SoftStar Weblog

Important Notes: If you want to see any of my video tutorials displayed at their full size and resolution, please click on the underlined title of the tutorial (above the image box) and not on title in the image box or on the arrow in the center of the image. This will redirect you to YouTube where it will be shown in the highest resolution.

Also, some people have found the narration to be a bit quiet. In my latest tutorial, I used a new headset and it is louder. In any case, make sure that your speaker volume is set at maximum. For those of you with quieter speakers, you can also purchase the excellent sound enhancement utility called SRS Audio Sandbox for the PC, which will enhance all of your computer's sound functions, by clicking here. (Note: I have no financial relationship with them.)

Remember that you can get free astrology software, download free demo versions of professional programs, and read my published reviews and articles to learn more about computer programs for astrology at my web page: Ultimate Guide to Astrology Software.




Monday, August 30, 2010

The Problems with Astrology Programs from India

Having recently received and tested two astrology programs from India, and having looked at many others before this, I decided to write an article on "The Problems with Astrology Programs from India", which you can read by clicking here.



Saturday, August 21, 2010

Paramount Considerations in Chart Interpretation

I just wrote a new article called Paramount Considerations in Chart Interpretation which illustrates how to find the most important and dominant factors in a chart.

There are plenty of examples, using both Western and Vedic astrological approaches. You can read it by clicking here.

I hope it serves you.



Sunday, August 15, 2010

Major astrology software updates coming!

Between now and the first half of 2011, at least six top astrology programs will have major updates.

A couple are due to be released in the very near future, while others won't show up until the end of the year or early next year.

Stay tuned to this column to keep apprised of some very exciting advances in astrology software.

One upgrade in particular, which should be released within a couple of months, is a truly giant release.



Monday, August 09, 2010

The Kid Zone Combo Natal Report

I have rarely encountered delineations in birth chart reports that "open my eyes" and elicit great respect for the author of the delineations.

The Kid Zone Combo Natal Report is an exception. It is the most comprehensive and most insightful natal report I've yet encountered.

You can read my review at this link.



Sunday, August 01, 2010

My Full Mountain Astrologer review of Sirius 1.1

I have just added to my website my full review from The Mountain Astrologer, with images, of Sirius 1.1

You can read it by clicking here.



Saturday, July 24, 2010

How do configurations in the current sky affect me?

Given the major configurations occuring this year in the sky, I decided to write an article on how to ascertain whether or not they would affect each person's chart.

You can read the article by clicking here.




Thursday, July 22, 2010

Super Astrology Report Bundles

For years, astrologers and students of astrology have asked me, via email and telephone, which interpretive reports are the best. Since I represent all of the major (and many minor) astrology software companies, and have carefully evaluated all of their products, I know which reports (and other programs) are good and which are not.

I've decided to create my own Super Astrology Report bundles, containing sets of excellent reports (including a transit report that I wrote myself, which has gotten high praise and is not available anywhere else). You can see a sample of any of the reports by clicking on its name.

To go to the new page, click here.



Monday, July 12, 2010

The new version of Electronic Astrologer Future

I recently discovered that both the Electronic Astrologer Natal and the Electronic Astrologer Future now have the full ACS U.S. and World atlases built in. This is a great boon to those using these fine programs. Both are incredibly inexpensive and top-notch report programs.

To read my (updated) review of Electronic Astrologer Future, click here.



Sunday, July 04, 2010

How to get a free yearly calendar of astrological events

Matrix Software is known to have the best marketing methods for selling their products of any astrology software company. Their latest method is to create a website that provides a free yearly calendar of astrological events as well as additional reports.

You can get your free yearly calendar of events (mundane events, not related to a specific birth chart) by clicking here and going to the bottom section of the screen.

Just remember that if you actually want to purchase any Matrix Software, you should do so through me, as I can guide you towards the programs that are worthwhile. and give you the best pricing.



Monday, June 28, 2010

Adding current planetary positions and more to your website

I just discovered that astro.com has code that you can add to your website to display a table of the current planetary positions and another table showing those born on the current month and day.

Go to the following link to get the codes:

Astrodienst Webmaster Tools



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

My Sirius 1.1. Review in The Mountain Astrologer

I encourage you to pick up the latest issue of The Mountain Astrologer to read my review of Cosmic Pattern's flagship program Sirius 1.1

It will be my last full review in TMA for the time being, as I shift gears to writing shorter astrology software news columns for them.

I hope it proves valuable to you.



Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Why buy Astrology Software through me

Because I am frequently asked about my role in the development of astrology software, and what I offer, I decided to write this short article.

You can read it by clicking here.

I hope it serves you.



Wednesday, June 02, 2010 and Thursday, June 10, 2010

The New Electronic Astrologer Natal Report

Astrocom has revised their Electronic Astrologer Natal Report, which previously wouldn't work with Vista or Windows 7.

You can read about the new version of the program by clicking here.

p.s. I just added a link to a sample report and a chart wheel page.



Friday, May 28, 2010

My new TMA SoftStar News column

As many of you know, I have been writing astrology software reviews for The Mountain Astrologer for many years.

Since the foremost professional astrology programs have gotten very mature (i.e. with hundreds of features, solid accuracy, and fine graphics), the folks at The Mountain Astrologer suggested that there isn't as much need for full software reviews for the time being, and I came up with the idea that I could write a shorter column for each issue about the latest news in astrology software.

My proposal was accepted, and I just submitted my first column.

I invite you to read my upcoming columns in The Mountain Astrologer, the foremost astrology magazine.



Friday, May 21, 2010

The Astrology of Relating

Since an understanding of astrology is essential in efffectively using any astrology software, I have decided to start including my latest tutorials in astrology in this blog.

You can see all of my tools for learning astrology by clicking here, or just read my latest essay, The Astrology of Relating, by clicking here.

Hope these are of value to you.



Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Solar Fire 7.3 update

The Solar Fire 7.3 update has a number of enhancements valuable to Solar Fire users. "Under the hood", i.e. a bit less visible, are its enhanced compatibility with Windows 7 and its more effective importing of settings from previous versions of Solar Fire.

More obvious additions are its Sabian Symbol report, improved interpretations for natal placements and transit and progressed events, and sign and house delineations for Sedna, Eris, Selena and the Black Moon Lilith.

Finally, the update adds traditional hot/cold/wet/dry tallies for temperament (sanguine, choleric, melancholic or phlegmatic) according to William Lilly, see the image below:



While the update is not earth-shaking, it is worthwhile, especially to new buyers of Solar Fire, and for owners of version 7.1, who can download the update for free.

Another change Astrolabe, and I, are offering is the ability to purchase Solar Fire and download it instead of getting it shipped to you. This is much faster, and bypasses international duties and extra shipping costs.



Sunday, May 02, 2010

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Interpretive Software

One of the primary reasons why I encourage astrologers to contact me before purchasing astrology programs is that the quality of interpretive programs varies widely, and many are filled with alarming or inaccurate delineations.

I just revised my article exploring in depth the pitfalls and problems with some interpretive software, which you can read by clicking here.

I hope it is of value to you.



Thursday , April 22, 2010

A Restaurant Metaphor on Astrology Software Companies

Six years ago, I wrote this little article, and I just stumbled across it again and decided to polish it and post it again for those who missed it the first time:

Just like there are 5 star restaurants, there are 5 star astrology software companies that "do everything right".

But like most human endeavors, most restaurants and astrology software companies have their failings as well as their successes.

Some restaurants rush in the preparation of their food, and it comes to the table undercooked or unevenly cooked. (Software released before enough polishing and bug-fixing.)

Others think that as long as the food (software) is good enough, it doesn't matter what service they offer. They don't address problems that arise, may ignore customer suggestions and requests, and some even take offence if feedback is offered.

Still others completely ignore presentation, and offer tasty food (functional software) in a jarring arrangement (poor user interface).

Pricing can also be an issue, with some places offering bargains, and others meals (programs) that are clearly overpriced.

Then there are the supersizers, the places that think that more is better, and deliver very mediocre offerings in huge amounts. (E.g. programs that have lengthy reports of little quality.)

Finally, some restaurants offer menus that stay the same forever, while others keep creating new dishes. (Software companies that don't change their programs vs. others that keep innovating.)

The value of the food at a restaurant, or of an astrology program, depends upon much more than just one of its qualities.

[In reviewing and expanding upon this essay, I came again to realized how well the parallels work. In the 32 years that I've worked with astrology software, I've seen both great strides in qualilty and also all of the above issues.]

p.s. I was tempted to mention the names of companies or products that fall into each of the above categories, but realized that it wouldn't be fair, because each software creator has their own strengths and does the best job they can.


Saturday, April 17, 2010

My new Kepler Astrology Software website

I have created a new website devoted to the astrology program Kepler, with a new write-up exploring even more of its features, plus all of my reviews, tutorials, etc. from this website, in a completely organized format.

To learn about Kepler and visit the new site, click here.



Sunday, April 11, 2010

Free Vedic Charts Online

While there are many websites, even this one, where you can get a free Western astrology chart online, it isn't as easy to get a free Vedic chart.

If you're away from your computer and want to see a Vedic chart, dasa listing, and/or table of planets by sign and nakshatra, you can do so for free by clicking here.

Note: please notice that on the right side of the screen that appears is an atlas link (and after you click on it, another link to find out whether Daylight Savings Time was in effect). Be sure to use these links if you don't know the coordinates or time zone needed.



Friday, March 26, 2010 and Thursday, April 1, 2010

Five Six reasons you really should update your astrology software

I was asked today by a customer to remind my website readers why it is so important to upgrade your astrology software regularly.

Here are five six reasons:

[Note: in my eagerness to respond to my customer's request, I left out the most important reason to upgrade regularly, which is now #6 below]

1. Support the company. Companies rely on update orders, not just sales, to keep on going. If you want your software to continue to be developed and supported, help the companies survive by purchasing updates.

2. Get updates to essential features. If you have an old version of most programs, chances are high that the internal time-change atlas has out-of-date information, meaning that some of the charts you calculate will be miscalculated. Companies often update their atlas when they update their software, and this is an essential component to have as current as possible.

There are also astrologers who want to use the new bodies discovered by astronomers in their charts. Only by updating can these planets and other bodies be calculated.

3. Receive enhanced versions of the features that you love. Each program has features that are really valuable to their owners. With new versions, these features are often enhanced, often in ways that are priceless to astrologers. For example, new versions of some programs can depict applying aspect lines as solid, and separating aspect lines as dotted. This differentiation may be neat for birth chart work, but is essential for chart animation, i.e. where being able to see which transits are applying is crucial to choosing the best times for classes, weddings, etc.

4. Be dazzled by incredible new features. Recently, many programs added powerful primary direction calculations, astrological monthly calendars, and enhanced astro-mapping to their functions. Most companies include many great new capabilities in each new upgrade.

5. Have compatibility with the latest version of Windows or OS X. It is unlikely that an old version of most programs will install on the latest operating systems, so if you buy a new computer, you're going to have to upgrade anyway. So why not enjoy the latest features of programs before you're forced to update?

6. Get longstanding bugs and design flaws fixed. For many years, most ancient charts created by Win*Star Plus were miscalculated, due to an atlas look-up error. While it took the company years to fix the bug, later releases were fixed and those who updated could calculate ancient charts accurately.

Similarly, before Solar Fire Gold, versions of Solar Fire (and some other programs, too) had a serious design flaw that resulted in some transits and progressions being omitted from hit lists and Time Maps, which was mentioned in my Optimal Use of Astrology Software -- specifically the first topic in this section called Missed Events. In Solar Fire Gold, this problem finally got resolved.

And until a fix that is being implemented this year, progressions were imprecisely calculated in Kepler and Sirius.

Therefore it is vital to upgrade your programs in order to have major software issues fixed.



Sunday, March 21, 2010

Great at Every Price -- Revised

My table and article comparing the features of the top Western astrology programs has just been revised.

And I will be continuing to revise it as new programs, and new features, become relevant to include.

To read the latest revision, click here.



Friday, March 12, 2010

My new web page with links to free demos of most of the top astrology programs

I decided to create a web page that will allow you to directly download free demos of most of the top astrology programs.

You can go to the page by clicking here.

It is always a good idea to road test demos of programs to see if you like their design, ease of use, and functions.



Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Coordinates for small Cities and Towns

One of my readers pointed out the following website as a source of longitudes and latitudes for small cities and towns throughout the World.

If you use this coordinate data in your astrology program, remember to manually enter the correct time zone information (which you can get from your software's atlas, i.e. by entering the name of a nearby larger city.)

Click here to go to the website. Use the Search field to enter the place name, and then click on the place to pop up its coordinates.



Monday, February 22, 2010

Janus 4.3 The creators of Janus continue to improve their program and offer free updates (e.g. to 4.0 or later owners).

Click here to go to my page about Janus, including new information about the 4.3 update.



Sunday, February 14, 2010

The purpose of websites devoted to specific astrology programs

Those of you who have kept up with this weblog know that I have already contructed two websites devoted to specific astrological programs, and will be adding more.

The current two are solarfiregold.com and shrijyotistar.net.

The purpose of devoting a website to a specific program is simple: scattered across many pages of my soulhealing.com website is information on each of the major programs. I decided that it would help you if all of the information on a specific program -- all of the reviews, tutorials, videos, etc. -- where collected in one place and easily accessible. That's why I've started creating program-specific websites.

I also have a request of you, my loyal readers. Lately, my website has fallen lower on Google when searching for astrology software, and it would really help me if you would add to your own websites a link to http://www.soulhealing.com/astrosof.htm (where all of my astrology software information resides) and perhaps also to http://www.soulhealing.com. If you can do so, I'd really appreciate it.

May my website continue to serve you.



Tuesday, February 09, 2010

My new website devoted to Shri Jyoti Star

Once again, I've created a website that has all of my reviews, tutorials, video tutorials, etc. about one of the foremost programs all in one place.

This time, it's the great Vedic astrology program Shri Jyoti Star. You can visit the website by clicking here.



Monday, February 01, 2010

My new Solar Fire Gold website

I've decided to create websites devoted to specific astrology programs, so that you can go to one place to find all of the information about it.

My dedicated website about Solar Fire Gold has all of my written and video tutorials, my reviews of all versions of Solar Fire, special offers, and more.

Click here to go to it.



Monday, January 25, 2010

Astrology Software Demos

I just created a new web page with links to demo versions of most of the major astrology programs.

Click here to go to that page. Exploring demos can give you an idea about how programs work and whether they have the features and user-friendliness you want.



Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My full Mountain Astrologer review of ZET Geo 8

I spent a great deal of time learning to use and discovering the features of ZET Geo 8 before writing my review of this powerful program for The Mountain Astrologer.

You can read my review, complete with images and links, by clicking here.



Sunday, January 10, 2010

StarLove Freeware

I just received a new cute free astrology compatibility program called StarLove, which you can download by clicking here.

To use it, you enter two people's birth data --you do need to know their birth place's time zone/changes and the longitude -- but there is a World map included that you can use to get an approximate longitude.

The StarLove then shows you a set of graphs and a compatibility rating based upon aspects between the charts (note: it doesn't use aspects to the Ascendant).

While StarLove is quite basic, it is still interesting to explore. Here's a sample graph:



Hope you enjoy it.



Friday, January 01, 2010 and Sunday, January 03, 2010

Important New Atlas Test: Charts miscalculated for Venezuela

There have been major time zone changes in specific countries outside of the U.S. For example, Venezuela has changed the time zone used countrywide. (Thanks to David Cochrane for this alert.)

Unfortunately, the ACS atlas has not been updated to reflect this change, and so programs that rely on it -- such as Solar Fire, TimePassages, Shri Jyoti Star -- will create incorrect charts for Venezuela for newborns until this issue has been addressed. Even versions of Kepler or Sirius that have not been recently updated will have this problem.

So for recent births outside of the U.S., I recommend using this link to www.timeanddate.com to verify that the time zone you are using is correct OR use the latest version of Sirius 1.1.

To test whether your program can calculate time zones correctly:

You can use 12 noon (i.e. 12:00 pm) for these charts:

January 1, 2008 in Caracas, Venezuela: 4 hr 30 min west time zone, no DST -- the Ascendant is 13 degrees 19 minutes Aries

October 1, 1951 in Lahore, Pakistan 4 hr 30 min east, no DST -- the Ascendant is 0 degrees 31 minutes Capricorn

October 1, 1954 in Lahore, Pakistan 5 hr east, no DST -- the Ascendant is 23 degrees 58 minutes Sagittarius

March 16, 2008, Buenos Aires, Argentina 3 hr west, no dst -- the Ascendant is 28 degrees 51 minutes Taurus (some programs give 53 minutes)

October 19, 2008, Buenos Aires, Argentina 3 hr west, yes DST (2 hours before GMT) -- the Ascendant is 15 degrees 19 minutes Capricorn



Wednesday, December 30, 2009

New Time Zone Changes

In corresponding with David Cochrane (the author of Sirius and Kepler programs), he pointed out that:

"On the subject of accuracy we got some new data on observance of DST in Europe and Asia in past decades and we are making more corrections. There are thousands of corrections we have made in Central and South America as well as thousands of updates over the past 20 years with changes in the laws for observing DST, and we are getting an increasing number of people reporting incorrect charts with other programs.

For example, about a month ago a lady told me that a client in Buenos Aires was upset to find out that the chart she had done for her 8 year old son has the wrong rising sign because the famous astrologer who did the chart does not use Kepler or Sirius. The free online chart service -- [author's note: see the link in the next paragraph] -- has the accurate DST tables so people can verify the chart there without having to buy our software. [For the USA, the old ACS Atlas is pretty good; we haven't had many corrections in the USA.]"

Most of the top programs do have updated atlases, but if you are doing a chart for birth place not in the USA and want to confirm the correct chart is being cast, you can use the free link David has provided by clicking here to calculate a chart using the latest time zone information.

You can also confirm the accuracy of your astrology software's atlas by performing the atlas accuracy test included in my article, "The Optimal Use of Astrology Software" which every astrologer using astrology software should read, in any case, by clicking here.



Sunday, December 13, 2009

Chart Animation in Solar Fire Gold

To view my latest tutorial of the chart animation features in Solar Fire, and all of my previous Solar Fire Gold tutorials, Click here.



Monday, December 07, 2009

Video Tutorial: Solar Fire Gold's Extra Points Chart Wheels

I recorded and uploaded a new astrology software tutorial on Solar Fire Gold's Extra Points Chart Wheels.

This great feature allows you to add any of a huge set of extra points to your charts. Click here to see the tutorial.



Wednesday, December 02, 2009

The Conclusion to my Sirius 1.1 Review

I've finished my review of Sirius 1.1, the powerful new update to Sirius.

You can find it after parts one and two of the review, by clicking here.



Thursday, November 26, 2009

More Tutorials for Solar Fire Gold

Stephanie Johnson wrote a tutorial on the powerful switches in Solar Fire Gold between Sidereal/Tropical, etc., which I just added to my tutorial page on Solar Fire Gold.

You can read all of my Solar Fire Gold tutorials by clicking here.



Thursday, November 19, 2009

Part Two of Sirius 1.1 Review

Here's my second installment of the Sirius 1.1 update review.

Read Part Two of my new review by clicking here. You'll find it placed after Part One.



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Part One of Sirius 1.1 Review

Sirius 1.1 is a major update to the already incredible Sirius program.

Read Part One of my new review by clicking here.



Thursday, November 05, 2009

Update of my Frequently Asked Questions about Astrology Software

I reorganized and added to my FAQ page, giving answers to questions that concern those who wish to purchase and use astrology software.

You can see the updated page by clicking here.



Tuesday, October 27, 2009

My fourth video tutorial focuses on many features in the great Vedic program Shri Jyoti Star.

Some of the Great Features of Shri Jyoti Star


Monday, October 19, 2009

This is my third video tutorial, about the great Transit/Progressed/Directed Graph in StarTrax Millennium that shows the cumulative effects of all of the events over time.

The Dynamic Astrology Transit Graph in StarTrax Millennium 7.0


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Many of my readers have found it hard to locate some of the reports in Kepler and Sirius, so I created this tutorial:

Finding the built-in reports in Kepler and Sirius


Monday, October 05, 2009

The Best Features in Astrology Software: Time Maps in Solar Fire

This is the first installment in a new series of video tutorials by me about the most powerful and useful features in astrology programs.

After many hours of investigating how to record and present video software tutorials to you, my readers, I finally learned that I could record them effectively using Snagit, and present them for viewing by uploading them to youtube.

Click on the following link to learn about Solar Fire's Time Map feature. It has been present in Solar Fire since version 3, and remains the most useful depiction of predictive events I've ever seen.

Time Maps in Solar Fire
By the way, I also created a Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials web page for Solar Fire Gold, where I share many valuable insights about getting the most out of Solar Fire Gold. You can view it by clicking here.



Sunday, September 20, 2009

Great at Every Price: Professional Astrology Software: Revised

I revised my article comparing the features and strengths of the top Western astrology programs this week.

You can read the new revision by clicking here.



Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Issues with Calculating Progessions

My recent software testing has led me to add even more material to my ground-breaking article, The Optimal Use of Astrology Software.

I've added another section on Issues with calculating Progressions to the addendum exploring the effects of location and time zone, programs with imprecise calculations, and the Parallax Moon.

To read it, click here.



Tuesday, September 01, 2009

A.I.R. Software's SuperSearch Program

I spent several hours this week exploring A.I.R. Software's SuperSearch 3.0 program.

I was very impressed by the range of search capabilities the program has. You can read my review by clicking here.



Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Free Program AstroClock

Vega Software offers a free program called AstroClock for Windows PCs. It allows you to have a continually updating chart of the current transits on your screen at all times.

You can configure it to always stay on top, adjust the size of the planetary glyphs, set a default longitude and latitude (and manually choose daylight savings time), choose which points are shown (including the node and Chiron), and select Placidus, Koch, or Equal Houses.

To download the free AstroClock program, click here.

To learn more about AstroClock, and the Pro version which has a list of transit-to-natal aspects, and shows aspect lines in charts (and you can set the aspect orb, line style, and color), and more, click here.



Monday, August 17, 2009

The Optimal Use of Astrology Software - Major revision

Because of questions posed to me in emails from astrologers, several new themes to discuss are now included in this very important article.

The new version has a large addendum exploring issues around Composite charts, astromaps, precise planetary ingresses, and much more.

To read it, click here.



Monday, August 10, 2009

A great list of free astronomy programs for Windows, Mac, and Linux

In my explorations on the internet, I came across a great listing of free astronomy programs that run under Windows, Mac, or Linux OSes.

You can see the list and download any programs you want by clicking here.



Sunday, August 02, 2009

The Influence of Eclipses

In completing the blog from last week, I look at which programs allow me to search for clients and friends most affected by an eclipse.

To read about this, click here.


Sunday, July 26, 2009

Eclipse Maps and the Influence of Eclipses

After the major eclipse this week, I tested astrology programs to see how well they portrayed this major event and how well they helped me discover who would be most affected by the eclipse .

Much to my surprise, most gave disappointing results.

To read about my findings, click here.


Sunday, July 19, 2009

Great at Every Price: Professional Astrology Software

I spent the last few weeks writing this article about professional Western astrology software at each price point.

It is amazing how powerful all of these programs are. Definitely worth reading.

Click here to read Great at Every Price: Professional Astrology Software worth having.


Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Most Important Significators of Life Themes and their use in chart delineation and astrology software

I just wrote this essay, showing what are the most important astrological factors for understanding any life theme, and the implications of this for astrology software.

You can read the article by clicking here.



Saturday, July 04, 2009

KP Muhuart -- Free Krishnamurthi Paddhati Software

Krishnamurthi Paddhati is a very sophisticated predictive methodology used by practitioners of the KP approach. This new software, KP Muhuart, has many, many features including a KP analysis screen with a Lagna table and sub-level analysis and a detailed Results page showing North Indian charts, an analysis of each house, and of dasas to four levels. KP afficianadoes can view all of the author's offerings and download the software by clicking here.



Monday, June 29, 2009

Morinus Primary Directions Freeware

In my quest to find my readers the best free astrology programs, I discovered Morinus, a program dedicated to the calculation of Primary Directions. Morinus comes in versions for Windows, the Mac OS, and Linux and is packed with features and options including Swiss Ephemeris accuracy, 12 house systems, planetary hours, midpoints, chart wheels, Secondary Progressions, and a set of capabilities specifically for the calculation of Primary Directions including Placidian, Regiomontanian, and Campanian options, a speculum, parallels, Secondary Motion of the Moon, Primary Keys, and much more. You can learn more about Morinus and download it by clicking here.



Monday, June 22, 2009

The Optimal Use of Astrology Software -- newly revised

One of the most important articles that I've ever written on astrology software is called "The Optimal Use of Astrology Software". Over the years, I have revised it, and have just completed my latest revision.

Anyone using astrology software should read it, as it reviews the best ways to get the most out of your software, how to protect yourself and your data, how to test the accuracy of your software, what calculations you can't trust, what techniques are most afffected by inaccuracies in birth times, how to update your software, and much more.

You can read my latest revision of the article by clicking here.



Sunday, June 14, 2009

Find the positions of Minor Point and Bodies, Occultations, etc.

I stumbled across a website that offers a "super-chart" of major planets, named Centaurs and TNOs, 50 asteroids, Uranian points, Galactic Center and Great Attractor for a given date and time. It also can create an aspect table showing one degree aspects between all points, can generate ephemeris pages, and list Solar and Lunar Eclipses and Planetary Occultations.

Click here to go to the website, and click here to see a sample "super-chart".



Saturday, June 06, 2009

Updated Day Watch Sidebar: Other programs offering Astrological Calendars

Since I published my Day Watch review in The Mountain Astrologer, two more programs have added astrological calendars to their feature set.

You can read about astrology programs besides Day Watch that have astrology calendars and see images of each program's calendar by clicking here.



Saturday, May 30, 2009

The Day Watch Astrological Calendar

The finest astrological calendar software available today is a program called Day Watch from Matrix Software.

You can read my published (in The Mountain Astrologer) review by clicking here.



Monday, May 25, 2009

My review of Intrepid 2.0 published in The Mountain Astrologer

I just added to my website my published review of Intrepid 2.0.

You can read about this very unique program by clicking here.



Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My review of Janus 4.1 published in The Mountain Astrologer

I just placed my published review of Janus 4.1 on my website. Janus 4.1 is currently available at an incredibly low price (a fraction of the price of comparable programs) and its unique features are very valuable.

You can read my new review by clicking here.



Monday, May 11, 2009

Astrology Software for Linux

In searching the internet for the latest information on astrology software, I came across the following link about developments and enhancements of Walter D. Pullen's Astrolog program for Linux.

I have often been asked about whether there were any good programs for Linux, so to learn more about Astrolog for Linux, click here.



Monday, May 04, 2009

The Basic Ephemeris 1.0

I have just written a mini-review of The Basic Ephemeris 1.0, an inexpensive new astrology program.

You can read about it by clicking here.



Monday, April 27, 2009

Which is the best astrology program?

Astrology software has blossomed incredibly in ways that I could never have conceived of when I got my first "microcomputer" back in 1978.

Early on, I gave awards for "best astrology program of the year", but stopped because some companies were deleting the "of the year" part and using my endorsements in their advertisements.

The truth is very simple, which is the best astrology program depends upon the features each astrologer needs most.

Nevertheless, here are some examples of the "best of breed":

Solar Fire Gold has the best transit graph and best chart and page animation features. Shri Jyoti Star deserves an honorable mention for its excellent chart and page animation capablilities, too.

Pegasus, Kepler, and Sirius have the best selection of top notch add-on interpretive reports.

SuperSearch, Shri Jyoti Star, and Solar Fire Gold have the best search-for-factors in both natal charts and in the past and future.

Sirius offers the largest number of astrological tools for different schools of astrology (e.g. modern Western, Hellenistic, Vedic, Huber, etc.)

DayWatch has the best astrological calendar, with honorable mention to Solar Fire Gold's fine astrological calendar.

Janus has the most extensive set of astromapping lines and interpretations.

Millennium offers the best modeling tools for predictive graphs, e.g. future times when finances, love, career will have peaks and valleys, with honorable mention to both Kepler and Sirius for their well-done natal, predictive, and synastric modeling tools.

JigSaw and Sirius have the best rectification tools (i.e. where you enter many significant life events and the program gives you the most likely birth times).

AstroDatabank has the best and most accurately timed collection of charts, including searchable biographies, categorization, and powerful modeling tools.

Shri Jyoti Star, Solar Fire Gold, and Sirius have the best screen and page design tools.

The Vedic Bookshelf has the most extensive selection of searchable texts.

Win*Star Plus has the best Ephemeris page module around.

Nova Chartwheels is the most powerful software for Cosmobiology that I have seen.

Regulus and Sirius have the most extensive capabilities for Huber astrology.

I could go on and on with this list, adding dozens of additional categories and many more notable astrology programs.

It is very important to note, however, that virtually every astrology program has unique features. When I wrote my review of astromapping programs, for example, I was struck by the powerful and unique astromapping abilities in most of the programs.

Suffice it to say that astrologers are incredibly blessed by the abundance of excellent astrology program.



Saturday, April 18, 2009

Sources for Time Zone and Daylight Saving Time Data

Brian Conrad, the creator of Vedic software for the pocket pc and for Windows (available at Jyotishtools.com), was kind enough to point me to this website, which will help programmers add time change data to their programs.

You can visit the page by clicking here.


Friday, April 10, 2009

Frequently Asked Questions about Sirius

I just wrote a Frequently Asked Questions about Sirius article because many people were asking me questions about Sirius.

You can read it by clicking here.


Sunday, April 05, 2009

New Lunabar version 6.30

"Lunabar puts a lunar almanack in your Windows taskbar. It accurately shows the current phase of the moon, the times of moonrise, moon southing, and moonset, and the zodiacal constellation and sign. The phase, constellation or zodiacal sign is shown in a tooltip window when your mouse hovers over the icon, and a full lunar almanack is just a click away."

To get Lunabar for free, for your Windows PC, click here.



Saturday, March 28, 2009

"AstroDatabank is Free?"

While I was visiting another website, I noticed that its author was proclaiming that AstroDatabank is now free.

Since I am a very strong champion of the AstroDatabank program, I inspected the issue further and found out that the AstroDatabank program is not what she was talking about but instead the new website.

If you go to this link, you will find the entire AstroDatabank database available for perusal. For the time being, the only search you can conduct on the data is a search by name.

This is of value because you can read short biographies, see their charts (although the format is a bit hard to read), and see which categories a person falls into.

However, those who own the actual AstroDatabank software are much better off, because they can both use the powerful search features built-in to AstroDatabank and also export the data to their other astrology programs to do additional searches.

I am very thankful to Alois Treindl for purchasing AstroDatabank and making this data accessible to all people. What a great contribution to astrology!

P.S. Very important note for AstroDatabank owners: as you know, when you run AstroDatabank, it automatically downloads from the Internet the latest additions to the databank. Right now, the data that is being added to the website is also being made available via the software's update feature, so run AstroDatabank at least once a month to be sure to get the latest updates.


Saturday, March 21, 2009

Issues with Jagannatha Hora

An astrologer contacted me, wanting to purchase a new Vedic program, because his free Jagannatha Hora was miscalculating charts, specifically around dates like 1840 AD.

I downloaded the latest version, 7.32, which you can do by clicking here, and tested it.

As I suspected, the astrologer had depended upon Jagannatha Hora to use the correct date, but the program was not programmed to switch automatically to LMT when appropriate, and so the charts were coming out wrong.

Jagannatha Hora does provide a "Use LMT" checkbox, but leaves it up to users to determine when to check the box.

A few days later, an astrologer asked me to calculate a series of charts for her using Jagannatha Hora. When I entered the data for her birth chart, and used the internal atlas to find the city's coordinates and time zone, Jagannatha Hora failed a second time.

This failure was more significant, because the program did not correct for Daylight Savings Time when it should have.

Jagannatha Hora is an excellent program in many ways. It has a very wide range of Vedic calculations, it is free, and it continues to be enhanced.

But astrologers cannot count on it to calculate charts correctly for ancient dates or when Daylight Savings Time is in effect, but need to check (in other software or in printed time zone tables) whether LMT or DST was operating, and then manually make the changes in the data entry screen in order to get accurate charts.


Saturday, March 14, 2009

Switching to the Mac for Astrology

I just wrote an article on "Switching to the Mac for Astrology" with tips on how to make this not-so-easy transition easier.

You can read it by clicking here.

Note: I updated the article a little bit on Monday, March 23, 2009.


Sunday, March 08, 2009

Why Astrology can never be systematic Part Two: Astrology Software Limitations

I just wrote a second section to the article mentioned below, focusing specifically on the issues that arise concerning astrology software delineations. You can read it by clicking here.



Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Why Astrology can never be systematic

I just wrote a short essay entitled, "Why Astrology can never be systematic".

You can read it by clicking here.

Hope you find it of value.



Sunday, February 22, 2009

An Astrological House Formulary: how each system works and how to calculate cusps

As I mentioned in my Learning Astrology section of this website, you can both read online and download and save to your computer many excellent astrology books for free, just by logging on the Scribd.com and registering.

In searching for what astrology books were available, I discovered "An Astrological House Formulary: how each system works and how to calculate cusps" by Michael P. Munkasey.

This book can be an excellent reference for programmers who create astrology software as well as those just wanting to learn more about house systems.

You can read it (or save it to your computer) by clicking here.

(As I mentioned, if you are not registered on Sribd.com, you will have to register first. But it's free and easy to do.)



Saturday, February 14, 2009

Software Tips & Tricks: Research Graphs in Shri Jyoti Star

I am always amazed when I discover, or am shown, a completely new feature in an astrology program I've used for years.

This week, I was talking to Andrew Foss, the author of Shri Jyoti Star -- a great Vedic astrology program that you can read more about by clicking here -- and was asking him to add a feature I have long wanted to see in the program. He surprised me by saying, "That feature has been there since version 3."

Now, to my credit, I am familiar with almost all of the features of this vast and incredibly powerful program, but the one we talked about had eluded my notice.

I wanted to be able to see graphs of the distribution of planets by sign, nakshatra, etc. for a group of charts.

For example, let's say that I have collected the charts of all of the astronauts and want to see how many have planets in Shatabishak vs other Nakshatras.

I can use Shri Jyoti Star to copy charts to a group (the program provides two subgroups for use in this way, labeled A & B).

The procedure is to highlight each person's name in database list of the program's Data Entry screen and then press the F11 key -- or click on the menu item Tags, Apply B tag -- and the person is now part of the B group.

Next, I open the B group list (by clicking on the white space to the right of the word Lists and select the B group) and open one of the charts shown.

I then Page Down to an empty screen, click on it, click on the Graphs tab, and at the bottom right under the word Research click on the white space to select the B group.

I can next select whatever chart point I want (Ascendant through Saturn) and click on one of the buttons below it to choose which factor -- signs, navamshas, nakshatras, Sun signs -- I want a graph of.

Voila! The program provides a beautiful colored and labeled graph that is easy to read!

It is my understanding that this feature will be enhanced in the next version with more choices, e.g. lord of the lagna by house, making this tool even more useful.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another surprise and new discovery was that in a recent update to Solar Fire Gold was added the ability to toggle between Heliocentric and Geocentric coordinates simply by pressing Control-K (i.e. holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the "K" key).

This feature works on the Main Screen to instantly toggle back and forth between both, much like the program can do between Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs and between True and Mean Nodes.

Well done!



Saturday, February 07, 2009

How you place yourself in jeopardy if you download illegal copies of astrology programs.

Because I want to keep up with the latest information about computer security (both for myself and for my readers), I subscribe to the excellent Windows Secrets newsletter at windowssecrets.com.

In a recent issue, Ian "Gizmo" Richards, a true expert in computer security, mentioned that a top security firm found that two thirds of all computer infections came from downloading software from the internet onto your computer.

He also states:

"Pirated software is particularly dangerous, because such programs are used widely and are often crawling with viruses.

In fact, when I'm looking for a new set of malware for my security tests, I go straight to pirated-software sites and cracked-software sources on BitTorrent.

The last time I did this, 39 of the 61 illegal programs I downloaded from BitTorrent were infected."

So please both protect yourself and support astrology software companies by purchasing astrology software instead of trying to get it illegally.



Sunday, February 01, 2009

Update Your Solar Fire Gold!

As owners of Solar Fire have known for many years, the authors of Solar Fire release more updates between major versions than any other company. These updates -- which are free -- are also issued more frequently, and include both program fixes and significant program enhancements.

So every owner of Solar Fire Gold should be sure and look for updates once a month or so.

Note: to see what version of Solar Fire Gold you are presently running, just look at the top left of the screen and it will show you the title: Solar Fire Gold and a version number (e.g. Solar Fire Gold v7.0.9 -- the latest version).

Here's how to get the latest update:

1. Run Solar Fire Gold.

2. Click on the Help menu at the top right of the screen.

3. Click on "Check for Updates on the Web" and if there is a new update, download and install it.

The latest version of Solar Fire Gold has updated the atlas files for the new time zone changes in Australia, Argentina and Sri Lanka, and offers many fixes and improvements including the ability to view multiple "cloned" real time charts, i.e. astro-clocks that show the planets as they are at present (which change as time moves forward) for as many different locations as you want.

Previous free updates were also very significant, e.g. the addition of cloned charts described in my September 19th, 2008 weblog, which you can go to by clicking here.


Saturday, January 24, 2009

Sale pricing of Janus 4.1 extended indefinitely

Janus 4.1 is a full-fledged professional astrology program with great accuracy, a very wide range of features, and fine ease-of-use.

The price of Janus was significantly lowered for the winter 2008 holiday season, and its creators have decided to extend the sale indefinitely.

My prices are even lower, and make the software a truly phenomenal bargain.

You can read my published reviews of Janus and purchase it by clicking here.



Monday, January 19, 2009

My Full Mountain Astrologer Review of Solar Fire Gold

Here's the full texts and graphics of my Mountain Astrologer review of Solar Fire Gold. To read it, click here.

(Unfortunately, The Mountain Astrologer staff couldn't include both of my graphics in their published version of my review, but the review on this website is complete.)

I hope you enjoy it.



Friday, January 09, 2009

The Art of Reviewing Astrology Software - Part Four: My Hands-on Evaluation of Astrology Programs

At this point, I install the program I am about to evaluate and test it for bugs. Usually, the installation is easy, and I begin exploring the features of the program far and wide.

I explore every single feature of the program, and make sure that any features mentioned in the documentation or advertising exist, and that all functions are easy to find, and that they function correctly.

Invariably, I find program bugs (I seem to have a real knack of finding bugs) and discover program design flaws and report both immediately to the company. I'm happy to say that most companies are quite responsive and quickly fix the bugs and often implement the improvements that I suggest.

Since ease-of-use is a vital feature of every program, I specifically help companies to make their program capabilities both easy to locate, and their use and labeling understandable.

Once in a while, I have even helped software creators to completely overhaul their software to make it really usable and worthwhile.

(Note: I never charge companies for any of my assistance.}

Occasionally, I receive a program that is simple too buggy and cannot be fixed.

For example, I was sent the program VegaSviri, which had a number of innovative features including group analysis functions. At first glance, it seemed to function well. But after running for a while, the program consistently lost track of the natal planetary positions, and started generating inaccurate results.

I was promised by the company that this bug would be fixed, so I kept exploring the program and completed the review, it's release depending upon the bug fix.

After receiving promise after promise from them, they never fixed the bug, I finally realized that the program was fatally flawed, and scrapped the review.

(What the company didn't tell me -- I found out later through another astrologer -- was that the original programmer -- the only person who could fix the bug -- had "jumped ship" and started working for another company.)

After the review process is complete, I send a copy of the review to its creator for feedback, so that any oversights or errors can be corrected before I send it to my publisher.



Thursday, January 01, 2009

The Art of Reviewing Astrology Software - Part Three: Additional Issues in Reviewing Astrology Programs

As an astrology software reviewer, there are many additional pitfalls that I encounter even before I start reviewing programs.

1. Dongles. Some programs, especially from countries in Asia, require the use of a dongle in order to run. A dongle is a hardware plug that usually has to be connected between the computer and the printer, and contains a code that allows a program to operate.

Unfortunately, this approach is very problematic, because the dongle can interfere with the normal operations of one's computer. As a result, I no longer review programs that require a dongle.

2. Macintosh software. There is very little software for astrology that runs only on a Macintosh, and so I never had the need to purchase a Mac computer. When I have needed to evaluate a Mac astrology program, I go to a friend's house to install, run, and test it. Because this takes much more time and effort, I have chosen not to evaluate the few little shareware programs available for the Mac.

Additionally, unbeknownst to most Mac users, Apple changes the operating system (OS) frequently, and often astrology programs that would run under the previous OS will no longer run. That makes a reviewer's job much harder, because software has to be tested on the latest Mac, without assurance that it will run on older Macs. (This problem does not exist in Windows. I'm still running programs written 20 years ago on my Windows PC.)

3. Vista. It is a shame that Microsoft created an operating system called Vista that causes so many hassles for astrologers and other computer users. Astrology programs were simple to install on all of the previous versions of Windows since Windows 95, but Microsoft -- in an attempt to make Vista more secure -- made installations under Vista much more difficult in many cases and impossible with older software.

To their credit, most astrology software companies have "worked out the bugs" of installing programs under Vista already, but if you have an old program (e.g. the Electronic Astrologer series) you will not be able to install it at all until a fix is issued.

Because of all of the problems inherent in running programs under Vista, I have not installed Vista on my PC and recommend people get PCs running Windows XP for as long as possible.



Thursday, December 18, 2008

Millennium 7.0

Millennium from AIR software is an "unsung hero" among astrology programs. Its authors have eschewed the beaten path, i.e. instead of creating a professional astrology program filled with standard features, they've invented new and unique tools for exploring prediction and natal work. For example, Alphee Lavoie pioneered the "Time Tunnel", an incredibly powerful graphical ephemeris in circular form, and developed powerful sets of modeling tools for both natal and predictive work.

Version 7's new tabbed interface makes it easier to navigate the various core techniques and functions available by neatly grouping them in four separate categories: data, table, timing, and more.

You can also now easily save any screen as a BMP, JPEG, or GIF image file, print it, or copy it to the clipboard (and specify the picture size).

The historical statistical analysis module, you choose a beginning and ending date and a sample size (i.e. how many days to include) and what points to use and what aspect orb and harmonic to use, and whether to use Geocentric or Heliocentric coordinates, and the program calculates the frequency of each of the aspects, e.g. what percent of trines vs. sextiles vs. squares and also for each specific planetary pair and each aspect, what percent of days the aspect occurred, e.g. 15.25% conjunctions between the Sun and Mercury, and also gives the total number of days where each aspect occurs.

The Aspects Strengths feature finds three planet aspect patterns for a user-specified interval (from one month to 100 years) and starting date. It shows the date and time when each pattern occurs, and the orb for each of the three aspects comprising the pattern. You can specify which points to use, what the aspect orb is, the precision (to the nearest minute or second of clock time). You can also immediately see the chart for any of the patterns (and quickly move through the entire set of events) and make any chart into a natal or transiting chart.

The new Eclipse module has many valuable features. After calculating a set of events, it shows the degree of and type of eclipse, and where on the World map the eclipse is visible. You can specify a starting year and number of eclipses, copy any event to a transit chart, and specify the minimum coverage.This module is pioneering in two major ways: First, it fulfills a wish I have had for a long time, it can calculate, list and display on the map Lunar Eclipses, which no other astrology program before this has done. Secondly, it can also calculate, list and display on the map Lunar occultations of planets and other points, i.e. when the body of the Moon will actually cover another body.

Alphee's Path to God examines all of the aspects in each of the first eight harmonics and shows which harmonic has the greatest number of aspects.

Version 7 also is enhanced in subtler ways. For example, one can now see a graph (in the Astronomy Technique module) of the distance of Chiron from the Sun for a user-specified time range. (Since Chiron's orbit is so elliptical, this may be very relevant in its interpretation.)

Perhaps the best addition to Millennium 7.0 is its incredibly comprehensive set of tutorial videos. Virtually every feature of the program has a video describing how to use it. It is now easy to understand and learn to use all of the great predictive tools in the program. Bravo!

Click here to purchase Millennium 7.0 for over 20% off.



Saturday, December 06, 2008

Holiday Pricing on Janus 4.1

Until the end of January 2009, you can purchase Janus 4.1 through me for a Holiday price of only $135. This is an outstandingly great offer. You will receive an unlock code via email to use with the trial version that you download from their website.

To read about Janus 4.1 and to take advantage of this great offer, click here.

(If you prefer to purchase the program on CD, I can also provide a special discount on that format.)

2008 - The Year of the Great Shakeup in Astrology Software

At the beginning of this year, I never expected so many changes in the astrology software business.

Source Interlink/Alliance Entertainment sold Matrix Software back to its founder, Michael Erlewine, because the company was not profitable for about a year. The staff at Matrix got downsized, but the company is experiencing a new birth.

Astrocom.com aka Astrocomputing Services aka ACS went bankrupt and was sold to Maria Kay Simms (who had been affiliated with ACS for years). She is presently reviving ACS, and work is being done to get the Electronic Astrologer series of programs compatible with Windows Vista. She has turned over the administration of the ACS electronic atlas to Astrolabe, where it will continue to flourish.

Astrology Software Shop also went belly up, and Astrodienst recently acquired Lois Rodden's Astrodatabank with all rights, and is committed to make all celebrity data available to the public in wiki format.

And several companies -- based upon a June 2007 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court throwing out a 94 year old law allowing distributors to discount the products they sold -- decided to restrict or eliminate the discounting of astrology software by their distributors.



Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Clairvision Virtual Astrologer

http://astrology.clairvision.org/astro/switchboard

This superb free online "software" will calculate birth charts and save them to your computer, customizing the chart wheel, aspect orbs, house system, color scheme, language, zodiac, ayanamsha, the inclusion of extra points, etc.

It also allows you to view, save, and print out extensive interpretive natal reports that include which planets are prominent, aspect counts, aspect patterns, and exceptionally detailed interpretations and archetypes for planets in signs, planets in houses, and planets in aspect to each other.

What a truly wonderful resource that every astrologer should explore!

The website also has a large selection of free astrology and astrological astronomy lessons too.

You can visit the Clairvision Virtual Astrologer by clicking here.



Monday, November 17, 2008

The Art of Reviewing Astrology Software - Part Two: Learning Astrology

As I mentioned last week, I'm writing about just how involved reviewing astrology software is.

In 1997, I was asked by The Mountain Astrologer founder and publisher Tem Tarriktar to write a review on all of the major Vedic astrology programs.

In order to do justice to the evaluation of each program, I had to really "get up to speed" in my understanding of Vedic Astrology. Fortunately for me and my readers, the authors of the programs helped me a lot, e.g. to understand some of the more farflung Vedic terminology and methodology.

Similarly, when I was called upon to evaluate the program Regulus, I found myself reading several books on the Huber approach, and in examining Medieval and Classical (Greek) techniques in astrological programs, what I learned from attending the first Project Hindsight conference (and reading the translated manuscripts they published) really came into play.

In other words, depending upon the software, I often have to significantly expand my knowledge of different schools of astrology before I review a program.

This was brought home to me recently when I reviewed the software Intrepid. It's based upon a completely different approach to astrology invented by its author. I had to open my mind to an approach that ran counter to much of my astrological understanding, and embrace it, so that the review could be sound.

I really enjoy the challenge that reviewing astrological software brings to me. It keeps me growing as an astrologer and reminds me just how diverse our great field of study is.

I will be studying Tibetan Astrology next, in order to review the latest Tibetan astrology software.



Monday, November 10, 2008

The Art of Reviewing Astrology Software - Part One: Unacceptable Software

I recently reviewed several programs (for articles to be published in The Mountain Astrologer), and plan to write a few weekly columns on the sequence of steps I take to obtain and review astrology programs.

In the process, I realized that most people have no idea just how involved the process is, and how many challenges crop up.

Even before I get a program in-house, I make certain determinations:

Is the program worth reviewing?

Over the years, I've encountered many programs that have one major failing that disqualifies them from the review process:

They add nothing new to the field of astrology software (and are often also overpriced).

I can also assess, from program literature, images and examples posted on websites or sent to me, whether the program is accurate. (I recalculate the charts for the examples that I've received.)

It is surprising how many programs are inaccurate even in their very basic calculations. I've noticed this most often in under-$100 software and in software from India.

Usually the inaccuracies stem both from imprecise planetary calculations and from poorly constructed time-change atlases (which insert incorrect time zones into the calculations).

Finally, since I need quite a bit of time to evaluate programs, I require full versions and not just printouts or demos or trial software. Some companies won't supply full versions.

Unexpectedly, a few companies now expect reviewers to pay for the software!

This is completely counterproductive behavior on their part, because it means that their products won't be reviewed, and therefore won't get the exposure they might deserve.

There are many really fine astrology programs available to astrologers today. And I rejoice at being able to bring them to your attention.


Monday, November 03, 2008
After preparing my in-depth review of Intrepid 2.0 for the forthcoming February/March 2009 issue of The Mountain Astrologer, I decided to write up a shorter review of the program for this website.

You can read about Intrepid 2.0 by clicking here.



Sunday, October 26, 2008
This is the third review from my Aug/Sept 2008 Mercury Direct section of The Mountain Astrologer article.

I reviewed the latest version of Win*Star Express (version 3.0) and you can read the review by clicking here.



Sunday, October 19, 2008
As I mentioned in the last blog, in the Aug/Sept 2008 Mercury Direct section of The Mountain Astrologer, I reviewed three new updates to Western astrology programs priced at under $200. The article was called "Little Giants".

Today I added to my website the AstrolDeluxe 7.0 review from this article.

You can read it by clicking here.


Monday, October 13, 2008
In the Aug/Sept 2008 Mercury Direct section of The Mountain Astrologer, I reviewed three new updates to Western astrology programs priced at under $200. The article was called "Little Giants".

I just added to my website the TimePassages Advanced version 5.0 review from this article.

You can read it by clicking here.



Sunday, October 05, 2008
As I mentioned below in the Friday, September 19, 2008 weblog, most astrology programs do not take full advantage of the Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Unlike software on the Macintosh computers, which conform very closely to the Mac interface, the PC software as been like the Wild West, i.e. everyone doing their own thing.

While this has resulted in an incredibly wide diversity of styles of user interface, the lack of consistency and lack of adherence to the Windows conventions has made PC programs harder to learn to use and harder to use.

I have often thought of writing an article on the creative ways that various programs take advantage of the Windows GUI, but for the time being, I will focus on specific features. The feature I mentioned in the 9/19/08 blog below was the ability to open several different astrological windows and resize and arrange them on your screen for optimal functioning.

Janus 4.1 may not yet have a setting to keep specific windows "on top" (i.e. covering --in front of -- background windows), but it does open each module's screen in a separate window, and allow you to position and resize them, and it does remember these settings for future sessions, all of which enables astrologers to creatively arrange screens very effectively.

You can place charts, astromaps, timelines, graphic ephemeride, etc. whereever you want on the screen.

Click here to see an example of a screen that can be created.

Again, I encourage astrologers to purchase a 24" monitor, which will give you the "screen real estate" to be able to use this feature effectively.


Sunday, September 28, 2008
The price of Janus 4.1 has just been reduced by 20%. The price dropped from $249 to $199.

My new discounted price is now $179, and you can read about Janus 4.1 and also purchase it by clicking here.

I am presently working on my Mountain Astrologer review of Janus 4.1 and am very impressed by its astromapping module and the enhancements to many of its capabilities, some of which are not available in any other astrology program.

Janus 4.1 is both a very worthy addition to anyone's astrology software collection, and a very capable program in itself.



Friday, September 19, 2008
As many of you know, Solar Fire offers the full features of the Windows Graphical User Interface more than most other astrology programs. You can open many different windows at once (e.g. astromap, chart page, transit list, graphic ephemeris, reports, data screens, etc.) and resize each window, and position them onscreen exactly where you want. You can also design screens just the way you want, for different purposes. And Solar Fire Gold remembers where you positioned each window and what size you made them so it's easy to use them the same way each time you run Solar Fire.

To see an example of this, click here. A new tab will open showing a page I designed for doing predictive work. It has a natal chart with chart data on the left, Solar Fire's superb Time Map transit graph on the upper right, and a graphic ephemeris page for the year on the lower right.

Now Neville Lang (the chief programmer of Solar Fire) has added Clone Charts. Clone charts add the ability to place on your computer screen as many additional charts (of any size) wherever you want onscreen. I decided to create two additional examples of screens you can use for your own work.

The first screen, which you can see by clicking here, is for Astromapping work. To explore the effect of moving to a new place for a client, you can place six different relocated charts onscreen as well as an Astro*Carto*Graphy map. Neat!

The second screen, which you can see by clicking here, is for Compatibility analysis. You can place two people's birth charts, and a Composite and Davidson chart, and a page showing an interaspect table, biwheel with both charts, two 30 degree dials, etc. In other words, everything you need for assessing how two people mesh can be placed on one screen.

(Side note: with the price of computer monitors dropping sharply, I highly recommend you purchase a 24" computer monitor. It will allow you to place more charts, graphs, and tables onscreen at the same time, and boost your productivity and capabilities.]


Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ernst Wilhelm has just released the newest upgrade to his Käla software, 2008.

To read about the enhancements and new features, click here.



Sunday, September 07, 2008
Just announced is a new, forthcoming astronomy program called StellarWindows.

With it, plus a laptop or tablet computer, you can locate any stellar object in the sky.

The program comes with a hardware "stick" that plugs into your USB port, which has a magnetic compass and accelerometers that work with the software to identify whatever planet, star, or star system you are aiming your computer at!

To keep abreast of the development and availability of this system, go to their home page at:

StellarWindow Home Page

Apparently, the program and device will even respond to your voice commands. Ask it where Jupiter is, and the software will tell you how to point your computer to it!


Saturday, August 30, 2008
The End of an Era in Astrology Software.

As I have mentioned many times, the astrology software business is a very difficult one. The amount of work employed in developing each program is huge, the competition is stiff, there are relatively few sales compared with mainstream computer programs, and rampant software piracy impoverishes all of the companies. [Anyone who uses a program that they haven't purchased is robbing companies already struggling with their small market.]

As a result, the company responsible for providing accurate time-change atlases for most of the major programs, Astro Computing Services (ACS), went bankrupt recently. How astrology software creators will update their time-zone information from now on remains to be seen. This is a huge loss for all astrologers.

Additionally, another major program of priceless worth to astrologers is soon to be taken off the market because the company is going bankrupt.

I am very sorry to see these losses occur, and can only hope that more will not follow.

It highlights how absolutely vital it is for astrologers to support the companies that work so hard and diligently to provide them with the excellent tools they create.



Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The latest free update to Solar Fire Gold now offers "clone charts".

When looking at a Time Map, Astro*Carto*Graphy map, bi-wheel, aspect grid, or graphic ephemeris screen, it would be very useful to be able to view one or more birth charts (or event charts) onscreen at the same time.

The latest update to Solar Fire Gold, version 7.07, does exactly that. It's new "clone chart" feature works by clicking on the name of a calculated chart to select it, and then pressing Cntl-O (holding down the Control key and pressing the letter O key) OR right-clicking on the name and selecting Clone.

What this does is to place a copy of the person's chartwheel onscreen.

You can resize the cloned chart to any size you want, and move it around (i.e. reposition it anywhere on the screen).

You can open as many cloned charts as you want (imagine, for example, having all of your family members charts displayed.)

You can also click on each cloned chart's Keep on Top checkbox to have the chart always visible onscreen.

You can also select which chart wheel form is used when displaying cloned charts, by going to Solar Fire Gold's main screen, and right-clicking on the Current Chart Preview and clicking on the bottom option Preview Wheel Style, and then selecting the wheel style you want.

This is an excellent new feature of Solar Fire Gold and worth getting, by downloading the free update.

You can download the free update by clicking here.

P.s. if you are reading this on August 20th, 2008, I would suggest that you wait a couple of days before downloading the update. That's because the update also includes several new beautiful Chart Art pages that I created and donated to the company, but they forgot to include the graphics files, so the pages don't work correctly. This will be fixed shortly. Then look for my new designs, including Single Wheel with Art [art_suninblue.pag] and Single Wheel with Art [art_fullmoonday.pag]. I'm proud of how lovely they came out!


Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Brian Conrad, the creator of the excellent Jyotish Tools for the Pocket PC, for the Palm OS, and for Windows, has just released a free Vedic chart calculation program that runs on Macs, PCs, and even Linux. (There is even a version for Pocket Pcs running Windows Mobile Classic and Pocket PC 2002-2003)

The program, called Quick Jyotish, can be downloaded to your computer by clicking here.

The author says, "Only the Lahiri ayanamsha is used. Charts are saved in Quick Chart format, which may be imported into Jyotish Tools for Windows and the Pocket PC. The planetary engine is based on VSOP 87 and is highly accurate between 1600-2300 AD." Since most Western and Vedic desktop programs can import charts created in the QuickCharts format, any chart calculated in Quick Jyotish can be easily transferred to other programs.

The program does not appear to have a built-in atlas, as so it will primarily be useful for a quick Prasna chart. Novices might have a little trouble getting it set up to run (at least under Windows) but it will be a useful tool for generating a chart very quickly.


Monday, August 04, 2008
What is a firewall and why do you need one?

I am allowing myself, in this column, to address a wider breadth of computing issues and not just astrology software. That's because astrologers in general are not techies, and you may benefit by reading about issues beyond astrology software.

I am very well-versed in computer hardware and computer software (on the PC side, not the Mac side). In fact, I have built my own computers, and keep close track of the latest advances in both hardware and software.

A firewall is a program that protects your computer from being "hacked" which means invaded from the outside by hackers.

A good firewall will also protect you from programs that try to send confidential information from your computer to others (via the internet). However, one also needs a strong anti-spyware program for this purpose (I recommend Spyware Doctor most highly as an anti-spyware program).

I've tested and used several firewalls, and presently my favorite is the free edition of Online Armor. It provides excellent protection and can be downloaded by clicking here.

Please note that if you are a novice, you should have someone more familiar with computers help you install this software. The process is to uninstall your present firewall, quickly install Online Armor, and when windows pop up for you to approve of the programs you use regularly, give Online Armor your approval.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

I have emphasized in the past that astrologers using astrology software need to back up their data regularly. After all, you don't want to lose all of the charts you've entered into your software.

Since we live in a "wild west" era of spyware, viruses, trojans, and hackers, it is also very valuable to have a complete copy of your hard drive (also called a clone). I back up my hard drive twice a month, and own two backup hard drives for this purpose.

If you own a Seagate hard drive, you can get an excellent free backup program (normally costing $50) by clicking here.

Otherwise, I highly recommend getting the commercial version of the software, called Acronis True Image Home, which you can learn about and order by clicking here.

In addition, you will need an external hard drive of the right size (i.e. so it can fit all of your data on it.). There are now excellent portable external hard drives available that plug in to your USB port. A good example is the Western Digital Passport line of external hard drives.


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Today, I am launching my ongoing weblog (aka blog) about the latest advances and insights about astrology software. The Weblog format will enable me to add information more frequently, as changes occur. May this weblog serve you.

#1: Under $200 programs.

My article on Little Giants: Astrology software under $200 just came out in The Mountain Astrologer. I hope that you enjoy it.

I discovered, in writing the article, that programs priced at less than $200 often lack crucial basic features that most astrologers want to have in their software.

For example, one of the programs could not draw a chart wheel with aspect lines while showing the degree and minute positions of the planets in the chart wheel! More than one program in the under $200 price range lacked the ability to create predictive hit lists showing the entering dates, exact dates, and leaving dates of transit- and progressed-to-natal aspects. To put it simply, while the less expensive programs often have many features, and will meet the needs of amateur and beginning astrologers, most programs will not the needs of the professional astrologer.

There really are two tiers of astrology software. Most of the programs that cost less than $200 offer a small fraction of the astrological features available in the programs in the $300 price range. That's because the competition between companies producing software at the $300 price range is truly fierce, and as a result, the number of features in the higher-priced programs is truly astronomical! (Joke intended).

One of the reasons why I offer free guidance to those who are planning to purchase astrology software is because it is hard to assess which program is right just by reading companies' information from their websites (see the next article below).

Nevertheless, for those on a limited budget or just starting out, the less expensive programs provide excellent tools for beginning on one's astrological journey.

#2: My Software is the Best!

Astrologers who take it upon themselves to become the creators of astrology software have a truly thankless task.

That's because creating astrology software is a huge effort, plus the market is so small, many astrologers pirate software instead of buying it, customer support places great demands upon their time, pricing has to be kept low because many astrologers don't make a living at astrology, the market is very competitive, and people always want more features to be added to the programs.

So it's no wonder that astrology software creators want to be praised for their work, and sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that "their software is the best" without actually investigating the other programs that are available. I have run into this attitude more times than I can count. So be careful about taking a company's claims at face value without exploring the field yourself.

I have worked with most astrology programs more extensively than the majority of astrologers, and am always amazed at how diverse the range of features are. But I also realize that how easy it is to use a feature is often more important than anything else. If a program has a great feature that is too laborious to use, no one will use it. The best programs, then, will combine a wide range of capabilities with a design that makes them easy to use.

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