Captivate v2.13 Released: Q&A with Alastair Green

Field Surveying Software Business Director Alastair Green answers questions about the recently released Leica Captivate v2.13 software version and how and when it is decided to release new Leica Captivate versions.

Q1. What is the latest release?
A1. Firstly, let me wish a Happy New Year to all our readers.

Next, I want to remind readers that I am only talking here about Leica Captivate field surveying software.

Leica Geosystems offers multiple softwares for use both in the field and the office and depending on the software, how long it has been available, how much development is taking place and so on determines how often releases are made.

For Leica Captivate, we aim to have several releases a year. And there are different "types" of releases - some may contain many new features and a few bug fixes, some may contain only a few new bug fixes.

I think most people are now used to this. SmartPhone apps are regularly updated - some releases are "large" and may contain mostly new features and some releases are “small” and may contain mostly bug fixes.

The latest release from Leica Captivate is v2.13 and is a "small" release containing a few features and a few bug fixes.

Q2. How do people find out what is in the latest release?

We always write comprehensive Release Notes to accompany the release. The Release Notes can be found in myWorld in the same location as where the software itself can be downloaded.

Q3.How does the numbering of the software work?
As with most other software companies, we use a numbering system that indicates the “size” of the release. The table below shows how this generally works with a few examples from recent releases

Release number	What did the release contain?
V2.00 (June 2016)	This was a "major" release with many new features (and a number of bug fixes). The key new features was the support of the GS16 GNSS sensors and dynamic lock for MS60 MultiStations
V2.10 (September 2016)	This was a "minor" release with a number of new features (and a number of bug fixes). The key features were the ability to hide the 3D viewer, to search for jobs and view the memory device on which jobs were stored
V2.13 (December 2016)	This is a "small" release with mostly bug fixes

Q4. When are the next releases?
A4. The number of release for any software depends on a couple of key factors:

How long it has been available
How much development is taking place

Leica Captivate is a key and important software for Leica Geosystems, and it is planned for multiple and important releases with many new features over the next few years.

Q5. How much does a software release cost to purchase?
A5. Access to updates is at no cost to customers who have invested into a CCP (Customer Care Product) which is bundle of software related maintenance services.

For example, amongst other benefits, a CCP also allow customers access to first-class support from our local support teams situated around the world - backed up by an excellent second-level support team here in Switzerland.