I think this is a case where it's not an either-or, but a both-and.
Customers will complain in all kinds of places. A company with
appropriate resources should attempt to monitor major lists -- most
particularly one like this that they host -- for negative feedback
and translate that feedback into bug reports for the development
staff as often as possible.
OTOH, users who care about the product -- and I certainly agree with
Mark here that they are few and far between although there seem to be
a disproportionate number around this place! -- should and most often
will use the official bug reporting mechanism, provided that
mechanism isn't a nightmare.
My problem is that Revzilla/Bugzilla is a user interface nightmare
that more often than not confuses me more than the bug I'm trying to
report. So I'd say that unless I find a bug that's really severe, I
find a way to work around it, post something here and get on with my
programming life.
So, Jon, you're not entirely wrong here. From off-list communications
we have had I know you are a serious developer (Mark was probably
just in a bad mood; he's a genuinely nice guy) but one who doesn't
(yet at least) have a passionate supportive feeling about Revolution.
Hopefully you'll be able to find the time to develop such a feeling.
On Jul 9, 2005, at 7:29 AM, Derek Bump wrote:
Mark Wieder wrote:
Excuse me? ALL your customers have to do is bitch somewhere on a
listserv and their complaints magically get taken care of? You don't
use any bugtracking tools to track and prioritize your work? You
don't
have any idea how often certain features have been suggested or the
severity level of bugs? Oh, sorry, from some of your posts I almost
had you mistaken for a real developer. My bad.
I happen to agree with Jon. I have noticed that people are more
likely to complain publicly about a product than contacting it's
manufacturer and informing them of their trouble.
Example #1: My friend swears up and down that Ford trucks are the
best and Chevy trucks are the worst. He owned 1 Chevy truck, then
2 Fords, and did he contact Chevy to tell them about the problems
that his truck had...nope.
Example #2: An ex-girlfriend of mine detests the Applebees
restaurant because she got a chicken sandwich and it wasn't cooked
all the way. Now she tells everyone how bad Applebees is. Did she
talk to the manager or write the company to let them know there was
a problem...nope.
Example #3: 90% of the people I know in the computer world are
unsatisfied with Microsoft Windows (All Versions). Have they ever
written a letter or email to let Microsoft know about the bugs that
they experienced...nope. (In most cases they would either switch to
a Mac or just live with it hoping that Microsoft would read their
minds.)
I too have received complaints about my software, as well as bug
reports, but in the end the best way I've been able to see what
people want is to read the reviews that people post about my
program. Whether it be on CNET.com or some random bulletin board.
And you know what...I've seen more public posts than emails or
letters combined.
Derek Bump
Dreamscape Software
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