It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geosciences Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geoscience Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Try again, Google Earth? formats gdb, shp or tab? Mapinfo tab might work. Try open with 7zip, fail. Wait.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geoscience Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Try again, Google Earth? formats gdb, shp or tab? Mapinfo tab might work. Try open with 7zip, fail. Wait.

http://www.terraneanalysis.com.au/projects/australia

Did you find this one?:

https://fileinfo.com/extension/gdb

Go down to “file association 2”, if you haven’t been there already.

In answer to the question in the thread title, yes, pretty much.

Somedays, like today, I think that the only difference between success and failure is sheer cussed stubbornness.

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

…

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geoscience Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Try again, Google Earth? formats gdb, shp or tab? Mapinfo tab might work. Try open with 7zip, fail. Wait.

http://www.terraneanalysis.com.au/projects/australia

Google Earth imported but didn’t display.

That’s a wonderful website. More than I had hoped for. Where is “marble” on the heat-pressure chart?

Is there any bigger size for this map than 591*502; For preference of the Vic or NSW part?

mollwollfumble said:

Somedays, like today, I think that the only difference between success and failure is sheer cussed stubbornness.

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

…

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geoscience Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Try again, Google Earth? formats gdb, shp or tab? Mapinfo tab might work. Try open with 7zip, fail. Wait.

http://www.terraneanalysis.com.au/projects/australia

Google Earth imported but didn’t display.

That’s a wonderful website. More than I had hoped for. Where is “marble” on the heat-pressure chart?

Is there any bigger size for this map than 591*502; For preference of the Vic or NSW part?

Looked up GIS programs, MapInfo is $2,000, no, thanks. or “Free trial”.
Downloaded uDig. Doesn’t read any of the three Geoscience Australia file types.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

Somedays, like today, I think that the only difference between success and failure is sheer cussed stubbornness.

roughbarked said:

http://www.terraneanalysis.com.au/projects/australia

Google Earth imported but didn’t display.

That’s a wonderful website. More than I had hoped for. Where is “marble” on the heat-pressure chart?

Is there any bigger size for this map than 591*502; For preference of the Vic or NSW part?

Looked up GIS programs, MapInfo is $2,000, no, thanks. or “Free trial”.
Downloaded uDig. Doesn’t read any of the three Geoscience Australia file types.

• gdb is a proprietary Garmin Database file. It’s difficult to read and write to, even with the correct Garmin software – MapPoint, IIRC.

• gdb files are intended to be uploaded to a Garmin GPS.

underground riches and no taxes to be had, who wouldn’t ask a steep price for all this

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geosciences Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Seems like you need to sort yourself out

dv said:

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geosciences Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Seems like you need to sort yourself out

Well duh. Can I sort the world out while I’m doing it?

I also wish software pricing made sense. A sensible system would be:

• Read, display, convert and print files perfectly – free.
• Access to web archive of files – free.
• Modify existing files – low cost, no more than $50 to $100.
• Full capacity for file generation, processing, calculation, design – full price.

No leasing – you buy it it’s yours for life.
No free trial – the ability to read, display, convert and print files, forever, acts as a substitute for free trial.

mollwollfumble said:

dv said:

mollwollfumble said:

It seems like everything I want to do on computer requires a long chain of events.

Yesterday to play a cassette tape I had to plug it into computer, got a failed to download driver message, put in CD, search through CD no driver, found manual on CD, have to download font program to read manual, font download failed, read manual anyway, opened control panel, the driver had already installed, downloaded from CD a second copy of a program I already have, where’s the “preferences” tab, hidden under the “edit” tab, changed preferences, no option for making one change manual asks for. Hey, then it worked.

Today want a map showing metamorphic rocks in Australia. Log in to Geoscience Australia, search metamorphic, get articles about specific minerals, switch to data, get a page with metadata and an email address. Log in to Geosciences Australia again, find maps section, not minerals but surface geology, find map, in GDB format, search for a program that plays GDB format, web says program fvp, download and install fvp, 14 day trial only, fvp doesn’t read GDB format. Now what?

Seems like you need to sort yourself out

Well duh. Can I sort the world out while I’m doing it?

I also wish software pricing made sense. A sensible system would be:

• Read, display, convert and print files perfectly – free.
• Access to web archive of files – free.
• Modify existing files – low cost, no more than $50 to $100.
• Full capacity for file generation, processing, calculation, design – full price.

No leasing – you buy it it’s yours for life.
No free trial – the ability to read, display, convert and print files, forever, acts as a substitute for free trial.

Plus it used to be (and probably still is I haven’t really checked) that Australians paid significantly more for certain software (separate to our conversion rate to Australian dollars) for no good reason. I am sure I read an article were you could fly to the Unites States buy the software and return to Australia and it was cheaper than buying it here.

Cymek said:

Plus it used to be (and probably still is I haven’t really checked) that Australians paid significantly more for certain software (separate to our conversion rate to Australian dollars) for no good reason. I am sure I read an article were you could fly to the Unites States buy the software and return to Australia and it was cheaper than buying it here.

I recently bought a copy of Office Home & Student 2016 for $44 from an on-line supplier, but it took about an hour with Microsoft phone support to actually install the bugger.

Rule 303 said:

Cymek said:

Plus it used to be (and probably still is I haven’t really checked) that Australians paid significantly more for certain software (separate to our conversion rate to Australian dollars) for no good reason. I am sure I read an article were you could fly to the Unites States buy the software and return to Australia and it was cheaper than buying it here.

I recently bought a copy of Office Home & Student 2016 for $44 from an on-line supplier, but it took about an hour with Microsoft phone support to actually install the bugger.

Do you own it or is it a yearly subscription