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Here’s what you can do if you were affected by the recent updates.

OS X 10.6.8 users will need to upgrade to 10.8 and install the latest Java 7 Update 13 found on www.java.com 

Update: In an unexpected development, Apple released an update to Java 6, listed as update 39 (which matches the latest Oracle Java 6 edition, also released yesterday), for OS X 10.6.8 systems. The update is available at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1573?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US. Installing the new version should obviate the need for customers with 10.6.8 to upgrade to 10.8 at this time.

OS X 10.7.3 or higher users still on Java 6 Update 35 to 37 should also update to 10.8 and install Java 7 Update 11 found on www.java.com.

OS X 10.7.5 and 10.8* users that updated to Java 7 previously but then rolled back to Java 6 will have to run a script to disable the Java 6 Web Start and install the current release of Java 7 from the Java site. Procedures and a link to the script can be found in the PDF at http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/java/Java6_2_Java7.pdf

DON’T FORGET
After updating your Java, remember to launch ROES directly from our website, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

FAQs

What happened?
Simply, Apple decided that Java 6 was a security risk and disabled it via their built-in malware facility, which updates regularly/at startup. Since 10.7 and 10.8 support Java 7 from Oracle, the primary victims of this change are OS X 10.6 system owners, which only runs the Java 6 provided by Apple (some 10.7 systems may also still be running Java 6 update 35, and should update to 10.8 as well). Java 6 also has its’ end of public updates scheduled for this month, mid-February 2013, per Oracle’s life-cycle chart at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/eol-135779.html.

Is this just a ROES problem?
No – Apple Community discussion boards are alive with bank employees who cannot update databases, teachers who cannot use grading applications, games that have stopped working, and an article from the Associated Press that mentions how their photo department was left unable to function made the news – all Java applications or applets that stopped working after Apple forced this update to all. Needless to say, there are MANY unhappy Mac users, not just ROES users.

What is my best option?
The best bet is to go to OS X 10.8. It is not expected that Apple will re-enable Java 6, since they would need to be the ones to write an update for it (and the end of life is slated for a few weeks from now anyway). OS X 10.8 is their latest operating system and ideally Apple wants everyone on it. Updating to 10.8 is fairly simple (though some older systems may not qualify, see Apple’s tech specs on supported models at http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/), and can be done via the App Store for $19.99. After the update to 10.8, visiting www.java.com to get Java 7 from Oracle will complete the needed updating (best to delete existing ROES shortcuts from the desktop and launch from web site URL to restore).

These updates are frustrating. Is ROES always going to be dependent on Java?
We feel your pain. According to Softworks Systems, the makers of ROES, a native OS X app has begun development. This should keep ROES running independant of the whims of Java.

Any caveats to watch out for?
Yes, there are several:

1) Old desktop shortucts should just be deleted as they likely will be looking for Java 6, and these will fail. After updating, ROES should be started from the lab web site link (all preferences and saved info get retained). If you have had us set a .png file for your desktop icons, Java 7 in OS X will show an error creating the desktop shortcut at first launch (there is generally no longer a prompt to create one, a carry-over bug from Java 6 and 7 in Windows). Using a .jpg or .gif works better, and the next update to Java, either 12 or 13, should resolve this creation issue (and does for Windows 8 icons as well). Please contact us if you wish to change your icon to a .jpg or .gif at this time.

2) The biggest drawback to Java 7 in OS X 10.8 is the delays in folder browsing. This has 2 major area of the ROES it affects – adding images in the thumbnails pane for both normal ordering and Records use, and saving of files such as orders or templates files in Template Tool. The easiest workaround for normal ordering is to simply use Finder as the image source, and drag images from there directly into products in the crop area (Note: This works in Windows too!). For Records and Save dialogs in ROES and Template Tool, to navigate through/around the delay, clicking off the desired folder onto another folder, then back to the desired one, usually displays the contents of the desired one immediately.

3) After installing Java 7 there will no longer be a Java Preferences.app in the Utilities folder under Applications. To get to the Java Control Panel go to System Preferences under the Apple drop down at top left. Click the Java icon. An interim window stating that the Java Control Panel will open in a separate window will be displayed prior to the Java Control Panel. Once the Java Control Panel is displayed the form and function is the same as in Windows.

4) In Java 7 on OS X the calls were changed to open a browser window, such as from a splashtip window or informational product. This may also cause an issue in opening the Client-side order preview report. The upcoming ROES 8 resolves this issue.

Additional information will be posted for end users to the www.roes.co site, and look for additional updates via email later today and Monday.

Please contact us, if you have any questions.

Here’s Mike’s account of the breath taking moment.

It was early October and a good friend of mine asked me to shoot a picture for her to be printed and showcased in her room. The picture request? Something purple, a flower, and on the beach. So I set out to Huntington Beach with a purple rose and my camera. Once I arrived, the sky was clear and colorless with choppy waves which definitely forced my creativity to work a little harder.

Throughout my years of photography, I always admired those amazing images of the signature Huntington Pier with low tide creating a breath taking reflection, the sunset lighting up dramatic clouds, and the sense that really just seems to pull you in and place you right on the beach, however, I never seemed to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Before I knew it, clouds rolled in and the tide pulled back as the sun set behind the pier leaving one of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen.

I photographed this image with a Canon 5d Mark ii and a 17-40mm f4 lens, at ISO 100, f8, 1/15 sec…and hand-held. With no filters or fancy post process work, this really is the sunset that was in front of me. This just goes to show that sometimes all a great image needs is a viewfinder and a little extra luck packed in your camera bag. Although the flower is missing, hopefully there is enough purple and beach scenery to make up for the loss.

Here’s how to fix this issue.

Click the AVG Logo, located at the lower right corner of your screen.

Then click the “Open AVG User Interface” option.

Then click “LinkScanner”

Uncheck all items and make sure to click “Save Changes.”

Finally,  launch ROES by this link, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

First find the folder with your images in Finder.

Then launch ROES but don’t try to find your images in ROES. Instead, keep your Finder window visible along with ROES.

Then drag the images from the Finder window directly into ROES as seen below.

Then, proceed to add the print to the order just like before. You can select multiple images by using the command or shift keys.

ROES won’t launch

Solution:

Find the Java Control Panel. It can be located either in Applications/Utilities folder or the System Preferences.

Open Java Control Panel

Click the “Settings” button

Then click the “Delete Files…” button

Make sure all three check boxes are checked and then click OK.

Then launch ROES by this link, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

Problem – ROES won’t launch

Solution:

Open Control Panel from Start Menu

Click the Java Control Panel

Click “Settings” button as seen below

Click the “Delete Files…” Button

Make sure all three check boxes are checked and then click OK.

Finally, go to your C drive and find the Users folder. Open the folder with the name of your user login. In that folder you’ll find a folder that starts with .FotoworksProROES. Delete this folder.

Then launch ROES by this link, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

Here’s a quick way to get them back.

Mac Users

Go to your Java Control Panel. Depending on your OS X and Java version, it can be at one of two places (1) in the System Preferences control panel or (2) in this folder - Applications\Utilities\Java Preferences.

Click the “View…” button

Find the Fotoworks Pro Roes icon and right click it. Then select “Install Shortcuts.” If it’s grayed out, that means the shortcuts are installed somewhere on your system. From hear you can either Spotlight search it or delete the Fotoworks Pro Roes and re-install by going here, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

Windows Users

Go to the Control Panel and click the Java Control Panel.

Then click the “View…” button

Find the Fotoworks Pro Roes icon and right click it. Then select “Install Shortcuts.” If it’s grayed out, that means the shortcuts are installed somewhere on your system. From hear you can either Spotlight search it or delete the Fotoworks Pro Roes and re-install by going here, http://www.softworksroes.com/ROES/labs/FotoworksPro/

Ever feel like there’s an immovable object blocking your road to your success? Is it circumstance like the soft economy? Is it lack of confidence? Is it the flood of new competition? Sure, the market is full of talented photographers along with the droves of college students, moms, uncle Bobs and anyone else who can afford a DSLR. It seems nobody wants to pay for your hard earned photography skills when the economy is in the rut. When your phone doesn’t ring as often as it used to, you can easily start doubting yourself. Or, maybe you just need to dig a little deeper and fight for that extra yard.

I meet all kinds of photographers during a typical day of business here at the lab. Some are still doing well and some are not. Some just seem defeated and some are getting there. For those of you who are running low on inspiration and drive, I want you to read this story. You can easily replace the words, “ideas” and “writer” with “art” and “photographer.”  This story really stirred something in me, hopefully you’ll get something out of it as well. It’s written by Jonathan Morrow at Copyblogger. Here’s the link to original post, http://www.copyblogger.com/fight-for-your-ideas/

On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas
by Jonathan Morrow

The doctor cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, but I have bad news.”

He paused, looking down at the floor. He looked back up at her. He started to say something and then stopped, looking back down at the floor.

That’s when Pat began to cry.

She’d argued with herself about even coming to the doctor’s office. Her baby was a year old, and he hadn’t started crawling yet. He tried, yes, dragging his legs behind him as he struggled to make it just a few feet on the floor, but it didn’t look right. Everyone told her that she was worrying over nothing, and maybe she was, but she told herself that she would take him to the doctor, just to be safe . . .

“Your son has a neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy,” the doctor said. “It’s a form of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects children.”

Pat was speechless. Everyone had told her she was silly. She had hoped she was wrong, prayed she was wrong, but still . . . she knew.

“What’s going to happen to him?” she managed to say.

“Where most children grow stronger as they get older, your son is going to get weaker. He’ll lose the ability to move. He’ll lose the ability to breathe on his own. And one day, he’ll catch an infection that will spread into his respiratory system, giving him severe pneumonia . . .”

She held up her hand to stop him. “You’re saying he is going to die?”

He nodded. “There are three types of SMA. Caught this early, your son almost certainly has Type I. Most children with Type I die of pneumonia before the age of two.” He paused. “I’m sorry.”

Pat looked up into his face and saw that he really was sorry. It made her angry. Not because of his pity, but because in this man’s eyes, her baby was already dead.

“Don’t be sorry,” Pat said, wiping tears away from her face. Her voice was suddenly very calm.”He isn’t going to die.”

“It’s important you understand the situation, Mrs. Morrow. The pneumonia . . . he won’t be able to fight it.”

“He won’t have to,” she said. “I’ll fight it for him.”

The miracle of mothers
Over the next 16 years, I had pneumonia 16 times. But I never died. It sounds strange to say it, but my mother wouldn’t let it happen.

She orchestrated a team of more than a dozen doctors. She slept in a chair beside me in the hospital, sometimes for as many as 30 days in a row. She pounded my chest and back every two hours to loosen the mucus, covering my chest and back with bruises.

Today, at 27 years old, I’m one of the oldest people in the world with my type of SMA, and people tell me it’s a miracle. And I agree, it is. But the miracle isn’t just me. It’s a mother who fought like only a mother can to keep me alive.

By “alive,” I don’t mean just “not dead,” either. You’d think my mother would have been satisfied for me to live at home, tucked away from the world where she could protect me, but for her, that wasn’t living. She insisted that I be great.

When my elementary school principal decided that disabled children didn’t have a place in her school, my mom appealed to the school board and turned every board member’s life into a living hell for two years.

She won.

When I wanted to play basketball, she forced an astounded coach to reinvent the rules of the game so that I could be the “ball carrier” for the team, and no one could take the ball away. Not surprisingly, everyone wanted me on their team.

When I could no longer pick up a pencil, she arranged for honors students at local colleges to help me with my homework after school. I graduated at the age of 16, not only near the top of my class, but with college credit.

If you’re a mother, none of these things surprise you. Some mothers are weak, sure, but the vast majority fight for their children, especially when those children are defenseless. It’s not because they’re trying to be heroes. It’s because that’s their job.

And I think we can learn something from them. Not to minimize what mothers do, but I’ve come to believe that our job as writers is not all that different.

Fighting for your ideas
Growing up, I always had to fight to get people to listen to me.

The worst part about being disabled isn’t the pain or the struggle but how the world tries to shove you into a corner and pretend that you don’t exist. After all, what could you possibly have to contribute? You’re going to die soon, poor thing. Here’s a nice, quiet room and some morphine to ease the pain.

They don’t proactively hold you back, no, but they don’t expect you to succeed either. I’ve spent my entire life fighting against the weight of those expectations.

Like when university professors were flabbergasted when, on the first day, I asked my attendant to raise his hand, so I could answer the question that no one else could.

Or the vaguely constipated look on the face of a venture capitalist when I asked for $500,000 of startup capital for my first software company.

Or the disbelieving stares of people at a real estate conference when I gave a talk about buying million-dollar homes without even being able to get up the stairs to see the inside of them.

Their disbelief has never stopped me, of course. It’s not a matter of persistence or strength or attitude, as some people think. It’s a matter of shame.

How could I possibly look my mother and father and all of the others who have sacrificed so much for me in the eye and tell them, “I can’t?” I couldn’t bear it. The shame of dishonoring their sacrifice by giving up would poison my soul.

And so I fight
If my mother could ignore a doctor who would condemn me to death, then I can ignore my inner demons who tell me I’ll never make it as a writer.

If my mother could demand that I achieve straight As in school, then I can demand greatness from every blog post I publish.

If my mother could lobby school administrators and government agencies to get me the help I needed, then I can lobby bloggers and social media power users to get my idea the attention it deserves.

Not to imply that I’m unique, because I’m not. Yes, I’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity, but so does every creative person who wants their ideas to see the light of day.

If you want to succeed, you can’t wait for the world to give you attention the way a cripple waits for food stamps to arrive in the mail. You have to be a warrior. You have to attack with the madness of a mother whose child is surrounded by an army of predators.

Because, let’s face it, your ideas are your children. Their future is as tender and delicate as that of any newborn.

You can’t just write them down and expect them to succeed. Writing isn’t about putting words on the page, any more than being a parent is about the act of conception. It’s about breathing life into something and then working to make sure that life becomes something beautiful.

That means spending ten hours on a post, instead of 30 minutes.

That means writing a guest post every week, instead of one every few months.

That means asking for links without any shame or reservation, not because you lack humility, but because you know down to the depths of your soul that what you’ve done is good.

You have to realize that your blog is more than just a collection of ones and zeros floating through cyberspace. It’s more than the words on the page. Your blog is a launchpad for your ideas, and you are the rocket fuel that lifts them off the ground.

So burn it up, baby.

Your ideas are counting on you.