

[DERoss]

Also, when launched from a Windows context menu, Eraser 5.8.2.0 would provide a confirmation popup asking if I really wanted to erase the selected file. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does not do this. This is a serious discrepancy. There are other, non-destructive options in my Windows context menu. It is too easy to select the wrong option (i.e., the option to erase).

Yes, Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does provide for confirming the user's request when run as an application and not from the context menu. However, I would guess that most users run Eraser from the context menu.

 

[DavidHB]

Also, when launched from a Windows context menu, Eraser 5.8.2.0 would provide a confirmation popup asking if I really wanted to erase the selected file. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does not do this. This is a serious discrepancy. There are other, non-destructive options in my Windows context menu. It is too easy to select the wrong option (i.e., the option to erase).

Yes, Eraser 6.0.10.2620 does provide for confirming the user's request when run as an application and not from the context menu. However, I would guess that most users run Eraser from the context menu.

I'm responding to this one first, as the answer is straightforward.

I agree with this criticism, and, more to the point, so does Joel. As a matter of policy, he only implements UI changes in version updates, so you will find a confirmation dialog in the 6.1 nightly builds, but not in the 6.0 maintenance releases. The dialog is quite useful, as it also provides an options button that allows you to edit the task.

David

 

[DavidHB]

Thank you for you helpful and constructive clarification.

When I installed Eraser 6.0.10.2620 with the Custom Install option, I discovered that I can select the location to install it. However, that option is available only if I do not change any of the other options in the same window. As soon as I selected a level of installation of the non-language features (the name of which I forget), the Browse button was disabled. This is a bug in the installer. The order in which I select options on that particular window should be irrelevant.

I agree that this does seem to be a bug, though whether it is a function of the .msi file (which is embedded in the install.exe file) or of the Windows installer itself I cannot say. It would be helpful if you could raise a ticket in TRAC, referring to this forum topic. Joel is very busy at the moment; as he uses TRAC as his 'to do' list, a TRAC ticket is more likely to attract his attention than a forum topic.

In Eraser 5.8.2.0, erasing a file or group of files via a Windows context menu allowed me the option to select an erase method different from the default. Effectively, I could change "on the fly" which method would be the default. This is missing from Eraser 6.0.10.2620.

True, but, as noted in my previous post, it is possible to do this in the nightly builds. Whether it is at all useful is another question; as is frequently reported in this forum and elsewhere, current thinking is that the erase method makes very little, if any, difference to the effectiveness of the erasing process.

Typically, I am erasing very large files (5-7 GB), after which I will create new versions of those files with different file names reflecting the generation dates. If erasing the old files occurs while generating the new files, I will get significant disc thrashing. Eraser 5.8.2.0 provided a progress bar that I could monitor and thus avoid generating the new versions of those files until erasure was completed. Eraser 6.0.10.2620 requires that I open the application window to view a progress bar.

My recollection of the Eraser 5 progress window is that it was modal, and therefore a nuisance in other respects; at least the Eraser 6 schedule window is not modal. Disk thrashing is of course a function of drive performance (including fragmentation), so there is not much Eraser can do about that. Given the nature of current understanding about the effectiveness of erasing, there is a good case for using only a single (or at most a 3) pass erasing method for larger file erases, as this approach keeps the time that the erase is blocking the machine to a minimum. All that said, I would like to see the reporting of actual erasing in the Eraser 6 log, as was the case with Eraser 5. As previously mentioned, I don't think that any change to the default 'working in the background' design of Eraser 6 is either likely or necessary.

David