the new feattures list

[John Esak]

<cross-posted to fplist from beta list... hope no one minds...>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bud Henschen [mailto:bud at henschen.com]
> Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 1:55 PM
> Cc: 'John Esak'
>
>
> Greeting:   I don't have a problem with chat-room conversation, etc.;
> however, it won't change the release of 5.6.   We have customer waiting
> for 5.6 and it's current features and to postpone the release to add
> additional features is not acceptable.   We were going to release this
> product a year ago and it is still in testing.  To those who have
> wanted and
> waited for the current feature list would not be practical.
> Imagine, it you
> needed a feature, but we wouldn't release it when it was done and tested.
> We might be loosing those customers who are will to upgrade NOW.
> I have no
> problem having a chat-room conference and really would encourage it, but
> right now we have to get this version out the door as is.





Bud,

Just for the record... I was not suggesting any kind of a public conference
in the chat room or anywhere else. I think FP Tech's business, its business
plan and company matters are just that... FP Tech's and no one elses.  My
suggestion was that you (the company) get together now and release a plan
for filePro... what can it be made to do, what will it be made to do... and
a very rough projection of when these things can and will happen. Your
business is private and should stay that way. As developers using your
product, however, we need to know more about the plans for *it*. I, for one,
am tired of making mistakes about what the basic filePro engine can and
can't do. For those of us who are going to stick with filePro forever, it
would be extremely beneficial to know how you have prioritized the wish
list. What is possible, what can be done quickest, etc. This knowledge is
not proprietary... and you can tell it is crucial for many developers to
hear it now, before they succumb to the huge pressure of newer non-filePro
systems.

John Esak

P.S. - We were told that someone (Ron Kracht, perhaps?) has the wish list.
Is it prioritized. You mentioned to me that one of the print-code
enhancements is going to be in 5.7. What else? These are things that will
keep people going with you, not leaving you. I personally have stopped
submitting ideas and suggestions to the wish list almost a year ago. It is
an absolutely thankless and useless task. There is never, ever any response
or acknowledgement of any kind. Someone said the wish list is a symbolic
link to /dev/null. This is a joke, but unfortunately, unless you give us the
list back again after you have made it "useful" by prioritizing it and
perhaps even time-lining it... the project is essentially a waste of
anyone's time. The few things I know are coming keep me waiting with baited
breath for each new release... and though you (FP Tech) have always
implented good suggestions... it doesn't seem this has ever been done as a
result of the supposedly "official" sish list that is on Howie's site.
Getting somekind of responsiveness into this mechanism would go a long way
to keeping you guys well-informed of what we need/want/suggest... and
keeping the "rabble" less boisterous because they/we will be "in-the-know"
and not feeling so left out.