Coeli - Stella 2000 (TM)

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

** THIS VERSION IS **

5.01 - Bug-fix, Cosmetic, and Enhancement Update (Mar 2001)

FEATURE: Minimize to System Tray. You now have the option of making Stella a system tray application for a less cluttered task bar. Use Setup to toggle this feature on/off.*
ENHANCEMENT: More legible fonts for both the Viewbar and Clock-bar have now been provided for those users who insist on a Small Fonts setting under Control Panel --> Display --> Settings --> Advanced. Please continue to note, however, that Stella is optimized for a Large Fonts display, which is a superior solution ergonomically.
ENHANCEMENT: A new 'blabbermouth' setting for the Microsoft Genie (tm) - now your speaking Guide is even friendlier, talking you through many of Stella's features and windows on entry to them.
ENHANCEMENT: HTML Log (with user graphics) now runs side by side with the traditional text-based logbook.
ENHANCEMENT: Better initialization of Logbook dropdown lists & placement of cursor in edit window when New Entry is clicked.
CONVENIENCE: Settings like Distance in Parsecs or Distance in LY can now be saved on report preferences.
BUG FIX: Various problems relating to occasional refusals to send Questionnaire and save Observer Settings correctly have been addressed for a considerably more trouble-free 'ride'.


** LAST VERSION WAS **

5.00 - Special Feature Update (Dec 2000)

SPECIAL FEATURE: with version 5.0 comes complete integration of Microsoft Agent speech technology, so that animated characters can guide you painlessly through the pronunciation of a myriad of arcane star names and lore, and even read aloud from Astrogloss and Aspects of Astronomy, not to mention offering that most immediate form of program help: spoken guidance.


** PREVIOUS VERSIONS HAVE BEEN **

4.95 - Major Feature and Bug Fix Update (Sep 2000)

MAJOR FEATURE: Auto-search. Now a mere mouse-roll over any object in the sky will instantly update readouts and reports. You no longer need to click for a response from Stella. In combination with report popup mode, auto-search will revolutionize the way you access information on celestial objects. (Optional)
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Totally re-vamped Logbook, with graphic and HTML capability, plus increased built-in user-friendliness.
MAJOR REVISION of Astrogloss A-Z. This 2nd Revised, Enlarged, and Updated Edition of the Concise HTML Dictionary of Astronomy incorporates more links, dozens of new articles, and extensive correction of errata.
CONVENIENCE: A Double-click on an object in Stella's sky links straight to SEDS' exciting online planetary and DSO tours.
BUG FIX: Astrogloss Dictionary searches no longer get out of step with the sky's clicked selection.
BUG FIX: Setup's [font style] issues successfully addressed.

4.90 - Major Feature and Enhancement Update (May/Jun 2000)

MAJOR FEATURE: Drag Sky. With the new Drag Mode, we introduce complete plasticity into all your interactions with the planetarium display logic. For the most intuitive and delicate manipulation of any of Stella's sky projections, Drag mode is fully equivalent to looking up and simply turning the head in any direction. Dragging the mouse auto-scrolls sky quadrants smoothly and quickly into view, as well as centering the projection in the process. A drag-sensitivity adjustment is available from the Setup window.
MAJOR FEATURE: Aspects of Astronomy - 2nd Revised and Enlarged Edition: Coeli's book-length astronomy primer
is now even more readable and informative, and still accessible as part of Stella's integral Encyclopedia Astronomica(tm).
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: 'More Online' button. Direct links to extensive DSO and Planetary information pages on the Web have been incorporated into Reports and Coeli Solar Guide.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Introduction of separate [Find] facility for the Special Reference section.
COSMETIC ENHANCEMENT: 3-D 'surround' effects are made possible by permitting the projection to be centered easily on areas below the visible horizon, imparting a convex curve to the horizon line, if desired.

4.85 Convenience, Revision, and Admin Update (15 May 2000)
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SUMMARY: This version brought the convenience of toggling lines, names, and grids on/off all at once, makes the Setup window conveniently accessible from the sky's own context menu, adds copy/paste/print functions to the Special Reference section, and enhances both Aspects of Astronomy and Astrogloss A-Z with more hyperlinks and extensive correction of errata.
CONVENIENCE: All lines ON/OFF toggle for sky display.
CONVENIENCE: All names ON/OFF toggle for sky display.
CONVENIENCE: All grids ON/OFF toggle for sky display.
CONVENIENCE: Setup window is now easily accessible from a new entry on the right-click popup menu, as well as via keypress.
CONVENIENCE: A Copy/Paste/Print menu for Stella's Special Reference Section.
SUBSTANTIAL REVISIONS completed for order docs and tutorials,
INTERNAL HYPERLINKS for Aspects of Astronomy.
ADMIN CHANGES for snail-mail orders, company contacts etc.


4.80 Major Feature, Bonus, Enhancement, and Bug Fix Update (25 Mar 2000)
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MAJOR FEATURE: A new Setup page allowing you to specify which star catalogue extensions will be loaded automatically on start-up.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: By popular request, both [Find] dialogs have been significantly compacted in size and their functionality streamlined by obviating the former necessity to click a [find] button; now searches begin immediately on selection of the list item itself.
BUG FIX: Several problems in connection with TimeLine's pre-"date warranty" point of 4713 BC have been successfully addressed. Precession etc will now apply smoothly at all seasons of the year all the way back to 20,000 BC and beyond (pre-4713 dates remain at user's risk).
SPECIAL BONUS: free downloadable 10,000-star Hipparcos catalog extension.
REGISTRATION BONUS: free 50,000-star SAO catalogue extension.
REGISTRATION BONUS: Lucky Dip - Mystery Software Gift free with every order.


4.8 Special Feature Update with Document, Product, and Admin Changes (5 Feb 2000)
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BONUS FEATURE: Stella 2000 now includes the Astrogloss A-Z HTML dictionary of 1000 astronomical terms *unabridged* as a standard feature.*
BONUS FEATURES: Stella 2000 Extended, in addition to Astrogloss A-Z Complete, now includes those two Astronomy Classics * Visual Planets * and the * New Windows Dictionary of Astronomy *, plus 110 extra star-names, as standard components @
SPECIAL FEATURE: Coeli Time Line (alias "Stella BC"): interactive adjustment and observation of the sky through past and future Millennia. With Time Line's slider bar, watch the dramatic effect of precession on the local sky 'live', from before the building of the Pyramids to mankind's unseen distant future. For archaeo-astronomers, the years -4712 to 6000 are guaranteed; back to 25000 BC is a feasibility at user's risk! If you don't know when Vega (or Deneb) was the Pole Star, then this Stella version's for you.
FEATURE: New right-click context menu for Special Reference window, including such items as a Toolbar toggle and Print command(s).
TUTORIAL: A detailed description of Stella 2000 and the use of basic functions has been made available in the form of an html tutorial Overview from the Help menu.
ENHANCEMENT: "Live" sky update while using the Traverse / Elevation Tool to re-center Stella's projection.
ENHANCEMENT: Print facility for Special Reference section. Now you can print out Stella's Tutorial, Guide, and other documents for handy reference.
ENHANCEMENT: Zenith / Nadir / N and S Celestial Poles can now be displayed independently of their respective grids.
ENHANCEMENT: Word-wrap on/off toggle for Report Window.
ENHANCEMENT: Extra advice and hints added to entries in Tip of the Day box.
ENHANCEMENT: More tooltips throughout the program to help clarify selection options.
ENHANCEMENT: A substantial economising on system resource requirements has been achieved. Stella will now load more efficiently and demand less memory. For over-stuffed systems and/or modest machines, the option now exists to load fewer stars on start-up, slimming Stella down yet further should the necessity arise. ( ZDNet please note! )
COSMETIC FIX: Toolbars and other interface elements now strictly follow Win9x conventions and use as their background the "3D Objects" color as selected by the user via the Control Panel's Display facility. (ZDNet please note!)


4.7 Major Feature, Enhancement and Bug-Fix Update (Oct 99)
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MAJOR FEATURE: Through a brand new context menu, you can now add your own permanent observations and remarks to data displayed in Stella's report window. Invaluable to seasoned observers who would like to append their own comments relating to multiple and variable star observations etc, or to those wishing to transfer book knowledge into Stella's database, this feature can potentially grow into a unique repository of information for personal reference years into the future.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Copious commentary of value to novices and seasoned observers alike relating to the many alternative common names of HR catalogued stars, their variability, spectroscopy, and multiplicity, all accessible as options from the Report window. This amounts to almost half a megabyte of new data!
ENHANCEMENT: 110 new star-names available from the Data|Extensions Menu (downloadable bonus for questionnaire)
ENHANCEMENT: Greatly enhanced functionality for Report window, including optional scrollbar toggle, speed-optimizations, and improved cursor-placement logic with options.
ENHANCEMENT: Stella now restores the 'top strip' size and position (for side- and top- situated taskbars)
ENHANCEMENT: Greatly improved interoperability between the Sky display and Astrogloss A-Z html dictionary: clicking on an object in the sky now has a much greater probability of scoring a relevant 'hit' among the dictionary definitions.
CONVENIENCE: Astrogloss menu entry now opens Astrogloss A-Z at the Index page if Astrogloss is present on disk (previously opened at letter 'A')
BUG FIX: Sky window no longer goes walkabout when maximized or full screen was last session's setting.

4.5 Special Feature Update (Aug/Sep 99)
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SPECIAL FEATURE: Encyclopedic 'Aspects of Astronomy' reader, a major new book-length reference work - with chapters covering topics such as 'What are the Stars?', 'Choosing a telescope', 'What's new on the Moon?', 'Cosmology','Dark Matter', 'Eclipses', 'The History of Astronomy' and dozens of others, amounting to the first complete tutorial in astronomy ever included in a software title of this nature.
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive status bar for sky window, showing LCT, GMT, LST, Gregorian date, Julian date, and Altaz of projection's center, updated in real-time and now permitting full use of Stella's unique array of single-key shortcuts - previously inhibited by the clock toolbar.
MAJOR FEATURE: Tip of the Day window with file of over 60 key hints and tips for getting the very best out of the program.
FEATURE: 'Save sky' option: save .bmp graphic of Stella's sky display
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Full legends for Horizon and Equatorial coordinate grids
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Option to start program in full-screen mode
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Greater font control and setup options - any font for labels
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: The complete Astrogloss A-Z dictionary now included as standard in Extended Edition.
ENHANCEMENT: Improved labelling clarity (esp.Bayer letters)
ENHANCEMENT: Crosses and legends to indicate Zenith / Nadir // N and S Celestial Poles
ENHANCEMENT: Borderless option for Report window
ENHANCEMENT: Nutation effect incorporated into Precession

4.0 Major Feature Update (Easter 99)
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MAJOR FEATURE: Coeli Solar Guide. HTML hypertext tour of our Solar System, interactively linked to Stella's Sky and Picture windows. Now just a click on a planet will get you all the information you need for a deeper perspective on our immediate neighbourhood in space. (12.2.99)
MAJOR FEATURE: Coeli Astrogloss - HTML dictionary of 1000 astronomical terms (integral access from brand new Reference menu)
ENHANCEMENT: Documentation begins full transition to HTML (the network of help hyperlinks is now set to spread further with each new Stella revision) (1.99)
BUG FIX: Various problems relating to Daylight Savings adjustments have been successfully addressed (20.2.99)

3.6 Bug-fix and enhancement Update (December 98)
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ENHANCEMENT: Automatic center during searches (option)
*ENHANCEMENT: New file of periodic comets
*MAJOR FEATURE: Extensive file of recent comets now included as standard
*BUG FIX: Report Window no longer appears indiscriminately on startup (Registered version)

3.5 (October 98)
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SUMMARY: Preview of several version 4.0 enhancements. Shareware distribution only.
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Every conceivable display parameter can now be saved across sessions for automatic retrieval, including zoom, centering, and resolution info. (26.9.98)
MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Select from a dropdown list of over 1300 preset locations from which to view the sky. (4.10.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Handy popup mode for Report window. (27.9.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Distance in miles for solar-system objects can now be included on reports.
ENHANCEMENT: Transit/culmination data for DSOs.
ENHANCEMENT: Non-integer time zones - for our Antipodean and Far Eastern friends. (5.10.98)

3.0 Major feature update (release - Aug 98)
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MAJOR ENHANCEMENT: Higher accuracy & reliability routines implemented for all co-ordinate conversions and most effects (eg. Equatorial --> Horizon coords. + precession) (24.6.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Automatic storage and retrieval of every type of in-program preference setting (22.6.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Time bar now displays full English dates in the form '7 Aug 1998' (23.6.98)
@MAJOR FEATURE: Sky Quiz (tm) -- the luxury of a seamlessly integrated quiz to consolidate your familiarity with the stars. (7.7.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive online facilities, options, and privileges with the Special Menu (support, feedback, access to WWW, FREE gifts, questionnaire etc) (2.6.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Comprehensive General Setup facility (w/ mail, fonts, observer info, # of stars etc) (30.5.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Toolbar for view functions, w/ floating/docking capability (17.5.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Picture window for full-size JPEG graphics, with auto feature (24.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: New report fields added for planets - angular size, distance in km (27.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Color/mono toggle for star display (monochrome=any color for stars) (20.6.98)

2.2 Preview release (many of v3.0 features implemented)
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2.1 Bug fix & Enhancement update
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ENHANCEMENT: Flash-screen while loading catalogs on startup (7.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Special antipodean order service via Shareware Australia (9.5.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Single-click shortcut to return from constellation spotlight mode (16.5.98)
BUG FIX: *[S] keypress function now linked to Dynamic Sky menu entry (8.5.98)
BUG FIX: Find star by name - inhibited by v2.0 catalog update - now fully functional (7.5.98)

2.0 Major feature update
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MAJOR FEATURE: New & expanded star database (16000 HR/Hipparcos stars w/ commentary, spectra, variability, multplicity etc) (29.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Find star by designation (Bayer,Flamsteed,SAO,Var etc) (23.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: Observing List (* w/hardcopy) (27.3.98)
MAJOR FEATURE: *Data extensions (w/capacity for up to 300,000 SAO stars, 120,000 Hipparcos stars, or an amalgam of both catalogs) (7.4.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Permanent ring around selected object while Search box is onscreen (23.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: U.S. toll free telephone orders (24.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Improved variable star readouts (25.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: animations can now progress by solar days (30.3.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Improved daylight-savings logic (10.4.98)
ENHANCEMENT: more versatile report tailoring (12.4.98)
ENHANCEMENT: added fields for reports (spectra, parallax, proper motion, distance in parsecs etc) (14.4.98)
ENHANCEMENT: automatic suspension of real-time updates at high magnification. (18.4.98)

1.2 Minor feature update
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ENHANCEMENT: Sun and Moon included in Find facility (9.1.98)
ENHANCEMENT: Report window's contents now locked to search result (9.1.98)
ENHANCEMENT: 'Center on star' replaced by more versatile 'Center on object' (9.1.98)
BUG FIX: Autoresolve unzoom bug fixed (13.1.98)
Small price change necessitated on credit card orders (9.3.98)
Documentation revisions (10.3.98)

1.1 Minor feature update
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MINOR FEATURE: Brighten Sky [k]
MINOR FEATURE: Darken Sky [K]
MAJOR FEATURE: *Dynamic Sky
*Save/restore window preferences
ENHANCEMENT: Shareware version now loads entire first-level star database
ENHANCEMENT: Observation log entry linked to object selected in sky window
Documentation revisions (6.1.98)

1.0 Initial Release (Dec 97)
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* = in registered version
@ = Stella 2000 Extended Edition