@RameyHarrell NO - if you are using Scoutbook you will not need IA2
Ramey - it is sort of like using a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. If you use scoutbook for unit management please continue. If you wish to abandon that the IA2 is the new sheriff in town.
Think of IA2 as a subset of Scoutbook but with a new look. IA2 is only for final completions, the same as IA1. Scoutbook tracks the full award from start through completion.
Eventually the user interface for Scoutbook will be updated to be more like that of IA2.
I like the look of IA2 and look forward to seeing a similar GUI in ScoutBook.
If IA2 is the eventual future should it be listed under âLegacyâ web tools? It doesnât sound like it is legacy.
Matt
Itâs only under legacy because thatâs where users are used to finding internet advancement.
scout book say do not use internet advanement 2.0 with scoutbook is not compatiable.
Scoutbook and Internet Advancement 2.0 both use the same database. The reason you shouldnât use both is because there may be some unintended consequences (for example: recording advancements in IA 2.0 will mark them as Awarded in Scoutbook).
Maybe legacy web tools should be renamed if when a legacy web tool is updated, it will stay in the same spot. Just a thought.
I think perhaps the best name for all of the scoutnet items should be âReally outdated items that we canât get rid of because way to many folks would cry themselves to deathâ OK⊠That is a bit to longâŠso legacy it is. But in a very realistic view those who have used web tools for scouting are most often used to accessing them from myscouting which predates my.scouting.org. At some point in time things need to move forward.
The thing is that some units have NOT moved to Scoutbook. My unit has no immediate plans to move to Scoutbook as we believe that the features of Troopmaster are better.
BSA has long had the intention of moving all advancement to Scoutbook. IA2 represents the shift while providing a mechanism for other software to push in completed advancement.
I am glad this has been done as I really didnât like the shared password of IA1. As a software developer I think that the BSA is moving in the right general direction. There are certainly things I think could be better, but the same could be said of the product I happen to work on.
You could use Scoutbook the same way you use IA2. Limited fashion and used only for the complete badge vs. the incremental requirements.So, the could have achieved the same thing and only have one platform.
Since I have been irritated by the dilution of limited resources, I have thought too much about this. The thinking has lead me to read between the lines. Maybe correctly, maybe not. They have said that IA2 represents a new platform and methodology then the old one that is currently used in Scoutbook. The fact that there is duplication with Scoutbook and IA2 may allow them to stress test and build the platform without switching everyone over to the new platform all at once. There is nothing like real users to learn the weaknesses.
So, maybe the duplication is on purpose. In any event, this may be my last rant about IA2. Thanks for bearing with me.
See my comments above in Why Internet Advancement 2.0? - #8 by edavignon which describe some of the reasoning behind the separate platforms. IA2 is the start of the migration of Scoutbook to modern technology.
I was on vacation so late to this discussion, but it sounds like Edâs saying that Scoutbook will eventually become the Legacy tool and IA2 will eventually replace it. I can live with that, so long as management uses the capabilities of the IA2 technologies, the ability to hired skilled programmers and good development practices to build the new functionality out rapidly to achieve its ultimate goal of Scouting Advancement and troop management dominance. (that last part is tongue-in-cheek). But seriously, please donât make us wait too long to get off Scoutbook.
As a side-note, as an Oracle and Apex (aka Oracle Application Express) developer for the past 18 years, I slightly resent the comment that itâs no longer supportable. Apex itself is a full-stack tool that Iâve used to develop powerful web apps. But I recognize itâs not the âhot new thingâ.
Stewart - not exactly as you stated. Scoutbook is not going away but rather moving off of its current platform of classic ASP. As far as scoutnet is concerned it is a non-supported platform and hardware.
I assume if you donât update supported platforms version or hardware, it becomes unsupported. It could be âunsupportedâ due to version and upkeep neglect.
Matthew- in a corporate or enterprise environment hardware and operating systems reach end of life and as such support for said systems is no longer part of a support agreement but now become a per diem charge.
Better yet is to realize that scoutnet is 20 years old. And not only that you have components of said hardware that can no longer be replaced. I as a matter of fact am involved in upgrading internal and external switches and servers that at three years or more are end of life.
Oh, I agree. I was responding to Stewart who was taking âoffenseâ that Oracle and the other being called âunsupportedâ. If you âride the waveâ of upgrades and upgrade every 3-5 years, and keep your hardware and software versions current, you keep it going. If you âset it and forget itâ for 20 years, the upgrade, while technical possible becomes unfeasible and doesnât get you the results you want. The effort is huge and the end result just isnât good.
Working in a 114 year old papermill, I have experienced both the âride the waveâ upgrade of systems and the âset it and forget it for 30+ yearâ upgrade. Both are painful.
Matt - my apologies. But yes it is easy to say that this is simple, or why change things but as both of us realize sometimes it is not the best decision. I have been caught in that a few times. My best example is my Compaq server that had a controller failure and the on site HP engineer just gave me a look.
Matt,
I missed your reply while I was on vacation.
I got huffy about Stephenâs comment about Scoutnet on Oracle . Having re-read the original post, I realize he was simply saying that no one had been enhancing that product, so it went stale and isnât supported. Not that the Oracle platform itself is unsupportable
My comment was ill-considered and unnecessary. I apologize for it.
â Stew