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ScopeDriver 2.3.1 Released 06 June 2005

• Observing Lists:
  
  
  • Timed Slewing Automates Image Capture or Observing Patrols
    
    Timed Slewing allows you to use ScopeDriver in an automated or semi-automated setting, without having to program an interface between ScopeDriver and your imaging hardware.
    
    When connected to a telescope (or in test mode), and the frontmost observing list has a single object selected, “Timed Slewing...” becomes available from the “Time” contextual menu. (The contextual menu may be accessed by clicking on the clock icon to the left of the Observing List’s “Save” button.) This function allows ScopeDriver to be used in an automated setting, with a user-selectable number of seconds between slews.
    
    
  • Multifunction UTC Display in all List Windows
    
    A UTC display has been added to the lower-left corner of Observing List Windows. Display updates every minute, and you may also click the display to immediately update the time and display a contextual menu. Contextual menu allows you to change the display color and copy UTC in various formats.
    
    
• Time Calculation and Handling:
  
  
  • Test Mode now reports local time, sidereal time, and UTC -- calculated based on the last time and location data gathered from a telescope. In test mode, times are calculated using saved telescope offsets, or by values entered in the Date and Time Window and the Site Information Window during test mode.
    
    
  • Log Window: Click on any time or position label (or right-click on a time or position field) to summon a contextual menu, which may be used to populate the time and/or telescope position fields.
    
    
  • Sidereal time is now reported even if your telescope model does not support it.
    
    
  • Redesigned UTC handling throughout the program, increasing speed, and improving UTC precision when no telescope is connected.
    
    
    
• Preferences Window:
  
  
  • Added preference to suppress showing of Slew Progress window.
    
    
    
• Refinements and Bug Fixes:
  
  
  • “Hard-wired” downloadable elements URLs updated. These URLs are used to download orbital elements when a connection to ScopeDriver’s URL server fails. Otherwise, the latest URLs to download orbital data are obtained from the URL server when you initiate a check for downloadable elements.
    
    
  • Remote Connect Window no longer appears for a moment after the connection is established.
    
    
  • Fixed situation where Slew Progress Window would sometimes appear when in Observing List Full Screen mode.
    
    
  • Fixed spurious beep that would occur when opening the observing log, if no entries had ever been saved.
    
    
  • Shortened Internet Update timeout period, and made timeout error message more descriptive.
    
    
  • Redesigned Communications Window so that it may be made much smaller.
    
    
  • Communications Window now logs some commands in Test Mode.
    
    
  • Internet Update Feature no longer forces the update window to show when the [option/alt] key is down during automatic update checking at launch.
    
    
  • Windows: fixed problem where Main Window time updates could stop responding on very slow machines.
    
    
    

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