Fear of S4...is it safe to come out yet?

[bobschm]

Been a very busy year and I knew there would be no time to learn new software. Looks like I'll be running last year's show with just a few minor changes.

 

Question: Can I load S4 and just run my S3 sequences with no diddling? I plan to make tweeks to some sequences on my program computer in S3. But I already downloaded S4 demo onto my show laptop. Have I screwed myself?  Can I send my laptop back in time to S3? Or do I have to pony up for the correct level license to run S4?

 

Rollie and Dan need to know!

[Jim Hans]

You can run S3 sequences using S4 with nothing to do on your part. You need to check the LOR website to see if you need to upgrade your license. You can always uninstall S4 and re-install an earlier version. Just make sure you haven't used any S4 new features in your sequences.

[ItsMeBobO]

Dan:  Lets upgrade to S4

Rollie:  No. If we do it and we have problems I can say I told you so!

Dan:  if dont do it and we have problems it will be I who say I told you so.

Rollie:  The show is the same,  we dont have time for Diddling. 

Dan:   What about the new features and improvements?

Rollie:  We dont need those.

Dan:  Yes we do need them.  S4 plays S3 with no conversions or anything.

Rollie:  I guess I am going to have to trust you Dan.

Dan:  Yeah! I win.    S4 it is ! 

[ItsMeBobO]

 Just make sure you haven't used any S4 new features in your sequences.

This is incorrect and one of the reasons people get confused.  There are no differences to the .lms files between S3 & S4 they can read each others.  They are both saveFileVersion="14" 

The TOOLS of SE versions may be slightly changed but the storage is the same. 

Edited October 25, 2015 by ItsMeBobO

[Alan C]

I believe that you will not be able to run your show in S4 without the licence. In the "demo" mode, you can do most things, except control lights. You will wither have to upgrade your licence, or uninstall S4 and reload a version of S3 that you are licensed for. If you don't have the version of S3 you need, they are available for download on LOR's website.

 

Regards,

 

Alan.

[Don]

A few things.

 

An UPGRADE is when you want to go from "Basic" to "Basic Plus" or "Advanced" to "Pro".

A RENEWAL is when you want to stay at the same license level (Ex. "Advanced") but want to run the latest version (ex. 4.1.2) and your license wouldn't cover it.

 

In your specific case, you could uninstall S4 from your show laptop, and put S3 back on there with no issues. 

[bob]

This is incorrect and one of the reasons people get confused.  There are no differences to the .lms files between S3 & S4 they can read each others.  They are both saveFileVersion="14" 

The TOOLS of SE versions may be slightly changed but the storage is the same. 

 

This might be true in a strict sense, but in practice it's not the whole story.  The lms file may be the same, but In S4, there is potentially information about a sequence that is stored outside of the lms file.  S3 won't know about that information.

 

Specifically, if you use "intensity data" in your S4 sequence, S3 won't know about it.  Intensity data is what's created by the Pixel Editor, and potentially SuperStar too (the Pixel Editor always outputs intensity data, while SuperStar can be configured to output intensity data).

 

Also, with that aside, a minor pedantic note just to be safe in the future: The "saveFileVersion" is not something that's on the level of "S3" or "S4" as a whole.  For example, while LOR version 3.12.2 uses saveFileVersion 14, LOR version 3.0.0 uses saveFileVersion 11.  Both 3.0.0 and 3.12.2 are "S3".  Similarly, the current S4 uses saveFileVersion 14, but some S4 that we release later might use saveFileVersion 15.  So it's not really safe to say "S4 and S3 both use saveFileVersion 14, so S3 will understand S4 save files."  It depends what x.y.z version of software they're using, not what "Sx" version they're using.

[ItsMeBobO]

The OP was asking about  S4 on show computer and S3 on sequencing computer.  No mention was made of PE or changing license levels so I think OP has several good options with no reason for concern. 

 

 

In agreement with all you on these points.   Understood the .lms fileSaveVersion has its own numbering aside from release numbering.    My point is that LOR software is 'generally forgiving' of going back to an earlier version. (thanks to you).  The earlier released versions are readily available and (at this time) the method of storage is the same for the base file.   The external files must be handled by versions supporting those features.  The name  S4 to me is not strictly referring to the new external tool PE or changes in SS.  Changes to the SE tool set are included and are S4 features arent they?,  but they dont impact lms file compatibility with earlier versions.  

[bob]

The name  S4 to me is not strictly referring to the new external tool PE or changes in SS.  Changes to the SE tool set are included and are S4 features arent they?

 

Sure, "S4" does not specifically mean "the S4 Sequence Editor", but that's the whole point, isn't it? There are tools you can use in S4 that will make the resulting sequence act very differently when used in S3 than when used in S4.  That the sequence file itself, i.e. the actual lms file, is layed out the same in (newer versions of) S3 and (the current version of) S4 really just seems to me like a technical point which is true, strictly speaking, but potentially misleading in practice: While factual, it does not contradict the original warning from Jim Hans that you were replying to.

[Jim Hans]

Sure, "S4" does not specifically mean "the S4 Sequence Editor", but that's the whole point, isn't it? There are tools you can use in S4 that will make the resulting sequence act very differently when used in S3 than when used in S4.  That the sequence file itself, i.e. the actual lms file, is layed out the same in (newer versions of) S3 and (the current version of) S4 really just seems to me like a technical point which is true, strictly speaking, but potentially misleading in practice: While factual, it does not contradict the original warning from Jim Hans that you were replying to.

Thank you, and that was my point.

[gmac]

Been a very busy year and I knew there would be no time to learn new software. Looks like I'll be running last year's show with just a few minor changes.

 

Question: Can I load S4 and just run my S3 sequences with no diddling? I plan to make tweeks to some sequences on my program computer in S3. But I already downloaded S4 demo onto my show laptop. Have I screwed myself?  Can I send my laptop back in time to S3? Or do I have to pony up for the correct level license to run S4?

 

Rollie and Dan need to know!

Bob:   Don't pretend to know anything  more than what those gurus  mentioned in the above posts. BUT, I upgraded to S4.1.2 Pro approx. a month ago and everything seemed OK,,,, Nothing jumped out as as to " ANOTHER LEARNING CURVE" to a below average user like me.

 

Then it happened .........Fortunately I had to run some tests so I  pulled out  a few controllers & lights got hooked up, press play and nothing happened?  I opened numerous trouble tickets and worked with the guys and nothing, so after snooping around on my own the LOR support for 4 days trying all kind of things I finally tried updating my USB485B  driver and that worked Luckily for me 

 

Before the GURUS here start bashing me "I am not saying it was the fault of S4 "  defiantly .....all I know I hadn't had any problems before the upgrade. Guess anything can happen with new software!

 

Guess my point of this post with lights on only a few weeks away I would hold off till the first of the year and stick with S3 unless you really need a feature thats in S4 to run your show

[ItsMeBobO]

Two corrections from staff, one with Italics, and one whoop,  so I guess I should stop factually defending the ease of the upgrade and backout process and go with the thread title.  Its not safe!