brian @ flux

Forced Inspiration: On time and On budget

brian — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:00:19 GMT

Summertime is here! Unless, of course, you are one of our south of the equator customers or if you happen to be here in Billings, MT where the sun seems to have forgotten us. Now that winter is behind us, the creative juices can start to flow. Of course, we all have jobs so you need to get inspired, work out the details, and submit a plan by the time your Thursday planning meeting is scheduled. And remember, budget doesn't grow on trees, so keep your Inspiration cheap.

Where in the world are you going to find a new idea? You know, the one that doesn't cost too much? Why don't you try looking at some of the Flux features you aren't using.

Wow, even better, Inspiration that doesn't require a purchase order! With over 40 triggers and actions, Flux just might be able to solve a problem that has been lying there for a while now. If you are like most customers, you are only scratching the surface of what Flux could be doing for you.

If you are under the gun to come of with a flash of brilliance without spending any money. You can also take a quick peek at our Features Chart to see if there is something that you can use.

Updated Flux Manual

brian — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:04:47 GMT

As part of our effort to keep our documentation fresh and up to date, we have revamped our Flux Manual. Incorporating both the old End Users Manual and the Software Developers Manual, the new Flux Manual includes graphics that mirror the current look and feel of the Flux product.

I wonder how this works???

brian — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:24:20 GMT

Human nature is human nature but sometimes, it is important to read the instructions.

It doesn't matter if you have bought a kitchen table or a video game or software, you just want to put it together and make it work. We understand. Really, we do. Often, once you have assembled the table with three less screws than the product's engineers envisioned or you can't seem to figure out how to putt effectively on your new 2008 Golf game, you are forced to dust off the instructions.

You probably didn't even notice that your Flux download came with a Quick Start guide, did you? That's o.k., you are not alone. Here is a place to get to our quick start guides, user documentation, manual, javadocs and API changes.

Remember, just because you needed to sneak a peek at the instructions doesn't mean that you couldn't figure it out. It means you are being productive! Now, if someone could help me connect my DVD player and stop my digital clock from flashing 12:00, I would appreciate the help.

Need help? How about a demo?

brian — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:53:22 GMT

Whether you are brand new to Flux or maybe an old dog wanting to learn a new trick or two, the Flux Support team is ready to show you how it might be done, how to save time and how to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Schedule a demonstration with our support engineers. They can give you an overview of Flux's capabilities, drill down to detail levels or work with your team to figure out the best way to plan your new project. Of course, the more we know about your goals, the better we can help you reach them.

For example, before we tell all of the wonderful things that Flux can do, we would like to know what your current set up is and what you would like Flux to do. This will allow us to focus on what parts of Flux are most likely to benefit you. This will also allow you to zero in on the right questions and we, in turn, can give you better answers.

Our engineers are available for demonstrations from Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 17:30 US Mountain time.

Do you wanna look really good without too much effort?

brian — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:53:42 GMT

We like to make you look good, and to do that the developers at Flux have created just the tool you need: an easily embeddable real-time monitor that you can use to create and access flows through our web-based designer. This allows you and your ops users to scan your business processes without being tied to a particular machine.

For more information, jump over the features page for Flux 7.6 There you can learn more about this improvement and how you might use it in your application. If you prefer, we would very happy if you decide to contact us via web or phone for personalized information.

B

Teaching old dogs new tricks

brian — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:52:33 GMT

It is commonly accepted that technology people are attracted to the new and shiny. Yesterday's sliced bread is today's meatloaf and tomorrow's leftovers.

Do you remember back when you first starting playing with Flux in the early days of your dev cycle? Do you remember the excitement over figuring out new ways of solving old problems? Do you remember how shiny Flux was?

Flux can be that shiny once again!

Flux can to do more, but you have to act.

That's right, you need to upgrade your version! What version are you on? 6.5? 7.0? Ancient history. You need to take a look at the tricks Flux can do now. Embeddable web-designer? Got it. Custom Actions? Pshaw, easy. To see a list of features that your Flux can't do but the latest version can, go to this feature comparison chart. If you want to see if for yourself, download Flux 7.5.1.

Flux or Quartz: That is the question

brian — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:41:21 GMT

Quartz and Flux have some things in common. Both are schedulers, both are in Java, and both can score you a bunch of points in Scrabble. However, you need to make a decision, Flux or Quartz.

If you are a Java developer looking for a job scheduler, pretty quickly you will find Flux and Quartz are possible if not the probable solutions for you. Flux and Quartz do have a certain degree of overlap but Flux is a more sophisticated product with considerably more functionality. Therefore, our President, David, put together a Quartz or Flux? document. Since neither Flux nor Quartz is right for everyone, we hope that this might help you to quantify the differences.

Entering a new development cycle?

brian — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:38:52 GMT

Are you in the early planning stage of a new project? Is Flux going to be a component of your plan? Are you not sure of what the next step should be? Is this the sum total of your plan to date?

That's great! No really, I am serious. Our support team is here to assist you in mapping out an efficient method of incorporating Flux into your plan and the earlier you bring them into the loop, the more helpful they can be. You can access their experience and expertise to shorten your cycle and avoid pitfalls.

If your planning needs are great or you absolutely must get it done on an accelerated timeframe, Flux engineers can be engaged for a fee for either on-site or online consulting. We can save you countless man-hours if you reach out to us early and often.

Support can be reached at support@fluxcorp.com.

Come on, blow your horn.

brian — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:37:23 GMT

I am talking about the "Oh, yeah! Who's your developer now!" kind of cool. I am talking about this guy kind of cool...

I would love to hear back from you, with a snippet of what you have done. If it is something that we think could really help our users and you don't mind, we would love to write a knowledge base article about your coolness. You could choose to be unnamed or named: that would be your call.

B