I am a few months behind on SN, so maybe this has been covered on the show and I am just behind.
SQRL is done…the world tour is over…what’s the status of SpinRite 6.1? Steve promised for as long as I can remember that once SQRL was done, he’d jump right into SpinRite 6.1. Has Steve given a status update or ETA on where the software is at?
From my memory so don’t quote me, Steve is now working on 6.1 and he has said an early beta version should be available “soon” as much of the work was previously done before SQRL. Steve does not seem to give ETAs apart from it will be released when it is ready. I have chosen to let go of the “soon” statement and just look forward to Spinrite 6.1, 7.0 and onward as and when Steve considers them ready.
Steve is old school. This should be evident by now if you listen to him enough to feel like you know him at all. Old school programmers know that rushing doesn’t get you quality, it gets you something compromised. It will have to take some time, considering all his goals, some I will just list at random:
It’s going to take him some time to tackle each of those, and I don’t know which of those he’s slated for 6.1 and which are due in 7.0.
I mention all this just to say, I think his approach is “it’s done when it’s done”, but that he is preceeding with a plan. These changes need to be well tested… you DO NOT want a “save your butt” utility that causes problems when it’s supposed to fix them.
My understanding of his plan is get 6.1 out ASAP to address the changes that have occurred while time has elapsed since 6.0 was released. That version will be a free upgrade for 6.0 purchasers. Then he will start crafting 7.0 and that will not be a free upgrade for 6.x users, unless they make/made their purchase within a certain window of time of the 7.0 release.
I think I have summarized what I have heard Steve say, along with adding a little of my own commentary. Like you, I am anxious to have a SprinRite that works with my modern hardware. In fact, I don’t believe I have a single HDDs smaller than 4TB. Have faith, I think you’ll definitely get something good before the end of 2020. (Fingers crossed.)
Here’s Steve’s Roadmap: