... the FD site is unclear what, if anything, it fixes, beyond adding the ability to print to PDF or something. It promises bug-fixes but is completely unspecific. Various views have been 're-implemented' which I find rather scary. More importantly, you *can't* update an existing 7.x.y.z installation. You have to uninstall 7 then install 7.1. So there's no way of roadtesting it without nuking your current installation. Given their history of bug-ridden updates, no user of FD in their right mind should even contemplate this. It may be that 7.1 is an unmitigated triumph but I am going to wait for someone else to confirm it...

(On a technical note, various FD crash logs I have looked at reveal one of FD's big problems: it relies on the long-defunct 'Paige' text system, which disappeared around 1996 and is no longer supported. I can understand why they have resisted updating this because it would mean completely rewriting the app... however, they are going to have to bite the bullet if they want to survive).

Here's the 7.1 read-me...

FINAL DRAFT 7.1
– Release Notes –


A handful of issues that either caused a crash or inhibited functionality of Final Draft 7 have now been resolved. In addition, these enhancements have been added:

1) Save As PDF
This has been redesigned so that Final Draft scripts saved as PDF files are much smaller in size. The PDF files are also searchable (via Adobe Acrobat Reader), like other text-based PDF files.

2) Save Title Page with PDF
There is an option to include the title page when saving a script as a PDF file. Default is enabled.

3) Normal View
This view has been re-implemented.

4) Speed View
This view has been re-implemented.

5) The View menu
This menu has been re-designed for clarity and ease of use.

6) Tagger
The scene length calculations generated by Final Draft and Final Draft Tagger are now in sync.

7) Auto-Save
The default is now set to enabled and the user is prompted with checkboxes for Auto-Save preferences. Autosave frequency is now more editable; the user can enter any number of minutes.

8) Auto-Backup
The default number of stored backup scripts has been increased from 10 to 50.

9) Format Assistant
This feature’s on, off and popup settings have been redesigned to give the user greater control over when Format Assistant appears.

10) File > Save Secure Copy
This command has been removed from the File Menu and placed on the list of alternative “File/Save As” file types.

11) User Interface (UI)
Various dialogue boxes have been improved for clarity and ease of use.