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New Plus package benefit: free, unlimited access to BaccS - a project management tool
Thread poster: ..... (X)
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Local time: 03:20
Jul 3, 2017

baccs

I am pleased to announce a new addition to the ProZ.com Plus package. Starting today, Plus package subscribers can get free access to BaccS, a desktop project management tool for freelance translators ($120 USD value).

What is BaccS?

BaccS is a tool that can help you to simplify and organize your freelance translation business. With BaccS you can:
• Manage your translation projects
• Schedule your tasks with BaccS’s Google Calendar integration
• Create invoices for your jobs
• Manage contractors you may work with
• View powerful, fully customizable reports
• Utilize ProZ.com services from right within BaccS (new feature!)

Who is behind BaccS?

BaccS is developed by Eugene Kuchynski, a translator who works hard to listen to users and implement their requests. BaccS has been reviewed favorably by some of your colleagues here on ProZ.com, so if you are a Plus subscriber we encourage you to give his software a try. If you are not a Plus subscriber, BaccS is available for purchase for the price of $120 USD.

How can I access this Plus package benefit?

Visit the BaccS download page to download the latest version. Once you open the program, go to Application Settings --> ProZ.com Settings and you can connect your ProZ.com account to verify your Plus subscription. Upon doing this you will receive full, unlimited access to the program.

BaccS now features ProZ.com integrations

As part of this Plus package release, Eugene has worked hard to integrate some ProZ.com features into BaccS, so you never need to leave the tool.

In BaccS you can:
• Check the Blue Board ratings of your clients
• Post an LWA Blue Board entry
• Post a WIWO (What I’m Working On) entry
• Read WIWOs of other ProZ.com BaccS users to see what they are working on
• ...and more to come!

We hope you enjoy this new Plus package benefit. If you have any questions or feedback please feel free to leave it below.

Kevin


Moonsun Kang
 
..... (X)
..... (X)
Local time: 03:20
TOPIC STARTER
ProZ.com Integration (User Manual) Jul 3, 2017

Eugene has provided a user manual that covers both connecting your ProZ.com account to check your Plus subscription status as well as guides to using the other ProZ.com in... See more
Eugene has provided a user manual that covers both connecting your ProZ.com account to check your Plus subscription status as well as guides to using the other ProZ.com integrations:

How to connect your ProZ.com account
WIWO (What I'm working on now)
Blue Board

Kevin
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Mirko Mainardi
Mirko Mainardi  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:20
Member
English to Italian
"$120 USD value" Jul 3, 2017

Kevin Dias wrote:

I am pleased to announce a new addition to the ProZ.com Plus package. Starting today, Plus package subscribers can get free access to BaccS, a desktop project management tool for freelance translators ($120 USD value).


Actually, $120 are for an "all-time license, 3 yrs. free updates" of BaccS, while this version is directly linked to the Plus subscription and will only work as long as that subscription is active, so it seems a little inaccurate to say they're the same, with the same "value" (marketing aside).


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:20
Member (2008)
Italian to English
What's next? Jul 3, 2017

I am concerned about all these new "offers" as Proz develops its "partnerships" with third parties. What's next I wonder?

 
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:20
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
I wouldn't worry all too much... Jul 3, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

I am concerned about all these new "offers" as Proz develops its "partnerships" with third parties. What's next I wonder?


Of course, this is just my opinion, but I know from personal experience that Eugene (the developer of BaccS), Kevin (Mr TM-Town), and Igor (the developer of CafeTran) are all really nice guys, just trying to make a living through interesting tools and hard work. The same applies to Henry, i.e. Mr Proz.

It's a bit of a shame there's no Mac version of BaccS, but I've been having lots of fun playing around with the new Proz.com integration features in BaccS. Not to mention it's just a great project management/invoicing tool, so much so that I recently finally ditched TO3000 in favour of BaccS. Some of the cool stuff BaccS does:

• I can email my invoices (as PDF attachements) from within BaccS at the click of button
• the tool can automatically download currency exchange rates
• jobs created within BaccS are automatically added to my Google calendar
• the program has a powerful search feature, allowing me to search for any word (or number) in my data from the last 10 years
• it allows me to keep track of taxes, business expenses, client contact details and rates, etc.
• it has a Dashboard offering all kinds of useful info at a glance (what I'm working on, deadlines, which jobs are ready to invoice, wwhat's been paid or what hasn't been paid yet, etc.)
• etc. etc. etc.

The same applies to the various ways that CafeTran is now integrated with Proz.com + TM-Town. For example, you can now select a word or phrase inside CafeTran and search for it in the KudoZ glossaries, etc., or in your online TM-Town glossaries and TMs. You can also work collaboratively with colleagues and share an online translation memory or termbase.

It's early days still with all these integrated features, but I think there is a lot of potential for things that will benefit us translators.

Michael




[Edited at 2017-07-03 10:25 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-03 10:26 GMT]


 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:20
Member (2004)
English to Italian
I couldn't... Jul 3, 2017

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

Tom in London wrote:

I am concerned about all these new "offers" as Proz develops its "partnerships" with third parties. What's next I wonder?


Of course, this is just my opinion, but I know from personal experience that Eugene (the developer of BaccS), Kevin (Mr TM-Town), and Igor (the developer of CafeTran) are all really nice guys, just trying to make a living through interesting tools and hard work. The same applies to Henry, i.e. Mr Proz.

It's a bit of a shame there's no Mac version of BaccS, but I've been having lots of fun playing around with the new Proz.com integration features in BaccS. Not to mention it's just a great project management/invoicing tool, so much so that I recently finally ditched TO3000 in favour of BaccS. Some of the cool stuff BaccS does:

• I can email my invoices (as PDF attachements) from within BaccS at the click of button
• the tool can automatically download currency exchange rates
• jobs created within BaccS are automatically added to my Google calendar
• the program has a powerful search feature, allowing me to search for any word (or number) in my data from the last 10 years
• it allows me to keep track of taxes, business expenses, client contact details and rates, etc.
• it has a Dashboard offering all kinds of useful info at a glance (what I'm working on, deadlines, which jobs are ready to invoice, wwhat's been paid or what hasn't been paid yet, etc.)
• etc. etc. etc.

The same applies to the various ways that CafeTran is now integrated with Proz.com + TM-Town. For example, you can now select a word or phrase inside CafeTran and search for it in the KudoZ glossaries, etc., or in your online TM-Town glossaries and TMs. You can also work collaboratively with colleagues and share an online translation memory or termbase.

It's early days still with all these integrated features, but I think there is a lot of potential for things that will benefit us translators.

Michael




[Edited at 2017-07-03 10:25 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-03 10:26 GMT]


make heads or tails of BaccS... I did try... it's incredibly complex and I must be thick...


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 19:20
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Humm, am I missing something here Jul 3, 2017

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

Some of the cool stuff BaccS does:

• I can email my invoices (as PDF attachements) from within BaccS at the click of button
• the tool can automatically download currency exchange rates
• jobs created within BaccS are automatically added to my Google calendar
• the program has a powerful search feature, allowing me to search for any word (or number) in my data from the last 10 years
• it allows me to keep track of taxes, business expenses, client contact details and rates, etc.
• it has a Dashboard offering all kinds of useful info at a glance (what I'm working on, deadlines, which jobs are ready to invoice, wwhat's been paid or what hasn't been paid yet, etc.)
• etc. etc. etc.


I have been managing all this (and more) for years using various features in google mail (which is completely fee of charge). Now that I'm used to working with these features, why would I want to change them? Also, if something is a "gift", how is it a gift if I don't need it or will never be using it?

[Edited at 2017-07-03 11:51 GMT]


 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 04:20
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
It is not about being nice Jul 3, 2017

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

but I know from personal experience that Eugene (the developer of BaccS), Kevin (Mr TM-Town), and Igor (the developer of CafeTran) are all really nice guys, just trying to make a living through interesting tools and hard work. The same applies to Henry, i.e. Mr Proz.


It is not about being nice, I am not even interested if those third parties are nice people or not, it is more about what I am getting (or rather not getting) as a Plus subscriber.


 
Maija Cirule
Maija Cirule  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 20:20
German to English
+ ...
The bitter truth Jul 3, 2017

Vanda Nissen wrote:

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

but I know from personal experience that Eugene (the developer of BaccS), Kevin (Mr TM-Town), and Igor (the developer of CafeTran) are all really nice guys, just trying to make a living through interesting tools and hard work. The same applies to Henry, i.e. Mr Proz.


It is not about being nice, I am not even interested if those third parties are nice people or not, it is more about what I am getting (or rather not getting) as a Plus subscriber.


It goes without saying that the whole world consists of very nice people who try to make a living but I don't think that I am obliged to support all of them and consider this as a gift.


 
Anne Louise
Anne Louise
United States
Local time: 13:20
Spanish to English
Non-native English, questionable use of personal data Jul 3, 2017

I was impressed with a previous comment on BaccS replacing TO3000. I have TO3000 and have struggled with learning how to use it. I've been running it in tandem with my Google Docs spreadsheet for a year until I feel comfortable enough with it to use it exclusively - and that hasn't happened yet.

Although I have yet to see any new work coming in from my Proz Plus subscription and the TM Town collaboration, I believe in the technological direction Proz is taking and I'm willing to p
... See more
I was impressed with a previous comment on BaccS replacing TO3000. I have TO3000 and have struggled with learning how to use it. I've been running it in tandem with my Google Docs spreadsheet for a year until I feel comfortable enough with it to use it exclusively - and that hasn't happened yet.

Although I have yet to see any new work coming in from my Proz Plus subscription and the TM Town collaboration, I believe in the technological direction Proz is taking and I'm willing to put up with the growing pains of this new concept - so I downloaded BaccS project management software.

I have been trying to set up the basic features for over an hour. I am using the manual that Kevin announced. I can see that the creator of this software, and Kevin, are impressed with it. I have no doubt that this program works well for the creator and the manual is very useful in the language in which is was originally written. But I have serious doubts about it:

- The non-native English is so difficult to understand that I have not entered more than my name and contact information. The explanations of how jobs are numbered, how scheduling works, and how invoices are created are such gobbledygook, they are next to useless. If the creator of BaccS is a translator himself, he must certainly understand the value of having a translation reviewed by a native speaker, at the very least. His high opinion of the quality of this manual, which I am having such difficulty re-translating into understandable English, is creating serious doubts in my mind about his opinion of his software's quality.

- The software is clearly set up for use by a European. US dollars can be selected, but there is no choice for a dollar sign. There is a field for entering a license, but the US does not license translators. There are no fields for the ATA or Federal Court certification, which would be equivalent to a license. There is a field for a VAT number but none for a Social Security number for tax purposes (which I would not use on this software, anyway, out of concern for identity theft).

- I see no reason for entering some highly personal information that has nothing to do with my translation ability. How is it going to be used, transmitted, shared, and with whom? Who cares when I started my career - it began slowly, and gathered speed years later - although I have now translated over 6 million words. Why do you need my address and phone number, when it's already on a Proz server and presumably, better protected, and I can and do receive messages through Proz?

- I have seen no evidence of data security measures. I will not entrust any sensitive personal information to software that already makes me doubt its quality.

I will keep trying to understand the setup and the manual. I'll probably run a trial with a few jobs in tandem with TO3000 and my tried and true Google Docs spreadsheet. I'll do it because, as I said before, I believe in the direction the technology is headed. But I have serious doubts that BaccS is going to replace either TO3000 or my spreadsheet.

[Edited at 2017-07-03 14:46 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-03 14:49 GMT]
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Eugene Kuchynski
Eugene Kuchynski
Belarus
Local time: 21:20
English to Russian
So much criticism Jul 3, 2017

Why you all call it a 'gift'? Plus subscription has some price, BaccS is also sold separately (previously 33, then 75, now 120 USD). Plus subscription includes this program as a part. More to say, yesterday it wasn't here, but today is, for no additional penny.
Why you say that you must support me? Or Proz? This is separate product. You can try it, use for free with current subscription, buy if needed, or simply skip.


make heads or tails of BaccS... I did try... it's incredibly complex and I must be thick...

Giovanni,
Ok, incredibly complex. Please answer back if I'm wrong, but if to read few rows in First run assistant, it becomes clear that there are 3 commonly used forms: Dashboard, Job, Invoice. That's all! Before using them, user fills reference data (currencies, work fields, etc.). It can't be complex.


I have been managing all this (and more) for years using various features in google mail (which is completely fee of charge). Now that I'm used to working with these features, why would I want to change them? Also, if something is a "gift", how is it a gift if I don't need it or will never be using it?

Initially I've created this program for myself, not for selling (100% truth). And believe me I fully know how to use Gmail, Excel, and other tools. For example, noone of these tools allows me to drop analysis report from CAT tool and immediately get final price. Can write tons of such examples.
Again, this is not a gift. This is part of paid subscription.


- The non-native English is so difficult to understand that I have not entered more than my name and contact information. The explanations of how jobs are numbered, how scheduling works, and how invoices are created are such gobbledygook, they are next to useless.

Maybe not so useless, but your remark is very valuable. Thank you!


- The software is clearly set up for use by a European. US dollars can be selected, but there is no choice for a dollar sign. There is a field for entering a license, but the US does not license translators. There are no fields for the ATA or Federal Court certification, which would be equivalent to a license. There is a field for a VAT number but none for a Social Security number for tax purposes (which I would not use on this software, anyway, out of concern for identity theft).

Sorry, but this is not truth. By default, you have 2 currencies: EUR and USD. Select any as a base. Go to Reference data - Currencies, and select dollar sign. License code field is for license code (given with purchase) - to switch from Demo mode to Full mode. Social Security number field can be added if needed.


- I see no reason for entering some highly personal information that has nothing to do with my translation ability. How is it going to be used, transmitted, shared, and with whom? Who cares when I started my career - it began slowly, and gathered speed years later - although I have now translated over 6 million words. Why do you need my address and phone number, when it's already on a Proz server and presumably, better protected, and I can and do receive messages through Proz?

I do not need any of your information. You can turn Internet off and BaccS will work, not sending a byte of information to anywhere. It sends data only when connected with Proz account. It is not a spy. Career start field needed for the CV module. Address is printed in invoices. Phone number also may be included in invoice printing forms. If those fields not used, do not fill them. But please don't call the program a theft, a spy, or using other words, because this is absolutely not a truth.


- I have seen no evidence of data security measures. I will not entrust any sensitive personal information to software that already makes me doubt its quality.

Please read above. Security is fully proven by local nature of this program. It does not need Internet connection (if not to use Google Calendar sync or ProZ features).


But I have serious doubts that BaccS is going to replace either TO3000 or my spreadsheet.

Just please select what you like and feel comfortable to work with. I will never force ANY user to pay me any money, using any unfair methods. If someone suspect this, please write here or any other place in Internet. BaccS has good reputation, I personally have PERFECT relationships with ALL users.

It's easy to criticize, and healthy critics is very important part of development (again, thanks to Anne for remark about English), but I find all above critics just a prooflessness from people who spent zero or one minute with this program.

Simply can't understand why you call this a 'robbery'. Of course, this program won't be needed for every translator. Well, like any other program in the world.

[Редактировалось 2017-07-03 19:41 GMT]


 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 14:20
SITE FOUNDER
Proud to have Eugene as a new partner Jul 4, 2017

Hi folks,

Since this announcement has been greeted with the usual skepticism and negativity by the same handful of critics, I want to say in unequivocal terms that we at ProZ.com are vouching for Eugene Kuchynski and for BaccS.

* With regard to Eugene, in our brief interactions with him, he has shown himself to be insightful, talented, responsive and positive. We have a very favorable impression, and we trust him.

* With regard to the tool, it meets a marke
... See more
Hi folks,

Since this announcement has been greeted with the usual skepticism and negativity by the same handful of critics, I want to say in unequivocal terms that we at ProZ.com are vouching for Eugene Kuchynski and for BaccS.

* With regard to Eugene, in our brief interactions with him, he has shown himself to be insightful, talented, responsive and positive. We have a very favorable impression, and we trust him.

* With regard to the tool, it meets a market need and has received rave reviews from a number of ProZ.com members. And with the way Eugene works, and the power brought to it by the ProZ.com integrations, it is only going to get better.

For these reasons we are proud to be able to announce the addition of BaccS to the Plus basket.

The bottom line for Plus subscribers is this: give BaccS a try and if it is helpful to you in your business keep using it. Since it is now included in your Plus subscription with no extra charge, you have nothing to lose. That's it!
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Anne Louise
Anne Louise
United States
Local time: 13:20
Spanish to English
Non-native English makes it hard to use Jul 4, 2017

Eugene, it is very possible that many of the problems I had were simply because of my difficulty understanding the non-native English. I even think that may have led to you misunderstanding some of the comments I made as personal attacks on you. I'm sorry you got that impression. I was not attacking you. I was merely pointing out the difficulties that made me give up trying to set up the software after an hour - and language was a big one. I apologize for letting my exasperation show in my comm... See more
Eugene, it is very possible that many of the problems I had were simply because of my difficulty understanding the non-native English. I even think that may have led to you misunderstanding some of the comments I made as personal attacks on you. I'm sorry you got that impression. I was not attacking you. I was merely pointing out the difficulties that made me give up trying to set up the software after an hour - and language was a big one. I apologize for letting my exasperation show in my comments.

And it's also possible you did explain how to do these things at another place in the manual, but I didn't see them or didn't understand them. I grant you, I did not read the entire manual. But when I tried to follow the instructions in the manual step by step, it led me around in circles over and over. So I gave up and just started filling out fields myself, and ran into trouble that way, too.

It sounds like you did *all* the programming and technical writing, in English, on your own, and that is remarkable. It may just be my old IT background speaking, but it makes me wonder whether the manual, or the software itself, was given to someone at some point, for them to try to "break" it before it was released to the public.

In my previous life, when I designed programs and applications, giving the technical writing and the program itself to a few people who would be sure to screw up, over and over, was an important part of the process. It revealed oversights in the programming and in the technical writing that I would not have found otherwise.

For example, today, I selected US dollars as my currency and then clicked to select the currency symbol. Nothing happened. I tried over and over. Nothing. I read your explanation of what to do just now, but that was what I did, and it didn't work for me.

Also, I did not know until I read your reply just now that the program is local and standalone. The instructions I read this morning gave me the distinct impression that there is a two-way exchange of personal information with Proz. I did not assume you were going to use my data for yourself. But any time my data is being transferred over the internet to a distant server, data security becomes a big issue for me. I don't want any devious characters out there in cyberspace to have a back door to my computer.

There were numerous other things that I found that made me quite exasperated, although as I said, I believe your program is a good one for you and quite possibly for many other translators; however, I am finding numerous difficulties in applying it in my U.S. work environment.

I'm not trying to argue with you or malign your program but these are real experiences I've had. Like other people, I have a busy life and must attend to many different things at once, every day. Problems of the type I ran into make me not want to take time away from other responsibilities to figure out how to use it. I'm willing to try it; but I want to save time with it, not lose time on it.

But I have a proposal for you: I'd be willing to go slowly and work my way through the manual, documenting and reporting to you the problems I encounter in setting up the software for use in the USA. Then you could choose whether you wish to address them. If they have already been addressed, perhaps you can tell me where to find those instructions in the manual and then I can suggest more readable ways of expressing them in English.

I can also envision a team of translators working together on this, and helping you and ourselves in the process. If the idea appeals to you, please get in touch with me.
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Maija Cirule
Maija Cirule  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 20:20
German to English
+ ...
Dear Eugene Jul 4, 2017

Eugene Kuchynski wrote:

Why you all call it a 'gift'? Plus subscription has some price, BaccS is also sold separately (previously 33, then 75, now 120 USD). Plus subscription includes this program as a part. More to say, yesterday it wasn't here, but today is, for no additional penny.
Why you say that you must support me? Or Proz? This is separate product. You can try it, use for free with current subscription, buy if needed, or simply skip.


Again, this is not a gift. This is part of paid subscription.

Simply can't understand why you call this a 'robbery'. Of course, this program won't be needed for every translator. Well, like any other program in the world.

[Редактировалось 2017-07-03 19:41 GMT]


Sorry if you feel offended, it was not my intention to insult or disparage you or your work, God forbid. My comment was based on the fact that I don't need any new tool instead of ProZ invoicing system (and TM-Town, CafeTrans, IATE glossaries as a gift for signing up to TM-Town (Henry's wording), tutorials regarding the way I should wipe my nose, etc., for that matter). I bought Plus package in the beginning of November 2016 and as of today I have not found anything useful for me but it's just me and has nothing to do with you.

Good luck with your new tool

[Edited at 2017-07-04 07:43 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-04 07:45 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-07-04 13:49 GMT]


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 19:20
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
@Eugene Jul 4, 2017

I think you took the comments too personally. You tailored the tool according to yourself or what you think would be useful, or perhaps according to some other translators' needs.

I have my own tools, and most importantly, my own work dynamic tailored around these tools and my own habits and/or needs. Please keep this in mind. Re. CAT tool and immediate calculation of the total rate, I don't need that at all - outsourcers always send an already calculated final rate for the entire p
... See more
I think you took the comments too personally. You tailored the tool according to yourself or what you think would be useful, or perhaps according to some other translators' needs.

I have my own tools, and most importantly, my own work dynamic tailored around these tools and my own habits and/or needs. Please keep this in mind. Re. CAT tool and immediate calculation of the total rate, I don't need that at all - outsourcers always send an already calculated final rate for the entire project (I can only choose to use a calculator to verify the sum, perhaps check for any errors,etc).

You created something and that's, of course, impressive in itself. But we are all entitled to our own view or opinion. My opinion is that the market should contain an optimized number of tools and the focus should be on practicality and quality, not quantity. Right now, the market is cluttered with tools that all resemble each other and look like copycats - and I'm not quite sure what's the point of this. A tool is not a new brand of shampoo or face cream that you can just test by simple application that takes half a minute. It requires effort, time and learning, therefore not practical - we are all busy with projects and daily life and appreciate saving our time, not taking up more of it.

[Edited at 2017-07-04 08:04 GMT]
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New Plus package benefit: free, unlimited access to BaccS - a project management tool






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