SpecLink-E Previewed in Two Webinars

140 BSD SpecLink customers particpated in a preview of the new SpecLink-E software by attending one of two webinars we conducted on January 9. We learned a lot and think that those attending also benefited from the presentation of new features and enhancements and the opportunity to get answers to questions about the new software. 95 participants completed an exit survey that was structured in the form of multiple-choice answers to a series of questions. We thought it would be helpful to document and publish here some highlights of both the exit survey and the questions and answers that were provided as part of the process.

The exit survey was structured as multiple-choice with an opportunity to check “Other” and enter a comment on each question. Some of the questions and a summary of the answers follow:

What was your overall impression of the new software?

This looks great. I can’t wait to start using it.	56%
It’s still a little rough around the edges but I like it.	21%
It was a little confusing to me with all the new stuff.	6%
I don’t see sufficient reason to upgrade to the new software.	1%
I am undecided at this time.	5%
Other	11%

What is your reaction to the new Office 2007-style Ribbon Bar menu system in SpecLink-E?

I like the look and feel; looks like a good menu system.	22%
It will take some getting used to but it seems intuitive.	40%
It’s really immaterial to me. I’ll learn it.	26%
Why do we have to switch to a new menu system?	2%
I really don’t like it. I think it’s all about marketing.	1%
Other	9%

SLE features a new way of updating the specifications content delivered by the SpecLink subscription that includes transparently updating the SpecLink master over the Internet in off-hours without intervention by the system manager. What do you think of this?

Great. We would really like to be free of the quarterly updating chore.	43%
I think that would work if I can specify the timeframe for the content downloading from the Internet.	17%
I’m a little worried that I lose control of my Master database updating process.	13%
We don’t allow this type of automatic updating through our firewall. You must provide a CD or allow me to manually download.	9%
I want to stay with the quarterly updates that I have to install.	1%
Other	17%

BSD will not support the MasterFormat 1995 version in SpecLink-E. BSD will continue to support MF 1995 using the current SpecLink+ for some period of time. What does this mean to your firm?

That would not be a problem for our firm.	32%
This would be inconvenient but we could work around it.	28%
I’m not sure I understand the issue.	4%
This is a serious problem. Many of my clients continue to require MF 1995.	16%
This would be a serious problem for my firm. We are not planning on moving to MF 2004.	1%
Other	18%

Do you plan to switch to SpecLink-E?

We will switch to this software as soon as it becomes available.	28%
We will switch once we see that others are doing so without problems.	19%
We don’t know yet. We’ll wait and see.	28%
If SpecLink-E does not support MF 1995 we won’t switch.	4%
We will stay with SpecLink+ as long as it remains available.	1%
Other	20%

BSD also provided an area on the survey that let customers pose questions related to the SpecLink-E development effort. We answered these questions via a group email to our customer base, but we will repeat some of the most relevant questions and answers below:

When will SpecLink-E (SLE) become available?

• BSD is planning two Beta releases prior to final delivery of the software. The first Beta release should occur within the next 45 days. The second Beta release will be production-ready software and is expected in late summer. The second Beta is expected to last about 45 days and will culminate in the final release of the initial version of SpecLink-E.

How will SpecLink-E be released?

• SLE will be delivered to you as part of your SpecLink subscription. You can choose to move to SpecLink-E, stay with SpecLink+ for some period of time, or use both systems side by side until support for SpecLink+ is discontinued.

Will there be a price increase?

• There have been relatively few price increases in your SpecLink subscription over the past 12 years. As stated in the Winter LinkLine newsletter, we expect to implement a moderate price increase for both initial and renewal subscriptions by May 1, 2008, but this will be independent of the SLE release.

How long will you continue to support SpecLink+?

• We expect to continue supporting SpecLink+ for at least one year. We will evaluate the needs of our customers on an ongoing basis and give ample notice of our intent to discontinue support.

One of the reasons for switching to SpecLink was the ability to go between formats while maintaining one database. Would we be able to maintain one database in SpecLink+ and then open a copy of our master in SpecLink-E for clients that request MF2004? Can I run both systems on one computer?

• Both systems can run on the same computer. However, you will have to make separate updates to each database. It will be possible to copy SpecLink+ projects into SpecLink-E and then import Sections from the copied projects into other Projects in SpecLink-E. BSD will continue to maintain both databases for some period of time, but we're certain you can appreciate that the new features and improvements in SLE preclude using a single database for both systems.

How does the new licensing system work?

• As before, you purchase a specified number of user licenses for a given subscription. This count is stored in one of the databases on the server (or standalone computer). Each user that has one or more documents checked out is using one license, and this information is tracked in the database. For example, if a user has three documents from two different projects checked out to her laptop that she is taking on the road, the user is using one license until she checks all the documents into their respective Projects.

Will SLE allow me and my consultants to work on the SAME project file at the SAME TIME from DIFFERENT locations (i.e.: Me in the architectural divisions, civil engineer his Divisions, and MEP engineer in his Divisions)? I'm not a multi-disciplined A/E firm, making it difficult to integrate SpecLink content between consultants.

• Yes. If you implement virtual private networking (VPN) functionality on your network, each consultant can run his own copy of the Client software free of charge on his individual computer and access projects on your server over the Internet using the VPN. The consultants are treated like any other system user and use one of your licenses only when they checkout documents. If you haven't implemented a VPN and don't want to do so, please read the next question.

Our IT department does not support VPNs - what are the alternatives for supporting off-site access to the databases?

• We are planning to implement communication between the client software on the user's computer and the BSD server software that uses the Internet without a virtual private network (VPN) or other wide area network (WAN). However, this technology will not be in place for the initial release of SpecLink-E.

If the databases will be stored on an office server, how will people outside of the office be able to work on the project?

• When a user checks out a document, it is copied to his local computer while he works on it. When that computer (laptop) is disconnected and is carried out of the office, the user can continue to work on all the documents he has checked out. When he returns and hooks up to the server again, he can check in those documents to the server, where they are once again part of the Project and available for printing or checkout by others.

We look forward to delivering this exciting new software system. For your review, we have posted the complete survey and the complete list of questions and answers. The results of the exit survey are at http://bsdsoftlink.com/speclink/Results_for_SLE_Survey.pdf. The complete list of questions and answers are at http://bsdsoftlink.com/speclink/Webinar_Survey_Questions_and_Answers.pdf. If you have any trouble viewing either of these documents or simply want to ask a question, please contact support@bsdsoftlink.com and we will do our best to provide answers.