Sola RX

**rsandr** · 02-25-2006, 01:33 PM

http://www.sola.com/professionals/solarx.shtml

If anyone can open the .cab files on the above page can they let me know what software they used, I have fried Filzip and Stuffit but they claim unknown archive.

**Steve Machol** · 02-25-2006, 02:03 PM

You're using a Mac, right? This probably only works with a PC. You should contact Sola and ask if they have a Mac version.

**rsandr** · 02-25-2006, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Machol

You're using a Mac, right? This probably only works with a PC. You should contact Sola and ask if they have a Mac version.

No, its a PC.

I have unpacked the zip files and the Borland thing but the cab files are posing me a problem.

**Steve Machol** · 02-25-2006, 02:19 PM

Sorry, I though Stuffit was a Mac program only.

As far as I know you do not need to 'open' a .cab file. Generally the installation program should take care of this.

**Jacqui** · 02-25-2006, 02:58 PM

Rick:

After messing with this thing for over an hour, I'm having the same problems. Maybe Mr. Meister or one of his associates could help out.

Why couldn't they use WinZip like normal people??

**rsandr** · 02-25-2006, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Steve Machol

Sorry, I though Stuffit was a Mac program only.

As far as I know you do not need to 'open' a .cab file. Generally the installation program should take care of this.

D'oh I have just pointed the install program to the cabs and it installed.
I was misled by the instructions on the Sola site.

**Jacqui** · 02-25-2006, 03:24 PM

Is this available on CD for us non-computer literate??

**spartus** · 02-25-2006, 03:44 PM

Aye yi yi, what a stupefyingly difficult installation procedure.

Here's how it worked for me:

Download the files and extract only Disk1.zip. Leave the .cabs alone, as Rick discovered. :)
Get Stuffit Expander from here so you can extract the BDE installer. I haven't used Stuffit in a few years--it's helpful to know it's as bad a product as I remember.
Extract the BDE installer.
Run the Sola install program and point it to the mystery .cabs if necessary.
It should run the BDE installer during the Sola install process

What a waste of time that was. The BDE installer compacted is 2.34 MB, unpacked it's 2.51. Saved me from downloading 170KB on my 5-Megabit connection (about 1/3 second), but it took 15 minutes to find the right junky extractor program to reap the "benefit". Darryl, please, if you happen to read this, please knock the necessary heads around to update this page to simplify the installation process.

**spartus** · 02-25-2006, 03:48 PM

Neat program, however. A little 1995-style, but still neat.

**optispares** · 02-25-2006, 03:52 PM

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/U...r_Windows.html
i used tha above and installed it no problems.

**Darryl Meister** · 02-26-2006, 07:51 PM

Darryl, please, if you happen to read this, please knock the necessary heads around to update this page to simplify the installation process.

I'll look into it.

**rsandr** · 02-27-2006, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by optispares

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/U...r_Windows.html
i used tha above and installed it no problems.

Yes Jack but you forget....
You are a genius!

**JRS** · 02-27-2006, 05:30 PM

If you find the frame styles a bit out of touch, you can create your own. They are simple 72-point data files.

**Darryl Meister** · 02-27-2006, 07:36 PM

The biggest "complication" is that SOLARx 2 requires the Borland Database Engine (BDE). Some aspects of the installation could probably be simplified, but the programmers really don't develop SOLARx 2 anymore. SOLA actually updated the software to SOLARx 3 a few years ago, which is considerably more powerful and doesn't require BDE. However, the added sophistication has made the software a bit more complex to configure, so we haven't "released" it in the US (we aren't really in the software sales and support business). Perhaps in the future we can make it available.

**JRS** · 02-27-2006, 08:11 PM

Rx_2 works fine Darryl. Tell your software engineers they did a really good job. The Borland thing is easy enough to overcome.

**Darryl Meister** · 02-27-2006, 08:16 PM

I'll let him know. He's the same guy who does our lens design software, and he does a remarkable job.

**Uwe** · 06-01-2011, 04:22 PM

If someone is interested, the program works pretty fine on ubuntu (a debian distro) via wine (free) as well as via crossover (paid). Since both, wine and crossover are available for Macs too, I would expect this program to run on it, but I have never tested it.