SMath version rollback 2

[Sparweb]

The developers of SMath have changed their terms and will be changing their licensing conditions soon. This will make it difficult to use for free unless you remain at version 99.7822. I first heard about the change to the licensing terms last year, and I’ve remained at 99.7822 ever since. Many of you will probably have later versions. Any version with 1.00 will work until they enable the licensing system, and then it will stop.

https://en.smath.com/forum/yaf_post...Terms-and-conditions-made-common-for-all.aspx

Many of you will be in a dilemma, because SMath is owned by a Russian company. Making payments to any business in Russia is a no-go zone for the foreseeable future. If this isn't a problem to you, then for the sake of hard-working software developers everywhere, convert your “free” usage of SMath to a paid subscription, like we do for all other software. I respect what Andrey and his team have built, and I did contribute until world politics went bad.

Rollback option:

It is possible to roll back your version of SMath. I did it on my home computer successfully. The process if fairly obvious: uninstall the later version and install the old one. To do the rollback, make a fresh installation of SMath from an installation file at version 99.7822. If you do not have a copy of this, it can be downloaded from the SMath website. I cannot guarantee how long this will be available. Good luck.

https://smath.com/en-US/view/SMathStudio/download/0.99.7822

Before uninstalling your current version, run your current version and verify which version you have now. If you actually haven't upgraded from v99.7822, then stop now, you're OK. Once you have the old version installed, you will have a new problem at hand: opening files of later versions. This too can be dealt with. Stay tuned.

 

[Sparweb]

The next hurdle is to access your files. If you have used SMath extensively in the past year, then all of those files will be saved in a version later than v99.7822. Smath will probably refuse to open them. This is because all SMath files have XML text-format headers that identify the version.

Fortunately, the differences between recent versions are bug fixes and the licensing module, not wholesale functionality.

I found that we can easily force a roll-back on any SMath *.SM file that’s been saved in a later version. The file headers are readable XML text. Those of you who are ready to roll it back and know what *.SM files you need to fix, can do so with the process below:

Open the *.SM file in Notepad or your favourite text editor.
Replace the version ID’s with the earlier versions.
These are all in the header, and no fields in the body of the file should be changed.

Replace the version with this:

<?application progid="SMath Studio Desktop" version="0.99.7822.147"?>

This allows SMath to open the file.

We aren't out of the woods yet. While you have the *.SM file open, you should also pay attention to the dependencies. These are the little modules that you install to improve the functionality of SMath.
There is one more version ID line within the dependencies. Replace that but leave the "guid=" hash alone.
For now I don't recommend changing the other modules. Besides, I think you can't. The Extension Manager inside SMath doesn't seem to let me roll-back versions of plugins. For now it doesn't seem to matter, but keep this information in the back of your mind, because it might matter in the future.

<dependencies> 
<assembly name="SMath Studio Desktop" version="0.99.7822.147" guid="a37cba83-b69c-4c71-9992-55ff666763bd" /> 
<assembly name="MathRegion" version="1.11.7822.147" guid="02f1ab51-215b-466e-a74d-5d8b1cf85e8d" /> 
<assembly name="PictureRegion" version="1.10.7822.147" guid="06b5df04-393e-4be7-9107-305196fcb861" /> 
<assembly name="TextRegion" version="1.11.7822.147" guid="485d28c5-349a-48b6-93be-12a35a1c1e39" /> 
<assembly name="AreaRegion" version="1.11.7822.147" guid="4974b228-4974-44cf-8274-bf2936b4a766" /> 
</dependencies>

I hope this is helpful. Let me know of any difficulties you have, but I can't promise to know the answer.

 

[Sparweb]

Sorry, this statement was not true:

Fortunately, the differences between recent versions are bug fixes and the licensing module, not wholesale functionality.

Here are some improvements to SMath in the versions since v99.7822 that will probably break if you roll back a later version *.SM file that has these functions/operations in your worksheets:
[ul]
[li]Autodetection of units input implemented in TextRegion.[/li]
[li]Electron-volt (k, M, G, T) unit added;[/li]
[li]Approximately Equal operator implemented (Options dialog extended with an appropriate setting;[/li]
[li]button added to the Boolean toolbox);[/li]
[li]Defined Integral supports units now;[/li]
[li]Approximately not equal operator implemented.[/li]
[/ul]

If the product licensing is successful Andrey, then there's reason to expect SMath to improve drastically over the next couple of years. If that happens, then those of us dinosaurs who have rolled back and stay at v99.7822 will be missing out. At some point, the features we are missing may cause some of us to question how long we will refuse to upgrade.

(Or the war could end...)

 

[dik]

Thanks very much... printed this thread...

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[wth]

Thanks! Another problem I don't think will be fixed on v99.7822 is plugin installation, it just doesn't work anymore. The only solution seems to be if you never upgraded, or if someone were to create a portable version with plugins preinstalled.

You can also copy between versions if everything else fails, but then you'll need a portable version of V1+ to copy from.

 

[Sparweb]

Below is a list of the files in my SMAth plugins backup folder.
Note the file dates of these plugins, and that 99.7822 was released in May 2021 and 1.0+ was released in June 2022.

19/10/2021  07:49 AM           141,094 3DPlotRegion.zip
19/10/2021  07:50 AM           139,974 BeamAnalysis.zip
19/10/2021  07:50 AM            74,540 CustomFunctions.zip
19/10/2021  07:50 AM            10,950 ElectricalEngineeringLibrary (1).zip
18/10/2021  10:55 PM            10,950 ElectricalEngineeringLibrary.zip
19/10/2021  07:51 AM         3,641,180 ExcelFileType.zip
19/10/2021  07:55 AM         1,307,866 ExcelIOCom.zip
19/10/2021  07:55 AM            55,970 FFTPACK.zip
18/10/2021  11:00 PM            10,493 HTMLFileType.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM            79,660 HyperlinkRegion.zip
18/10/2021  11:00 PM             7,620 ImageFileType.zip
15/11/2023  06:22 PM                 0 list.txt
18/10/2021  11:00 PM            56,120 MathcadFileAccess.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM            24,750 MatrixExtensions.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM           212,944 Memo.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM           220,316 MSChart.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM           198,318 NonlinearSolvers.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM           229,668 NPlot.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM            54,946 PlotRegion.zip
19/10/2021  07:50 AM           736,944 SectionProperties.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM            27,304 SMathFileType.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM           367,936 StatisticalTools.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM            21,666 TextRegion.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM            90,292 TextRegionUtilities.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM            43,690 ViewerFileType_mono.zip
18/10/2021  11:02 PM         1,411,602 XlsxImportExport.zip
18/10/2021  11:00 PM         1,614,778 XLSXupdate.zip
18/10/2021  11:03 PM            46,527 XMCDFileType.zip
18/10/2021  11:03 PM           219,430 XYPlotRegion.zip
19/10/2021  07:56 AM           364,330 ZedGraphRegion.zip

I take backward compatibility rather seriously, it seems.