Our Vision
When we set out to create our free training viewer software, we wanted a platform that was fast, stable, and provided a rich graphical interface to our customers. We believe that an application should work well and be easy on the eyes. The technology we chose was Windows Presentation Foundation, or WPF. For those unfamiliar with WPF, it allows us to create applications that behave more like Flash animations (animated menus, glowing button highlights, interactive interface, etc.), and are built around a powerful and stable core (earlier frameworks have a number of known bugs). Which would you choose – older technology that most people have, but contains known bugs, or newer technology that might take longer to download but would be more stable and perform better?
Required Components
We chose the latest technology and refused to compromise on the quality of our product which means that users of our product must have the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (service pack 1) installed on their system. Currently, this is an optional windows update, but is scheduled to be a required update on Windows XP and Vista users early this year (2009). For more information about getting the framework via windows updates, check out this Microsoft blog posting:
When will the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 be pushed to windows update?
Long Download/Install Time
We’ve designed our installation process to work for everyone, regardless of what software the users may or may not have installed – it will download and install necessary components, including the .NET Framework. This can be helpful, but it can also increase your download time if you don’t have the required components. If the necessary components are already installed on your computer, then the installation of Convergence Training Viewer is typically as short as a few minutes. If you can bear with the long Microsoft download/install, we promise the CTV install will be quick and painless.
Other WPF Applications
Convergence Training is not alone in embracing the new Microsoft technology to build software. Visit the Microsoft Community Showcase to see other applications using this new and innovative technology.
Visit Microsoft’s WPF Showcase
Worth the Wait
We appreciate the patience of our users who have experienced longer installation times and less than elegant installation. We’ve investigated several techniques to shorten download times, such as using older versions of controls, including the components in the download file, and more. All of these approaches have had their own unique drawbacks forcing us to choose the least problematic solution. For those of you wanting to claim your free course, please contact us and we will be happy to send it to your physical address on a CD-ROM. For everyone else, we will gladly send you the necessary Microsoft .NET components on a CD-ROM which will help alleviate long download time.
Given the quality of our training products, we believe that our software and training courses are worth the wait. Once you are finished with the installation process, you will be glad you took the time. If you would prefer to receive the files on a disk, send us an email.
Again, we apologize for any difficulties you may have experienced and appreciate your patience while technology catches up with our innovative approach to training. We are committed to supporting our product and ensuring your ongoing satisfaction by helping you build a successful training program.
