Beta Testers needed

[kaband]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for some folks to beta test a new poker software I've been working on. It's a lot like Poker Spy in that it gives real time statistics on your play and as well as whats available regarding info on other players. All of this info is gathered from the hand history which many poker rooms save to your local machine as you are playing. Its not fetching information secretly. Just putting it in a chart thats easy to read.

It currently only supports Party Poker Ring games. So, really only PP players can test right now, but other poker rooms, tournies, sng's are coming soon.

You can get more info at Parareal.com (http://www.parareal.com) if you are interested in testing it. There is, of course, no cost to test it.

BTW - The sklansky and Malmuth books are just great imho. 2 + 2 books are a must have for anyone really wanting to learn how to play, well. Just a small side note ;-)

Thanks,
Justin

[ZBTHorton]

What sets your software apart from the other programs out there?

[kaband]

Good question. Right now, not a ton. A few things that seperate it from some of the other real time statistics software out there.

Currently it keeps up to 500 hands for review. Poker Spy only shows the last 17.

It is written in an Open Source code, so it will be easy to make available for other OS's like macintosh and linux.

Right now its in beta, so the software is completely free to use during this time. As a direct result, you can have input on shaping the package to make it better than it is by using it and letting me know what works and what doesn't.

When its complete it will have at least as many features as the other software like it out there and be less than half the price. (Right now Software like poker spy costs $50).

Well, thats a few things. As the software grows, the list will as well.

[Hood]

If you plan to release the code open source, I think you will have trouble getting many to pay for it at all.

[kaband]

Yes, you are right. The actual code used to make the software is open source, however, all of the code I have written is encrypted and cannot be decrypted. So, it is protected.

[kaband]

Beta 0.36 has just been released. Looking for some more folks to test out the software. You may end up getting a free copy for testing, so it might be worth your while.

Here's whats new in the next edition:

Changes in 0.36

- Added Support for Sit n' Go games
- Converted Menu to Qview
- Added Button menu items to top of QStats Window
- Renamed Update Stats to Force Update

Tournaments are up next. If you have a favorite poker room that keeps hand histories. Get me a copy and I can begin to add support for that room/site. You can find me at: www.parareal.com (http://www.parareal.com)

Thanks again,
Justin

[kaband]

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know the next version has been released. I still need more folks to test and testing is free. If you are interested in testing head to www.parareal.com (http://www.parareal.com) and read my initial post above, please.

Thanks!
Justin

Here are the latest changes from the past two versions.

Changes in 0.37

- Added Support for Poker Stars Ring games
- Expanded Set up menu, so user can now pick which Poker Room he is at.
- Got rid of Tight, Loose, Semi-Loose section. User will get to see the percentage of hands played by that player instead. Much better.
- Preflop Raise percentage determined by all hands played at that table. Not just the previous ten.
- Re-did First Time help window.

Known issues:

- Need ability to change path of poker room handhistory directory. Can be done manually within .ini files currently.
- Help file needs updated.
- I'm sure there are more.

Changes in 0.36

- Added Support for Sit n' Go games
- Converted Menu to Qview
- Added Button menu items to top of QStats Window
- Renamed Update Stats to Force Update

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, you are right. The actual code used to make the software is open source, however, all of the code I have written is encrypted and cannot be decrypted. So, it is protected.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can do this, you'd make more money working for the NSA than designing poker stats programs. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[mmbt0ne]

No offense, but all 5 of your posts have been in this thread, and without open-sourced code, there is no way for most people to know if you have some sort of keylogger installed to send you their passwords, or some other type of trojan.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
No offense, but all 5 of your posts have been in this thread, and without open-sourced code, there is no way for most people to know if you have some sort of keylogger installed to send you their passwords, or some other type of trojan.

[/ QUOTE ]

... and with an open source code, if you're distributing an exe, there's no way for us to know if that's really the same program. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[kaband]

Well, I can assure that there is no such thing going on here, but I doubt that it will relieve any kind of concerns you have. Do you guys ever use Poker Spy, Texas Calculatem, Poker Pal, or Poker Tracker?

The actual source is not available for viewing. Do you trust the makers of this software and if so, why? Im honestly asking cause it will help me out when these concerns arise.

If you are running windows XP with the built in firewall turned on, it will warn you before any information is sent from a new program or unauthorized program. Poker Qwik Stats has no reason to go online and will never attempt to do so. That being the case, none of your information is being sent anywhere. The program simply uses the existing hand histories which reside locally on your hard drive and puts the information into a useful format.

I'll do some research and figure out how I can alleviate any more security concerns associated with my software.

Thanks for the feedback,
Justin

[patoot]

Instead of asking people to pay for it, you might consider offering it free and ask people to donate to your paypal account if they like it. Its a great way to market your product and you'll be able to retain "ownership" more easily since people will be more apt to offer suggestions and tips rather than hijacking it and making it their own.

Just a thought.

[loic]

It would be great to see a Free Software tool like the one you propose. It would truly make a difference with the other software out there. Although you claim that your software is "Open Source" it currently fails to meet any requirement listed on the Open Source Initiative definition (as found at http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php). In particular you do not allow people to modify your software, which would allow it to benefit from the work of others.

All it takes for your software to become Free Software (which is the real name for Open Source), is to license it under a Free Software license. I suggest you release it under the GNU GPL as it will guarantee you that noone can turn it into a proprietary software that would compete with your product.

Publishing under a Free Software license does *not* mean you give up all your rights. You will retain full copyright on the software. This is a frequent misconception about Free Software : this is absolutely not the same as being in the public domain.

[AnilK]

You should check out the latest version of Poker-Spy. The latest version has Player Reports on all your opponents allowing you to see all their "known hands" including the ability to review how each of the hands unfolded.

[kaband]

Very nice suggestion. I will take a look. Currently, I am working fixing some bugs and adding a player notes feature which identifies weak moves made by other players and notates it for you.

[kaband]

I think I mis-represented myself. The language I used to write it is a open source language but, I never intended PQS to be open source.

However, I am not necessarily opposed to it and am seriously considering it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[BradleyT]

You're throwing around so many buzzwords without knowing what they mean that I'd be suprised if anyone uses your software.

[kaband]

I certainly understand the vocabulary I am using. My statement may have, however, been unclear. As far as buzzwords are concerned . . . Whether or not you consider open source to be a buzzword is your opinion and certainly not mine. Open source hit the mainstream some time ago now and I wouldnt consider it a buzzword.

It doesnt matter, anyway. It does not apply here at this time and is as far as off-topic as I would care to get.

It's a poker tool and its free to test if anyone would like to do so. Thats it. No more to elaborate on except what features it currently has and what features are being added. Interested parties can check it out at: www.parareal.com (http://www.parareal.com)

Thanks for the unconstructive criticism, BradleyT, but its posts like yours which continue to muddy up the initial intent of the post.