Okay, I'm probably crazy here, but... What if RS changed the bug-fix system as follows:
1) Post all the known bugs/issues dealing with the latest release on their website, along with the 'issue code' (usually 5 or so lowercase letters). 2) Post a "Vote" button that would link to PayPal (or other payment processor like ClickBank.) Anyone (namely developers) could vote on how important they think a bug is by donating - say - $5 USD by PayPal/ClickBank/etc... to RS. To prevent ballot-stuffing, you could only vote once per 'issue' per release, and could only donate up to $5. 3) But... every time a release occurs and the same bug is still present, the maximum donation would be increased by $5. So if bug 'xyzab' occurs in RB2007r1, then the minimum amount (if you just want a 'vote') is $0, the minimum 'donation vote' would be $5, and the maximum donation vote would be $5. If the bug 'xyzab' still exists in RB2007r2, then the donation will be $0/$5/$10 (vote only, donation min 5, donation max 10). If it occurs again in r3, then the minimum will still be $5, but the maximum would be $15, and so on. Of course, there should be a maximum-to-the-maximum so RS doesn't get the funny idea to let bugs go on forever in order to raise the donation amounts to huge, outrageous levels! Not only would RB users now have the option to vote with their pocketbook, but the funds could help RS keep their 'team' on board and make it worth their time to concentrate on bug fixes. Granted, RS would probably have to tinker with these numbers to find an optimal amount that most everyone can live with. _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe or switch delivery mode: <http://www.realsoftware.com/support/listmanager/> Search the archives: <http://support.realsoftware.com/listarchives/lists.html>
