First sample tutorial!

[csterg]

Benny has completed the first sample tutorial.
You can get it here:
http://download.theword.gr/bin/beta.tmp ... Module.rar

Your feedback is valuable. Also proposals on how to proceed and which topics should be covered,
Costas

[mathetes]

I see the tutorial is using the Wink Player. I saw on the Wink download page that they have a Linux version. The Windows version does not seem to work under WINE even after I installed the Windows flash drivers. Would it be possible to make this tutorial using the Linux version of Wink?


Also, just downloaded the latest beta of The Word and noticed that the Layout feature is working. Awesome!!! I was waiting for that. Now version 3 can be released.

[Benny]

I see the tutorial is using the Wink Player. I saw on the Wink download page that they have a Linux version. The Windows version does not seem to work under WINE even after I installed the Windows flash drivers. Would it be possible to make this tutorial using the Linux version of Wink?

Thanks for the input David

It is true this tutorial was created by using the Windows version of Wink and they are working on a version designed to work on the Linux operating system. However as of now it does not have all of the creating capabilities of the Windows version. The following is taken from the Windows version users guide for Wink.

1.5 Differences between Windows and Linux versions

Most of the Wink user interface and features are the same in Windows and Linux, but
there are a few differences. The key ones are listed below.
· No input-driven capture mode in Linux
· Text fonts in Windows and Linux will be different depending on what is
available in the system
· UI widgets will be different in both platforms so there will be minor differences
in the functionalities
· Wink system tray icon in Linux will be available only if the window manager
supports the required extension
Please note that the UI is very different between the latest Windows version (2.0) and
the Linux version (1.5). The above points still apply to the Linux Wink version 1.5.

The 'GenericBookModule.rar' link Costas posted above is the compressed 'GenericBookModule.exe' file that Wink created when the tutorial was rendered. This '.exe' file should work on any version of Windows according to the Wink documentation and run alone without any flash player since it is fully contained. You only need the Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe (free download) if you want to play a '.swf' file which is not the case here. I have never used the Linux operation system and know nothing about it. Maybe someone who has a computer with a Lunix operating system and feels ambitious will volunteer to create one. If so they should down load the Lunix version from http://www.debugmode.com/wink/download.php.

I hope this explains the situation
Benny

[aaron]

This tutorial is looking very professional; good graphics and voice is clear! Also, it's not excessively wordy nor does it rush through explaining things; a good balance which explains things clearly.

What do you think about having "Back" "Next" and "Main" available during the presentation rather than when voice is completed for each segment? This would allow us to scroll through the presentation. Also, fast readers and/or hearing impaired (or everyone) could control when a segment is completed. I do like the voice tutorials but feel ppl might want to skip over parts they already understand; especially upon returning to watch the tutorial again.

Thanks for your work Benny!

Aaron

[Benny]

This tutorial is looking very professional; good graphics and voice is clear! Also, it's not excessively wordy nor does it rush through explaining things; a good balance which explains things clearly.

Thank you for your very kind comments Aaron. I wanted the tutorials to look as professional as possible.

What do you think about having "Back" "Next" and "Main" available during the presentation rather than when voice is completed for each segment? This would allow us to scroll through the presentation. Also, fast readers and/or hearing impaired (or everyone) could control when a segment is completed. I do like the voice tutorials but feel ppl might want to skip over parts they already understand; especially upon returning to watch the tutorial again.

Although this is the best software I know of that lets you create tutorials, the Wink software does not allow you to skip ahead while the voice segments are being played. In fact I had to create images to look like the actual navigation buttons with dimmed text and place them under the real navigation buttons because they do not even display in the frames until the voice segments are finished playing. This gives the impression that the buttons are disabled until the voice segments are through playing and then display the actual navigation buttons with the white text to make it look as if they just became enabled. I also created the Flash Player Bar at the bottom of the Flash Player to match as close as possible to the navigation buttons. You can click anywhere on it to advance forward or backward through the tutorials but not on a frame by frame basis.

I will go to their forums at the Wink web site to see if there has been a work around for this problem.

Thanks again & God bless you
Benny

[core]

Very nice job Benny!

Information concerning speeding up the tutorial while watching. (For those who haven't notice yet.) It's possible to quick jump to another place within the tutorial by clicking on a desired area in the time bar.

In Him,
Cornelius

[csterg]

I agree with everyone! The only thing i would like also (as i said to Benny) is the ability to fast forward...
Maybe the wink forums have an answer
Costas

[csterg]

Hello everyone,
Benny has created 3 new sample versions of the tutorials and we would like your feedback. All 3 versions are similar in content, the only difference is that one of them has voice and text, the other text only, the other voice only.

Here are the links:
Voice and text: http://download.theword.gr/bin/beta.tmp ... leBoth.rar
Voice only: http://download.theword.gr/bin/beta.tmp ... eVoice.rar
Text only: http://download.theword.gr/bin/beta.tmp ... leText.rar

The following changes have also taken place (quoting Benny):

I have added two images to the front part of the tutorial series. Not very sure of how you want me to improve it. I have shorten the length of the flash player frame since adding the time control bar at the bottom so it will display properly if the user's desktop is displayed at 1024 x 768. I have also reconstructed all of the navigation buttons and added three more. We now have the following buttons.

The Rewind button displays the tutorial selection page.
The Previous button starts the previous tutorial.
The Back button plays the previous frameset.
The Play button plays the next frameset.
The Next button plays the next tutorial.
The Fast Forward button goes to the last frame in the player.
The Instructions button displays the frame that describes what the buttons do.

Your comments please.
Costas

[Rubén Gómez]

Costas,

I'm getting a corrupt rar whenever I try to download the first link (Voice and text). I have tried several times. Anyone else?

[csterg]

I'm getting a corrupt rar whenever I try to download the first link (Voice and text). I have tried several times. Anyone else?

Me too, re-uploaded.

[Rubén Gómez]

I'm getting a corrupt rar whenever I try to download the first link (Voice and text). I have tried several times. Anyone else?

Me too, re-uploaded.

Thanks. Works fine now.

One thing I'd like to mention, with all due respect to other people's viewpoint, is that I don't like the images depicting Jesus. I honestly don't see the need for them in this context. This is a video tutorial, and I believe it should conform in every way to what most users expect from a standard tutorial. A simple logo of TW or something like that would be much better, IMHO.

Just my 2 cents...

[aaron]

Hello Benny,

Thank you for everything you're doing. It's evident you've put alot of time and work in on these Tutorials accommodating the requests for features. So it's with a little reluctance that I say their may be too many features. For example:

1) I'm uncertain of the need for >>| (Fast Forward) - Last Frame

2) While the Time Bar Played/Not Played is an excellent feature; the " Time Bar Played Markers " are a little confusing/unexplained and perhaps not needed.

3) |<< (Rewind) Select Tutorial can be used instead of:

|< (Previous) Previous Tutorial
>| (Next) Next Tutorial

Especially since which Tutorial was previous or which is next is not indicated.

Finally:

(Back) Previous Frameset
(Play) Next Frameset
Time Bar with Pause/Play
and |<< (Rewind) Select Tutorial

are great additions and may be sufficient in navigating these Tutorials.

Hope this doesn’t seem too critical or overshadow the fact I think these are looking very nice and will be a great help to users.

Aaron

[larry]

Hello everyone,
Benny has created 3 new sample versions of the tutorials and we would like your feedback. All 3 versions are similar in content, the only difference is that one of them has voice and text, the other text only, the other voice only.

Hi Benny ,
i would like to say thank you big time for the time and energy you have put in on these projects

i like the one with the voice and text ... i am very slow at reading and also slow in understanding (sometimes) what people are saying to me. With both of these together i can hear what is being said and if i do not have a clear understanding then i have the option to read and think before i go on.

again Benny thanks for a wonderful job
larry

[MsLile]

Thanks so much for the time expended here. The Lord is not "forgetful". This is great.........
One thing I was thinking is, that I am "hearing" impaired, and I certainly do appreciate the text version, because trying to hear alone, it just all becomes one big muddle to me, going in one ear and out the other. I especially appreciate the pictures of our Lord that is shown. Wonderful.

MsLile

[Benny]

One thing I'd like to mention, with all due respect to other people's viewpoint, is that I don't like the images depicting Jesus. I honestly don't see the need for them in this context. This is a video tutorial, and I believe it should conform in every way to what most users expect from a standard tutorial. A simple logo of TW or something like that would be much better, IMHO.

Thanks for your input Ruben

I did not intend to offend anyone with the pictures but Costas wanted me to try and spruce up the front frames so I tried created the first two frames to look like an open bible with a ribbon marker. I started with the left half of the 'book' of the first frame (button descriptions frame) and the right half of the 'book' of the second frame (tutorial selection frame) on the same frame, but it look way too cluttered. So I decided to seperate the two halves of the 'book' and insert the images. Since I always read my bible and pray for direction before I proceed every morning I thought the images of Christ would be appropriate since it is a tutorial about bible software.

Thank you for everything you're doing. It's evident you've put alot of time and work in on these Tutorials accommodating the requests for features. So it's with a little reluctance that I say their may be too many features. For example:

1) I'm uncertain of the need for >>| (Fast Forward) - Last Frame

2) While the Time Bar Played/Not Played is an excellent feature; the " Time Bar Played Markers " are a little confusing/unexplained and perhaps not needed.

3) |<< (Rewind) Select Tutorial can be used instead of:

|< (Previous) Previous Tutorial
>| (Next) Next Tutorial

Especially since which Tutorial was previous or which is next is not indicated.

Thanks Aaron for your input

1) This >>| (Fast Forward) button is for uniform looks only to match |<< (Rewind) button. I have never seen the need to go to the ending frame of the flash player either as it stops the flash player, but most flash players have it. All of the navigation buttons are always in pairs (< & >), (|< & >|), and (|<< & >>|). I tried it without the >>|(Fast Forward) and the frames really looked odd with the |<< (Rewind) button being the only one without a counter matching button.

2) The marker locators are for marking frame locations you have clicked back to either by using the backward navigation buttons or by clicking somewhere on the time control bar that has already been played. They only show up when you go backwards in the flash player. This feature is optional and does not have to be there. But it does have its advantages. For example if you click on the >>| (Fast Forward) button ,the very button we both decided was of little use, to go to the last fame of the flash player and then click on the |< (Previous Tutorial) button until you reach the first tutorial, you can see how long of a space each tutorial takes up of the time control bar. You can then click on any one of the markers to go to the start of that tutorial.

3) The |< (Previous Tutorial) and the >| (Next Tutorial) buttons were created because Costas wanted a different way to go forward through the flash player without playing all of the current tutorial being played. So again to make the buttons look proper and have matching mates, I created both Previous and Next tutorial buttons.

Especially since which Tutorial was previous or which is next is not indicated.

I see no apparent way of entering tool tips for the buttons in wink. I will check back at their forums to see if this is possible or if some script can be written to do this to describe the buttons.

Finally:

(Back) Previous Frameset
(Play) Next Frameset
Time Bar with Pause/Play
and |<< (Rewind) Select Tutorial

are great additions and may be sufficient in navigating these Tutorials.

This is exactly what I had before in the previouss tutorial posted with button text written on them.
'Back' button was the Previous frameset
'Next' was the Next frameset
Time bar with Pause/Play buttons
'Main' was Select Tutorial.

i would like to say thank you big time for the time and energy you have put in on these projects

i like the one with the voice and text ... i am very slow at reading and also slow in understanding (sometimes) what people are saying to me. With both of these together i can hear what is being said and if i do not have a clear understanding then i have the option to read and think before i go on.

again Benny thanks for a wonderful job

Thanks Larry for your kind post. Costas and I as well as others believe that the tutorial series would be best to have both voice and text and would be beneficial for everyone viewing them.

Thanks so much for the time expended here. The Lord is not "forgetful". This is great.........
One thing I was thinking is, that I am "hearing" impaired, and I certainly do appreciate the text version, because trying to hear alone, it just all becomes one big muddle to me, going in one ear and out the other. I especially appreciate the pictures of our Lord that is shown. Wonderful.

Thanks MsLile that's what I needed to hear. We will probably be posting the versions with (both text & voice) and (text only) and drop the (voice only) version.
Thanks also for your comments on the images of Christ. After all he is the very one who provided for us a way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and according John 1:1 Christ is 'The Word'.