Any OLLY users hanging around?

[TraceyS/FL]

I'm still struggling with buying OLLY or sucking it up and using HST+ under Fusion. I despise working in Windows, I have hopes that the iPad app would work for me with my lessons planned already - and that the iPhone/Touch app will work for my kids as a checklist.

 

I have quibbles with how it works now (and a lot might be UI issues as a long-term Mac user), I wish I could get another 30-days with it....

 

So I'm wondering how it worked out for you this year? Did you use HST before? What might you miss about HST?

 

I'm working on, "Planning for my planning session" right now (10 more days of school for me!!!), and think I have my "pre-HST/OLLY" workflow sorted, so now I can jump to the next step.

 

Thanks!!!

[daisymom]

I used OLLY this past year and for the most part liked it. However, I keep hoping that OLLY will eventually be able to be used as a checklist on my kids' iPads. It does not look like this will happen this coming year even if the iPad app works well because of the way the syncing works.

Other than the syncing issue, I like OLLY. It does almost everything I want it to do. I printed out weekly sheets for the kids to manually check off and then I checked them off at the end of the week on the computer.

[NittanyJen]

I still use Olly, though not as faithfully as I'd like. I gave up on HST and HST+ AGES ago, and found Olly to be lightyears more useable, but for some reason, just writing out their schedules in paper planners has still proven easier :D. I am determined to start over with this coming year, though, and really get with the program, as it were LOL. I want to be well into the habit by high school so that we can have nice clean transcripts going, records of literature read and textbooks used.

 

I have put in the suggestion that they make an exportable list applet for the students or a cheaper version of the app for students (no way will I pay for the app 3X, and no, my kids are not on my itunes account for their ipads). If other people also make that suggestion, maybe it will stick with the developer.

 

I do like that developer does frequently respond fairly quickly to user suggestions. The program has already improved enormously since it was first introduced.

[TraceyS/FL]

Oh man, I couldn't afford to have my kids on their own iTunes accounts! Lol!

 

I thought the iPhone/touch checklist app was up supposed to be free -but I'd go cheap if it worked. I had a HORRID time trying to sync between two computers. The kids computer just balked, and now they aren't supporting OSX 10.5, which they were. I can't upgrade the kids computer until I throw a new hard drive in there due to a funky issue.

 

Back to OLLY, I think I talked myself into buying it on payday next week. I'm going to have faith I will get the touch checklist this coming year, and that I will have a better list for daily use. Or, I will just sort something out....

 

Of course, I won't be able to get it until Tuesday - I can't promise to not change my mind before then! LOL!!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Tracey, I use OLLY, and while it doesn't do EVERYTHING I wish it would, I still like it more than anything else I've tried. I really, really wanted HST+ to work, but I just couldn't overcome the learning curve. OLLY is much more user-friendly, and 99% of the time it's a "just do what I tell you to do!" program. I still find the occasional buggy thing (like right now, when I open the program, it opens to June 2014 for some reason), but it's manageable. I've stuck with OLLY the longest out of all the methods I've used.

 

I still use Olly, though not as faithfully as I'd like. I gave up on HST and HST+ AGES ago, and found Olly to be lightyears more useable, but for some reason, just writing out their schedules in paper planners has still proven easier :D. I am determined to start over with this coming year, though, and really get with the program, as it were LOL. I want to be well into the habit by high school so that we can have nice clean transcripts going, records of literature read and textbooks used.

 

I have put in the suggestion that they make an exportable list applet for the students or a cheaper version of the app for students (no way will I pay for the app 3X, and no, my kids are not on my itunes account for their ipads). If other people also make that suggestion, maybe it will stick with the developer.

 

I feel exactly the same way--I really need something to be second nature by the time 7th grade rolls around!

 

Would you have to pay for the app 3X? For some reason that did not occur to me in my vague thinking that I might someday put it on the girls' iPads. I wonder if the license is per user or per family, hmm...

 

I do like that developer does frequently respond fairly quickly to user suggestions. The program has already improved enormously since it was first introduced.

 

I agree. There have been times when there's been a problem and the developer made an immediate update available to fix it. And they're so open to gathering suggestions for the next major release. I love that they're trying hard to make it exactly what their users need.

 

ETA: That was easy! Re: using on multiple computers/devices:

 

Am I able to install it on my 2 computers or only 1?

You may install it on all your family’s personal computers (in one household), and future computers. However, the license file download link you receive after purchase only stays active for a week, so it is best to download the file onto all of your computers right away. If you receive a new computer in the future, or for some reason need to re-install OLLY after that initial week, let us know and we will send you a fresh download link to activate OLLY.

[TraceyS/FL]

Tracey, I use OLLY, and while it doesn't do EVERYTHING I wish it would, I still like it more than anything else I've tried. I really, really wanted HST+ to work, but I just couldn't overcome the learning curve. OLLY is much more user-friendly, and 99% of the time it's a "just do what I tell you to do!" program. I still find the occasional buggy thing (like right now, when I open the program, it opens to June 2014 for some reason), but it's manageable. I've stuck with OLLY the longest out of all the methods I've used.

Well, I used HST+ for 3 years, and i've plugged a Sonlight Core in there - see, I am "supermom"!! :p

 

I think part of my issue is that - I used HST and so some of the terminology gets me mucked up and i'm trying to do things the HST not the OLLY way.

 

 

 

Would you have to pay for the app 3X? For some reason that did not occur to me in my vague thinking that I might someday put it on the girls' iPads. I wonder if the license is per user or per family, hmm...

The iOS version is different from the Mac side. IF you buy OLLY thru them on the website then you would be able to put in on multiple computers, if you buy it thru the Mac AppStore, it will be tied to that iTunes account.

 

For the iOS version, your purchase is tied to the iTunes account it was purchased in - it sounds like NittanyJen has her kids on their own iTunes accounts, hence she would have to buy it for each device. Here we all have one iTunes account (well, my teen did one - and her phone is getting snotty about switching accounts now), so each purchase can go on all of our devices - which is good, because we have many of them at this point! :p

 

So for the iPad version, that will cost something since it is more featured - but from my reading the iPhone/Touch version (which would run on the iPad too) that is just supposed to be for the kids to have their list of stuff to do, that is going to be free or "cheap".

 

Does that make sense? You Mac desktop license won't allow you to have the iPad version when it leaves beta and becomes a product - the app stores are not set up that way. Now, OLLY could decide to issue some codes to give it away - but they only get so many and that is totally up to them.....

 

I agree. There have been times when there's been a problem and the developer made an immediate update available to fix it. And they're so open to gathering suggestions for the next major release. I love that they're trying hard to make it exactly what their users need.

They have been - there is one thing i really need though and that is being able to order how things show on the today screen. That didn't make it into the last update did it? I can't check.....

 

 

ETA: That was easy! Re: using on multiple computers/devices:

That is for the Mac version and does not apply to the iOS version like I said above! (eta: unless everyone is on one iTunes account)

[Samiam]

Listening....I'm a avid HST+ user...fought through the learning curve, and going on year 3 of using it (after 3 years of using the free version). It does exactly what I want. BUT my Windows laptop is on it's last leg. I have a Mac desktop which I'd prefer to use for lesson planning purposes. OP, have you considered the online version of HST? I haven't only because I heard it doesn't do as much as HSt+, and I am too cheap to purchase another program at this point.....but if you are in the market to purchase, and are happy with HST+ besides the fact it's Windows based, what about the online HST? I read that you can even import your LP's from HST+ to the online version.

[TraceyS/FL]

A monthly/annual fee isn't something I'm willing to consider - i'm currently a poor, starving (ok, not really :p,) college student, single mom. I cannot justify that expense for the online at all when I own the desktop version.

 

And I'm sure that HST+ will irritate me once I started using it again - I just haven't used it for a couple of years, so I have my rose colored glasses on :D

 

Honestly, the biggest thing that jumped out at me yesterday was the various assignment reports in HST+. It had what I needed/wanted.... if I could get a daily and weekly page for the kids that had what I wanted on it, I'd be set. I anticipate needing to have someone other than myself do school with the kids a couple of times a week next year, hence I need something I can hand off with good directions and such. Which will only be as good as what I enter - which is why I'm "planning my planning" at the moment!