[WriteLog] V10.59D networking is busted

[Ford Peterson]

> Been using 10.59D on a 5 PC network at NK7U -- works just fine.
> 
> Sounds like the usual Field Day gremlins to me. Each year there seems to be 
> a whole bunch of new problems reported during Field Day. Maybe WriteLog is 
> only designed for inside networks, when it goes outside in Field Day it does 
> not work as well. Though we used it last year in a 4 PC Field Day network 
> just fine. Worked better than one of the PCs that were running it when we 
> corrupted the hard disc via a power spike from a short in an extension cord. 
> Oh the joys, pleasures, and fun of Field Day.
> 
> Scott/K7ZO

I got another email from Hal-N4GG with similar comments.  Scott and Hal's responses to me make me think the WL world views this as "Chicken Little saying the sky is falling."  My ponderings since then may give clues as to what is happening.

This past weekend, our MSCE we have involved built from scratch 4 new machines running XPHome.  All the MS updates were run and checked out.  Then, a fresh copy of 10.59DFULL was loaded and registered on each machine.  What's different?  What's different is that the machines at home have the luxury of running for a long time using a history of updates.  Most home machines are never loaded from "FULL" downloads but rather "UPDATE" copies are overlaid on top of perfectly good working copies.  So what's different?

I don't know what is different since I am not the programmer.  But what I do know is if you start with a fresh machine, even though the XP networking is functioning normally, WL doesn't work reliably!  And I've confirmed this with other people that have tried it on other machines.  Are there DLLs missing from the "FULL?"  Are there other little software hooks and patches that are in most working subdirectories that simply don't appear in a fresh one?  I don't know.

Here is another fella that has been doing some testing and sent me a private posting:

> Just to let you know that this weekend was the RAC Canada Day Contest.  I
> only made a few contact but I used to the contest to try networking WriteLog
> between two computers.  I followed instructions in WriteLog Help but my
> attempt was unsuccessful.  The log transferred from the master computer to
> the radio computer but did not connect or transfer the other way.  So sad.
>
> 73 de Roger 

It is sad.  Stuff is busted I tell you.  We lost tons of Qs FD weekend.  Coast along doing nothing about fixing it and it will be more of a problem than anyone wants to deal with.  

Ford-N0FP
ford at cmgate.com