2022-03-15, 09:07 PM
LOL! I recall spending $400 on 4 chips (4Mb) of RAM. Black gold for my DX486.
I've been dropping not so subtle "hints" since I first began using version 3. Working with the NEA near passes was a huge PIA in the beginning, learning to fetch osculating elements from Horizons. I've become very fast at doing that now. It works very well. In the beginning of my pestering Greg, I had hoped it would work differently so all the user had to do was grab an element set for the rock at whatever epoch was available and go. Have the software run the n-body calcs to get an ephemeris as does Horizons or gravity simulator specialty software. Then easily print charts. Over the years I've become clever in the use of ST and sources like Horizons and JPL, MPC, etc have become much handier.
I also pestered Arc Scientific for years to make a Windows friendly version of Dance of the Planets. Their answer - just not worth the niche buyer payload. Same as Greg's take. Maybe 14 people take advantage of the osculating element import tool.
I've been dropping not so subtle "hints" since I first began using version 3. Working with the NEA near passes was a huge PIA in the beginning, learning to fetch osculating elements from Horizons. I've become very fast at doing that now. It works very well. In the beginning of my pestering Greg, I had hoped it would work differently so all the user had to do was grab an element set for the rock at whatever epoch was available and go. Have the software run the n-body calcs to get an ephemeris as does Horizons or gravity simulator specialty software. Then easily print charts. Over the years I've become clever in the use of ST and sources like Horizons and JPL, MPC, etc have become much handier.
I also pestered Arc Scientific for years to make a Windows friendly version of Dance of the Planets. Their answer - just not worth the niche buyer payload. Same as Greg's take. Maybe 14 people take advantage of the osculating element import tool.