the finger-keyboard synapse

4% of 600 is 24

Since the end of the year seems to inspire reflection on years gone by, I thought it would be interesting to back and look at the changes to BitWise since 1.0, especially in light of our recent version leap to 1.7. I pulled up the changelog, scrolled to the bottom, and my jaw hit the floor. Since 1.0, there have been almost 600 new features, improvements, tweaks or bug fixes made to BitWise. Just for fun, I went through and picked 24 of the more significant changes to show why distancing the current version a bit from 1.0 was well-deserved:

• New icons throughout the program
  
• BitWise Plus (personal encryption keys)
  
• Automatic NAT traversal, and UPnP
  
• Running "without a trace" on a removable drive
  
• Voice chat added and steadily improved
  
• Whiteboard palette for much faster drawing
  
• Reduced transmission lag by 75% for all messages
  
• Added toolbars to conversations and chat rooms
  
• Log viewer added and continuously improved
  
• Tree view for shared file list (not just a list)
  
• Request and approve multiple shared files at once
  
• Splitter added to conversations and chat rooms
  
• Stacking corner popups (up to 4 high)
  
• Bandwidth usage slider on file transfer manager
  
• Copy/paste images and text directly on whiteboard
  
• Alerts preferences consolidates four confusing pages
  
• Idle time reporting & setting away message
  
• Many windows reorganized and/or simplified
  
• Windows: significantly reduced flicker on all windows
  
• Windows: eliminated GDI resource hogging by whiteboard
  
• Windows: eliminated focus stealing
  
• Linux: system tray icon added
  
• Linux & Mac: many more native dialogs used
  
• Mac: improvement in look & feel of almost all controls

Also, let's not forget the brand new web site unveiled in May this year! While not a change to the program, it's definitely a noteworthy improvement to the realm of BitWise.

As a last bit of fun & excitement, I dug up the original BitWise 1.0 zip for Windows XP/2000/NT (Link). It's eerily the same, but eerily different from the current version. I think you'll agree we've come a long way. For those with an eye to detail, try the links in the readme and within the program. Even with the new web site and new domain name, most of these links still take you to the right place. What are your favorite improvements to BitWise since 1.0?

There's another big change coming up very soon, but that announcement will wait until after the holidays. Hint: it's not a change to the program, but a change to the entire BitWise experience. Stay tuned!