On Wednesday we released an update that had a problem with password entry. We fixed the problem, and posted an immediate update to our server, within 15 minutes of first receiving a report. In addition, we responded to everyone who contacted us by going on to their computers remotely and manually installing the new fix.

This was a highly unusual problem for us to encounter, and in fact it has been so long since we’ve experienced such a problem we can’t even remember it. Still, we understand the frustration this can cause when customers are waiting, and we are deeply sorry for overlooking this in our testing.

The immediate fix took away. the hidden password, and allows it to be seen as entered. A new update will be released soon ( and repeatedly tested on this issue ) that will once again mask the entry of the password. At the same time, we will include some new features that should be helpful ( reporting additions ).

Problems like this occur when a member of our core engine development team makes some changes and doesn’t document, or test, their work. Unfortunately, in the software development industry this is happening all too often. For example, twice a year Microsoft releases updates to their Windows operating system, always with some very problematic bugs. This fall, for example, we are already receiving warnings from other software companies ( not related to ASW ) that the Windows 10 updates are deleting data from the computers. ALWAYS BE SURE YOU HAVE DAILY BACKUPS.

Hopefully, you will not encounter any further issues. We do heavily test any changes we make but in cases like this one, something in the internal engine changes that breaks code that has worked for over 20 years. When it’s not documented, it’s a “shot in the dark”.