[Accidentally stumbled across this thread. I see it is an old one but hope it is okay to give feedback on BeerSmith2 here.]
I must say I am pretty astounded at BeerSmith2. I only know a fraction about programming but that is enough to have my brain boggling at the complexities of this programming feat. The time, years, that have obviously gone into this must be frightening.
So what's it like?
I really think it is excellent. I gave up on software a long time ago and just used a simple spreadsheet where I knew I could trust the figures. Nothing, apart from a few spreadsheets, has captured my interest again until now. In BeerSmith2, all the figures are making sense and despite the power of the program, I am finding the learning curve surprisingly easy. The definitions are greatly improved and the reports have some information in them that removes the guesswork that is so often involved in recipe conversion. I think BeerSmith2 is actually going to massively improve the clumsy way we brewers currently often use to communicate methods and recipes. The flexibility of the interface is obviously magnificent. No other program (including BeerSmith1) even comes close to BS2.
I'd say at this stage, I have only learned about a tenth of the possibilities of the program. Every time I open it, I discover something new. It's pretty exciting to tell you the truth. Any time I do find something that could do with improving, I find that Brad has already noted the improvement and put it on his list of things to do.
I hope everyone takes the time to really slow down, study the program and understand how it works. The new all-grainer will always have lots of questions but I think with a bit of study and asking a few questions they'll get confidently under way in no time.
This is a Herculean effort Brad and I reckon you truly deserve a gold medal for this one.
All the best,
Pat