Junior Librarian.NET and CC3

Having MAJOR issues getting this thing to behave properly on either CC3 or CC4 networks and wondered if anyone had any experience. After much pratting around and MLS's escalation team remoting in, we managed to get it working fully with exception of the Identikit (fingerprint scanner, USB).
The scanner works (picks up instantly in Junior 3) and drivers are present and I've updated them.
Sometimes it'll pick up when in systemadmin, other times it wont. It wont pick up at all in any normal user account. Idea is, on the "grown ups" section, clicking "identikit" should fire up the lights on the scanner and away you go. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesnt.
MLS's information is basically all about unblocking it's communication port (6002) which is done. It makes no difference whether we log into EMBC or not for the web filtering, and I can pretty much run it completely unrestricted and it sometimes doesnt work :/

Anyone have any clues about this? :| Very close to throwing it out, getting a deserved refund from MLS and going back to JL3. Wouldn't mind but MLS actually phoned during all this asking if they could use this school as a recommendation! (Er, No!)

I have the same problems at a school running Junior Librarian.net and Ranger. Identikit comes and goes without reason so borrow and return doesnt work. MLS tried remote access but couldnt solve the problem although said that they thought IE8 was a possible cause (apparently they have not tested it on IE8!). MLS help desk was closed/ unavailable wednesday & thursday last week and dispite several voicemails being left they have still yet to respond.

School is chasing MLS for a refund but as they are not answering the phone.... they are left with a system that doesnt work. Back to version 3 for them I'm afraid, until MLS can get their act together.

2 schools i support on a plain vanilla networks are having issues one is just slow as f (but their infrasctucture seems to be that problem damn baddly setup sisko crap with no gb ports for server/uplinks give me hp everytime) and the other just keeps saying you need to upgrade your plugin and when you do its the same version. One school is using ie8 the other isnt. JL3 was so much less hastle

Glad I'm not alone there. Thinking that a refund will be the way to go here, I just don't think it's fit for purpose.

I've not actually seen or used Junior Librarian.NET but I am surprised you're all having so many problems. Their Junior Librarian 3 software is first class. Easy to setup and just works. Probably one of the better education software titles I've had to install.

I would of thought Junior Librarian.NET would be the same, but just accessible within a browser? From what you're all describing, it sounds as though partly they may have a hosting issue.

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Originally Posted by Michael

I've not actually seen or used Junior Librarian.NET but I am surprised you're all having so many problems. Their Junior Librarian 3 software is first class. Easy to setup and just works. Probably one of the better education software titles I've had to install.

I would of thought Junior Librarian.NET would be the same, but just accessible within a browser? From what you're all describing, it sounds as though partly they may have a hosting issue.

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na its annoying if you want to use the bar code scanner/fingerprint scanner you need to install a plug-in that wont msi out and the main download then triggers 3 other downloads and a reboot. If you want kids to do reviews etc at home you have to create accounts for them the earlier version had an ad import that im told no longer works so you have to manually create a username for every user. its poorly planned and seems to of been rushed if this was a beta version for testing it wouldn't be bad but i wouldn't recommend anyone changes from jl3 for it

they even told the librarian in the school i was in today they have no system for centrally locating faults and solutions which if true is shocking and even so why on earth would you tell a customer that?

Having to install a plugin manually on each machine would be tedious I agree. I presume you've asked or recommended an MSI is made available? They did create an MSI for the updated Junior 3 client 3.2.2.25 which works just fine, so I see little reason why they cannot do it for the .NET version (for the plugin).

Moot point I'm afraid - it's a local install. Junior 3 (which I agree is a very decent bit of software) works easily as a package (although I'd appreciate any tips on getting it to run at all with CC4) however I tend to keep them as separate installs to ease up on the security settings a tad. That should make it easier for JL.NET, however alas it's not to be. The plugin issue, the performance etc, just feels like they were trying to save time coding on top of templates (ala Silverlight) rather than building an application from scratch. Corners cut, usage compromised.

I have it working on one RM CC3 network I support and I know Micro Librarian provide documentation. If you download the ISO from the Micro Librarian website (requires a login), burn the ISO and standard/CC3 documentation and MSI's are provided on the disc. I can't imagine it should be any different on a CC4 network.

The database would/should still be held centrally on your file server with just the client on workstations pushed out by an RM'ed MSI.

Yeah, but this is junior librarian.net im talking about, which is all hosted by MLS (on a 56k modem, so it feels)

Definitely a glutton for punishment. Turned up at one of my weekly schools today, to find an email printed and stuck to my notice board. An email from MLS "Welcome to Junior Librarian.NET, please find enclosed your login details and instructions". Impulse buy, apparently :(

Amusingly, the machine that runs JL3 is a Pentium 3 800mhz with 256mb ram. I will *not* be installing IE7 on that, let alone Silverlight, the .NET framework stuff etc :D Will commandeer a better machine from the IT suite, kill off CC3 and route it through the admin network to avoid the hassle :)

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Definitely a glutton for punishment. Turned up at one of my weekly schools today, to find an email printed and stuck to my notice board. An email from MLS "Welcome to Junior Librarian.NET, please find enclosed your login details and instructions". Impulse buy, apparently

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I'm surprised you weren't asked about it before they purchased it. Personally I would recommend you tell them of your experiences, otherwise inevitably you will run into the same problems. I was asked about it at one of my sites a long time ago and I did tell them to hold fire because it was still very new.
The overall cost of JL.NET is much more expensive (I suspect due to the hosting costs), so I really don't see the point. Now that I know of your experiences and others, I won't be recommending it in the short term. My work schedule is busy enough as it is!

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Originally Posted by Michael

I'm surprised you weren't asked about it before they purchased it. Personally I would recommend you tell them of your experiences, otherwise inevitably you will run into the same problems. I was asked about it at one of my sites a long time ago and I did tell them to hold fire because it was still very new.

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i often find software just turns up without me knowing anything about it and at times pcs too nobody mentions it and expects you to install 10 pcs in 2.5 hours lol

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i often find software just turns up without me knowing anything about it and at times pcs too nobody mentions it and expects you to install 10 pcs in 2.5 hours lol

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Don't get me wrong, it has happened to me too, but JL.NET is quite an investment.

Yeah, thats exactly what I'd have expected. Impulse buy though from the head, says he won't be doing it again ;)

I have had this purchased, signed for and then dropped on my desk with no warning, not impressed!

Tried it out on our library PC, (an aging P4 with 256Mb ram that has nothing but XP and Junior Librarian 3 on it and handles that just fine.) It was... horrendous. REALLY slow, very unresponsive and just looks too confusing. Even I was searching for appropriate options on the hugely distracting screen full of animations, no idea what the kids and staff will make of it.

My major concern; aside from pupil data being held on a third party server which I have no control over, is that in order to upload said pupil data, I need to do it over plain HTTP. There is nothing more than Name, Class and Year, but heads have rolled for less. This is a SEN school as well; much stricter controls on data due to extra sensitivity. Strangely, they have managed to get the actual library site running fine over HTTPS.

Oh and the other option to send them data... via post on a CD... I'm sure we all remember what happened the last time someone sent unencrypted kids data via Royal Mail.

Haven't contacted MLS yet, but I'm not happy so far. I really hope this isn't going to turn out to be a waste of the school's money.

I'll be expecting answers to my worries!