Toolbook

[Peter Hoyt]

Well, the simple fact that no one from SumTotal has commented on this tells
us a lot. Seems they've moved on and not left a forwarding address.

Guess I'll be finding out what Articulate Storyline costs... although, I
like John Hall's approach.

Big question tho, will I find another resource as useful as this list has
been over the past 20 years?

Thanks,
Peter H.

[Peter Hoyt]

I just learned that the job we lost, has been narrowed down to Articulate
Storyline, Captivate or Lectora... so Toolbook is totally out of the
running. Why? Not because it isn't up to the task, but probably because the
perception is that Toolbook is all but dead or the other, newer systems are
making enough noise to be known in the market place. Or perhaps because....
I could go on and on... but it isn't good for my blood pressure!

Peter H.

[John R. Hall]

Yes. Stackoverflow.
________________________________________
From: ToolBook Discussion List [tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM] on behalf of Peter Hoyt [hoy...@GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 3:52 PM
To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM
Subject: Toolbook

[Andre Van Heerden , Human Resources]

Please remove me from the Toolbook distribution list. Much appreciated.


André van Heerden
BSC Learning & Development: Learning Specialist & Content Developer


T +27 21 941 1124  F +27 21 941 0840  M +27 82 873 2535
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"A candle loses no light by lighting another candle." - Unknown

-----Original Message-----
From: ToolBook Discussion List [mailto:tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM] On Behalf Of John R. Hall
Sent: 17 October 2013 02:14 AM
To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM
Subject: Re: Toolbook

Yes. Stackoverflow.=0A=
________________________________________=0A=
From: ToolBook Discussion List [tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM] on beha= lf of Peter Hoyt [hoy...@GMAIL.COM]=0A=
Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 3:52 PM=0A=
To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM=0A=
Subject: Toolbook=0A=
=0A=
Well, the simple fact that no one from SumTotal has commented on this tells= =0A= us a lot. Seems they've moved on and not left a forwarding address.=0A= =0A= Guess I'll be finding out what Articulate Storyline costs... although, I=0A= like John Hall's approach.=0A= =0A= Big question tho, will I find another resource as useful as this list has= =0A= been over the past 20 years?=0A= =0A= Thanks,=0A= Peter H.=0A= =0A=


Read the Capitec Bank email disclaimer at http://www.capitecbank.co.za/emailDisclaimer.asp

[Otto Mantler]

I do continue using Toolbook to develop educational software that runs in native mode on any Windows-PC (and thanks to the wine- and wineskin-project on Linux and on Mac OS X, too)!
There are still millions of computers and notebooks out in schools and homes.
People use iPads and smartphones in addition, but these mobile devices will not substitute (!) notebooks, PCs and Macs within the next 5 or 10 years.

All the "toolbook-alternatives" mentioned by now do nocontain a nearly as powerful programming languagesuch as ToolBook's Openscript!

So, why should I stop to use Toolbook?
My native TB9.5 learning games run fine in thousands of primary schools and homes, and teachers, parents and pupils are happy with it - they even ask me for more.
So I will sell them what they want and I'll continue to develop native programs with my excellent TB 9.5.

There is not only an online world.

Otto Mantler
www.lesen2000.com
www.lernspiele.com

[Richard Rickenbacher]

Me too, I am absolutely content with Toolbook. I upgraded a year ago from
8.9 to 11.5 and was satisfied.
I am using both, the DHTML mode as well as the native mode.
If I need the result in both modes, I develop using the Action Editor. It's
really perfect to export/use the same programme in both modes.

Besides the development of classic eLearning programmes I have also
developed a quite complexe application for the automation of
classroom-course evaluations many native programmes (preparation,
data-collection, report-production) and online-programmes (data enter by
participants, interventions by the course manager). All that was done with
Toolbook with OpenScript (with some minor JavaScript extensions) and of
course with Actions in the online programmes. I don't think that I would
have done that more efficiently with Visual Basic for example.

And the power of OpenScript is not only useful for pure native programmes.
It is also very helpful during the development of Action based programmes
and for their maintenance. For example, it is so simple to write quickly a
handler or a function (and executing it in the command window) for changing
or adding an object on each page, if necessary by adding conditions, etc. -
Openscript can be also considered as a development-automation tool.

Of course, the fact that SumTotal didn't invest anymore in the development
of the OpenScript is desolate. For example, the 32K/64K barrier for strings
and text-fields is really out-dated. But I always found a way to bypass
these limits.

So, I stay a convinced Toolbook user ... even if I'am considered as one of
the "Last of the Mokicans" in Switzerland (I'm wondering if there are any
other swiss TBK fellows around...?) ... and I continue to hope that SumTotal
realises one day that they are sitting on a treasure and that they should
"simply" (?) invest in communicating to the market that they have a
treasure.

My intention with this contribution is to counter a little the growing
pessimism about the future of Toolbook.
Kind regards,
Richard


OpenTrain - R.Rickenbacher, e-Learning dvlpt & eQuest service
SwissMedia-Center, Vevey (CH), +41 21 923 88 38
WEB-site: http://www.opentrain.ch
or click http://www.era-rika.ch if you like painting

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ToolBook Discussion List
> [mailto:tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM]On Behalf Of Otto Mantler
> Sent: jeudi, 17. octobre 2013 10:13
> To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM
> Subject: Re: Toolbook
>
>

[Clifton Sleger]

So exactly what can't be done with ToolBook and the PowerPac?

So many of you are learning new tools and taking years doing it, but for
a ToolBook user to get acquainted with PowerPac features on top of their
ToolBook expertise is a fairly small step without having to dive into
understanding Javascript.

PowerPac makes all ToolBook content HTML 5 compliant; perhaps a couple
of catalog items may be a bit problematic, but nothing that cannot be
worked around. It also provides HTML 5 video. And everything is
supported back to IE8 for those clients who still need the support.
Please see the robust HTML 5 video example at this link:
http://www.pgsoftwaretools.com/powerpac/assessments/html5_player/dev

I spoke with Lectora engineers and they had to admit that their product
was inferior to the power of ToolBook WHEN combined with the PowerPac.

So why are some clients switching? Marketing (and pricing) is a big
issue (and SumTotal surely needs to address that) added to the fact that
there are many tools available that simply were not available 5-10 years
ago. That doesn't make a product "dead" as some of you have suggested.
Maybe it means that some of us are not as proficient in marketing OUR
services. Many of us have been spoiled by the fact that many companies
simply didn't have in house people to do this work for them and security
was less of an issue in the past. The fact that many of the "other"
tools are less powerful means that a company is more likely to bring
development in house. Therefore, the freelancer (or third party
developer) is not as important as they once were. But even that can
change with market and economic shifts.

The point is a carpenter is NOT defined by his tools, but by his ability
to use the tools at his disposal. A web app developer has to be
proficient in wearing many "hats" today and most of us cannot escape the
fact that we must all open our minds to the presence of multiple web
languages and skills (e.g.: Who of us can avoid serious graphic
development along with our projects? And that forces all of us to use
other graphic development tools and there are so many that one cannot
possibly name a favorite or one that is more popular than another.). I
hardly think anyone is going to acquire a new client nowadays just
because you own a license to ToolBook, Lectora, Captivate, or some other
product; just as owning a license to Microsoft Word will not make you a
technical writer or a journalist; nor will AutoCAD make you an architect
or engineer. But if you can prove you can do something with the products
you have that others cannot quickly accomplish, now that means business!

Well, I suppose there are those that will take a punch at this reply.

Clifton Sleger
PG Software Development
Oshkosh, WI 54904 USA
920-232-5727

The JavaScript PowerPac for ToolBook extends
the ToolBook Actions system with over 100 functions!
View the introductory assessment here:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com/intro
View the FULL USER'S GUIDE w/TUTORIALS and What's NEW in this release:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com
OR, get a 21 day trial copy here:
http://www.pgsoftwaretools.com/index.html?nav=buyPP

[John Robin Dove]

Hi Clifton,

I haven't been in touch before because I'm still debugging by project but it
should be finished soon. (I said the same thing back in July, I think!)

Just a quick question (I may have asked before): could Toolbook + Powerpack
read a txt file on a web server and use its contents as intructions to carry
out certain tasks like pausing a video at a precise moment and displaying text
etc.?

[Clifton Sleger]

Hello John,

The easiest way to do this is to echo back the text file from your
server using PHP on the web side by making a call to the web server
script using ToolBooks http post feature.

You PHP script could be as simple as this:
<?php
echo file_get_contents( [ filename ] );
?>

Once the contents are received by your application, you can use the
PowerPac functions to parse the file and manipulate any video. For
example, if your server side file contains instructions that must pop up
at a certain time, these instructions could be set in a text field and
made visible when a time marker is reached. I would put the time
markers, the video file path and name, and the instructions all on the
server side and when ToolBook gets the file from the server it would use
this information to dynamically play the video and show your
text/instructions at the designated markers.

I think this would a pretty easy thing to set up and accomplish and I
would be glad to assist if you venture in that direction if needed.

Clifton Sleger
PG Software Development
Oshkosh, WI 54904 USA
920-232-5727

The JavaScript PowerPac for ToolBook extends
the ToolBook Actions system with over 100 functions!
View the introductory assessment here:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com/intro
View the FULL USER'S GUIDE w/TUTORIALS and What's NEW in this release:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com
OR, get a 21 day trial copy here:
http://www.pgsoftwaretools.com/index.html?nav=buyPP

[Mike McCarron]

In our case, it's not the power of the authoring tool, it's the perception. We've been using ToolBook since 1990 and it's worked very well for most of our course development. For the past few years Captivate and Articulate has been very visible in e-learning articles, in newsletters, and at conferences. Lectora not as much but ToolBook has been virtually invisible. When managers read those articles and attend those conferences, they start asking what we're missing and decide that we should look at using another authoring tool. As a result, most of our e-learning authoring is now done with Captivate.

-----Original Message-----
From: ToolBook Discussion List [mailto:tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM] On Behalf Of Clifton Sleger
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 5:54 AM
To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM
Subject: Re: Toolbook

So exactly what can't be done with ToolBook and the PowerPac?

So many of you are learning new tools and taking years doing it, but for a ToolBook user to get acquainted with PowerPac features on top of their ToolBook expertise is a fairly small step without having to dive into understanding Javascript.

PowerPac makes all ToolBook content HTML 5 compliant; perhaps a couple of catalog items may be a bit problematic, but nothing that cannot be worked around. It also provides HTML 5 video. And everything is supported back to IE8 for those clients who still need the support.
Please see the robust HTML 5 video example at this link:
http://www.pgsoftwaretools.com/powerpac/assessments/html5_player/dev

I spoke with Lectora engineers and they had to admit that their product was inferior to the power of ToolBook WHEN combined with the PowerPac.

So why are some clients switching? Marketing (and pricing) is a big issue (and SumTotal surely needs to address that) added to the fact that there are many tools available that simply were not available 5-10 years ago. That doesn't make a product "dead" as some of you have suggested.
Maybe it means that some of us are not as proficient in marketing OUR services. Many of us have been spoiled by the fact that many companies simply didn't have in house people to do this work for them and security was less of an issue in the past. The fact that many of the "other"
tools are less powerful means that a company is more likely to bring development in house. Therefore, the freelancer (or third party
developer) is not as important as they once were. But even that can change with market and economic shifts.

The point is a carpenter is NOT defined by his tools, but by his ability to use the tools at his disposal. A web app developer has to be proficient in wearing many "hats" today and most of us cannot escape the fact that we must all open our minds to the presence of multiple web languages and skills (e.g.: Who of us can avoid serious graphic development along with our projects? And that forces all of us to use other graphic development tools and there are so many that one cannot possibly name a favorite or one that is more popular than another.). I hardly think anyone is going to acquire a new client nowadays just because you own a license to ToolBook, Lectora, Captivate, or some other product; just as owning a license to Microsoft Word will not make you a technical writer or a journalist; nor will AutoCAD make you an architect or engineer. But if you can prove you can do something with the products you have that others cannot quickly accomplish, now that means business!

Well, I suppose there are those that will take a punch at this reply.

Clifton Sleger
PG Software Development
Oshkosh, WI 54904 USA
920-232-5727

The JavaScript PowerPac for ToolBook extends
the ToolBook Actions system with over 100 functions!
View the introductory assessment here:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com/intro
View the FULL USER'S GUIDE w/TUTORIALS and What's NEW in this release:
http://www.powerpac.pgsoftwaretools.com
OR, get a 21 day trial copy here:
http://www.pgsoftwaretools.com/index.html?nav=buyPP

________________________________

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[John Robin Dove]

Many thanks. It sounds very promising. I'll get back to you just as soon as
I've finished debugging if I ever do :-)

[Peter Hoyt]

Clifton, as usual, I think you are correct. When I encounter a client with
no knowledge of authoring tools I default to Toolbook because I know I can
do more with it and the PowerPac than any of the less mature authoring
systems out there. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer clents know nothing about
eLearning and the tools it takes to produce it, So most seem to have made a
decision in advance about what system they will accept. It is the power of
marketing... which STS doesn't even seem to do at all for Toolbook.

We are presently trying to reach out to STS through their official channels
to get a response.

Thanks,
Peter H.

[Lu Post]

I've been a Toolbook user for many years as well and have 200 courses built
with it, all of which include audio with the Windows Media Player. They are
no longer compatible with many computers used by my end-users. A year ago,
Todd Porter told me that ToolBook was just about to release an HTML5 player
that would allow me to simply republish my books and they would be
cross-browser compatible. He said that if I upgraded to version 11.5, I
would get it without an additional fee. So I upgraded (a huge waste of
money), and the HTML5 player was never released.

With extreme pressure and a loss of business from my client-base, I
purchased the PowerPac. Clifton was very kind to provide one-on-one training
with me so that I could convert my audio files. During that time, I
purchased Storyline as I did not trust that ToolBook would be around much
longer and wanted a stable partner for my content development. It has been
the best decision I have made. While I can't program at the level of most of
you, I create very interactive courses and can do everything in Storyline
that I can do in ToolBook. Plus, the software is much more stable. I no
longer have to worry about saving every 10 seconds in fear of ToolBook
crashing. And with a simple publish that takes less than 30 seconds, I have
a course that is cross-browser compatible. The Articulate community
(e-Learning Heroes) is amazing. There averages around 10,000 email
communications a week! And most come from extremely bright individuals who
are very happy to help and share their ideas for better courses just like
all of you.

As I started to convert my courses using the PowerPac, I realized that it
didn't take that much longer to just recreate them in Storyline, so that has
been my main strategy. Unfortunately, this effort to update my current
library has resulted in a production of from around 50 new courses a year to
about 5 this year. My business has taken a dive, similar, I'm sure, to what
many of you are experiencing.

My biggest frustration and disappointment from Todd Porter and other
SumTotal representatives is their lack of response to a community that has
supported their product for many years. In fact, despite direct messages to
him that have been unanswered, the only comment I've heard from him is about
the big award that SumTotal won. What a crock!

Just my 20 cents worth...
Lu Post

-----Original Message-----
From: ToolBook Discussion List [mailto:tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM]
On Behalf Of Peter Hoyt
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 8:39 AM
To: tool...@LISTSERV.PLATTECANYON.COM
Subject: Re: Toolbook