CompuServe Thread

Dear Stuart: I haven't used ACT 2.0, but did use ACT 1.0 for Windows for a while. I found ACT pretty good, but somewhat inflexible. I find DeskTop generally better in most areas. I have had problems with bugs though in version 4.1a, but I understand 4.1b is coming out, and I would expect this to have fixed the glitches. On the whole, a very worthwhile switch, and one that I'm sure you will not regret. Bernie.

Stuart, I've been using ACT! for several months now (after trying ECCO, Ascend, etc.). I bought Okna's DTS a few months ago and I've been studying it a thinking about switching. Last week I did finally switched to DTS. Here are some stray thoughts… — All in all, I like DTS. It's an enigmatic mixed bag. It has its annoying/surprising omissions and its odd quirks, but one thing is obvious when I'm using it: DTS was designed and written by someone that REALLY, REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT REAL LIVE HUMAN USERS NEED. Okna has addressed real usability, not feature sheet checklists (although their product looks great even on a feature list). (Contrast Okna against ACT! which, for example, can't even compare my area code with my caller's and automatically strip the area code when it's not needed — offices move and computers travel) — I really miss ACT!'s History List. It could record all field changes to contact records, events, etc. As far as I can tell DTS does not have such a thing. There are lists of calls and notes, but nothing as straightforward and automatic as ACT!'s history. — I wish the TODO items would associate themselves with their associated calendar day, and stay there even when they're completed. DTS's TO DO "paradigm" <buzz word alert> seems to be more like "a list of all the stuff that I need to do, and when I need it done" rather that a list of "things to do today / things done last Thursday." I'm betting that Okna's approach has advantages, and — Okna desperately needs a "Zen of DTS" manual. A "How To Do It" book. Hang in there. It is taking me time to figure out DTS's style for doing what I need. Several things that seemed ridiculously clumsy or impossible have started to settle down as I figure out the proper DTS mind set. I wish their docs did a better job of walking us though sample business weeks and telling us, "When you want to use DTS to help you with blah blah, try doing such and such. And here's why that makes sense in the grand DTS scheme of things…" — DTS's address book import was a pain. I love the fact that DTS has a large multi-line note field for every contact (unlike ACT!'s limited-length USER fields). But I had to export ACT! to a TXT file and then massage the file to merge my separate ACT! USER notes into one DTS note field. It was worth the trouble, but I'd urge OKNA to make ACT! imports fast for our instant gratification. — This is an excellent product. I love using it. I'm a professional programmer and I'm constantly admiring the technical effort and dedication it took to make this program (DTS) happen. I've decided to live with DTS's shortcomings and quirks because I'm betting that Okna will address them all on future releases — and with the same artful style. Well, back to my own little programming job. I hope this helps. –Scott