[jillybean]

Our game is outgrowing the 22 Bridgemates (+2 dead BM).
Purchasing additional BM is expensive, importing them from the USA unpalatable, the technology passe.

I don't know if we would be ready to dispose of 22 BM's and introduce a new system in one go. Has anyone any experience of a gradual migration of BM's to another technology?
I imagine there would be issues with uploading/merging different scoring and name data (I'm thinking of using bridgewebs). There could be some confusion for North using different technology. (we could give the new tech to our smart North's), and of course just the general push back against anything new.

Is this a ridiculous idea, are we committed to BM's until we replace the entire inventory?

Thanks

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2025-April-25, 17:55, said:

Our game is outgrowing the 22 Bridgemates (+2 dead BM).
Purchasing additional BM is expensive, importing them from the USA unpalatable, the technology passe.

I don't know if we would be ready to dispose of 22 BM's and introduce a new system in one go. Has anyone any experience of a gradual migration of BM's to another technology?
I imagine there would be issues with uploading/merging different scoring and name data (I'm thinking of using bridgewebs). There could be some confusion for North using different technology. (we could give the new tech to our smart North's), and of course just the general push back against anything new.

Is this a ridiculous idea, are we committed to BM's until we replace the entire inventory?

I can see where you are coming from and I am one of the few that would not accept BM as a gift, but then I was lucky enough to a) not have an investment in BM in the first place and b) have a "free" viable alternative in the MYFIGB app ("free" as in that we already paid for it through membership fees and tournament fees). I still find it hard to imagine giving up BM in your situation unless you have a decent low cost app available that is compatible with your scoring software.

The negative aspects of BM in 2025 are obvious, but I'm sure you are well aware of the (many) positive aspects, in particular the foolproof nature of the whole system. You have to be equally aware of both sides when evaluating any alternative.

For me the real advantage of our current app is not so much in score entry (ironically, by conservative design it apes some of the defects of BM: if you entered the wrong level of contract or wrong Declarer then you have to undo every successive piece of information, rather than simply correct the only parameter that is wrong) but in other aspects such as tournament movement (where should we be, against whom and with which boards) and team tournament results presentation (no need to reconcile results manually, or even to keep a paper score just in case: the whole thing is there automatically as soon as the last board is finished).

A final consideration is the cost of further BM units and servers. From what I have read, there are many clubs folding (in the US at least) and so I would expect it is easy to pick up used equipment at relatively low cost. That's not happening in Italy yet, but it is only a matter of time.

But once you have a credible app available on a sustainable economic basis, the rest is basically a cultural shift that will induce push back but ultimately succeed. Even a year ago, I was treated as crazy when I refused to keep notes during a team tournament scored with BM and simply opened the app at the end. A few months ago I noticed that almost nobody was keeping notes any more in similar tournaments. Now I run team tournaments or multi-section MP without BM and nobody thinks I am crazy any more. I think we are all crazy because we still use bidding boxes and trays, but that is another story (or the next chapter).

[jillybean]

I've asked about BM's before,,cant find the thread