About a month and a half ago, we began offering Version 7.7 preview databases to Keystone-hosted and Linux-based self-hosted LBPH customers. Since then, we’ve been hard at work—so I wanted to give you all a look into the process.

Creating a Preview Database:

Each preview database requires a conversion (from the 7.6 data structure to 7.7), followed by a whole checklist of other tasks, including basic duplication setup (to allow you to test new duplication features), testing, and loading the XPrint license (so you can print from KLAS without requiring a separate XPrint installation).

Status: Right now, I see 12 customers on our “Active Setup” list, most of which have almost finished checklists. That means we should be getting quite a few more of you on to the next steps very soon!

What Happens Next?

Once a preview database is ready, the Activation Key and a “Welcome Packet” of documentation go out to the library. This includes a task list of activities that we recommend the library completes to familiarize themselves with new features and to test the conversion and set-up more in depth. As they go through this list, the preview customer notifies us of whatever bugs or errors they come across.

For example, one thing our previewers just notified us of is that the latest version of Progress (the software we use to build the KLAS user interface) changed the highlighting it uses in browse tables.

Since the new style of highlighting is so much harder to see, the next build of 7.7 will include a fix to revert to the classic highlighting. (If you do like the new style better, it is possible for you to enable it as a customization to your klas.ini file—contact us for help.) Thanks, previewers!

Status: We have 5 customers who have their preview databases and are testing and reviewing them now, with the most recent getting their preview just this morning!

Going Live:

Once a preview customer has gone through the task list and is satisfied with the conversion, they are welcome to schedule their Live upgrade.

Congrats to Oregon and Arizona, our first customers to go Live on 7.7 (after North Carolina, who were our guinea pigs—ahem—I mean “Beta Testers”)!

What about Windows-based and IRC Customers?

For our IRC users, we have a little bit of development work left to do to get WebOrder fully compatible with version 7.7. Once that is complete, we’ll be getting you up and running as well.

For Windows-based self-hosted users, we continue to work on getting the version 7.7 server installation and upgrade process sorted out, and expect to be able to get preview databases set up for you starting in August.

For all of you: while we are sorry for the delay, the bright side is that we should have the process fully ironed out and bug fixes in place once we bring you up on 7.7. Please know that we are keeping the line moving as quickly as we can, while still meeting the other development and customer service needs that may come up in the meantime.