wish list item...

[John Esak]

Lauren,

Thanks for your answer. You are always so good about communicating back to
filePro users and developers... whether the answer is what they want to hear
or not. :-) This, at least, is a very good thing. Thanks.

But, I have to stand by my suggestion that the wish list aspect of FP Tech's
developer relations be moved so as to become a part of the new web support
engine. It is just a perfect vehicle for it and would engender so much
community appreciation. The two things outside of actual "wishes" that have
been asked for over the years are a tracking system for bugs... and a
tracking system for the wish list. It may be my opinion alone, but I feel
tracking and accountability for the wish list suggestions is far more
important than a bug tracking system. Real bugs get fixed... they have to...
wishes even real ones (:-) go nowhere.

Let me rant for a bit...

The "official wish list" has proven itself to be useless. I won't ever
submit anything there again. I did so for a couple years (stupidly) and then
realized it was a pure waste of time. Once, I think in an FP Room session,
Ron Kracht said he did review the wish list and somehow prioritized it or
something. I can't remember, but I think a promise was made by someone,
maybe Bud, to get something out about it... but nothing ever showed up.  All
those really good suggestions from all those earnest people, and they have
gone absolutely nowhere, and have no prayer of ever seeing the light of day.

There are so many serious problems with that "official" wish list, the main
one being that there is never, ever, any response on any level... not even a
comment as to whether something is do-able, desirable, already done... etc.
I'm sorry, nothing could convince me that it is not a complete waste of
effort on anyone's part. The only thing that could do it is FP Tech putting
out that entire wish list as submitted so far, with a priority number on
each item, and a possible (not even promised) but simply possible ETA and
version number in which one might hope to see it.

I know I sound rancorous and unhappy... well, I just don't know any other
way to couch this. There used to be a time when filePro was very highly
motivated by developer suggestions and requests. It does not seem that way
anymore. I mean many things have slipped through the cracks. I know of a
couple things that are actually "bad things" if not outright bugs that
haven't been fixed for over 20 years now. It's likely they never will be.
But, during that time, many things have been implemented which were
suggested (and needed) by developers and even users. However, even that
once-in-a-while thing has gone away now. For example, it was over two years
ago that Bud said a particular "print code" enhancement idea Jim Asman and I
had (I even made a movie about it) would be "in" the next release. Well, it
did not make it into 5.6.0, and Bud said there was some reason that it would
have to wait until a next release. Okay, like I said, exigencies one way or
another and some things have to be put off. I understand that. But,
obviously, the two years (so far) delay means it won't be in any 5.6
release. It's not clear when 5.6.7 will come out... so hoping and waiting
for 5.7 to have it see the light of day seems like a naive thing to do. So,
if something promised and roughly scheduled to happen doesn't even come
close, what of the hundreds of other wishes... which are not usually
"wishes" but rather plain good ideas for the product things that wouldn't be
hard to implement in the package. If the history weren't there to prove
otherwise, I wouldn't feel this way. I wouldn't have any right to feel this
way. I wish it were so.

Amway, rant over. I think I will keep putting wishes (ideas/suggestions) on
the new Forum... it is clear to me that they will get more attention there
than anywhere else. If I were a rabble rouser and an outside agitator I
would even go so far as to suggest that everyone boycott the useless
"official" wish list and just put your things on the new forum Wish List
section. If FP Tech ignores their *own* site... than there really is no
hope.

John



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lauren Kelly [mailto:ljkelly at fptech.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 6:27 PM
> To: john at valar.com
> Cc: Filepro-List at Lists. Celestial. Com
> Subject: Re: wish list item...
>
>
> Hi John,
>
> At this time, the forum wishlist area is just a supplement to the
> official filePro wishlist.
>
> I heard from many developers that they felt like their items were
> disappearing into a black hole when they submitted them to the wishlist,
> and I hoped the forum would provide a comfortable place to discuss items
> and expand on them with the fP Tech crew.
>
> Items do still need to be entered into the 'official' wishlist, which is
> at http://www.photobuff.com/wishlist/index.html
>
> I know this isn't ideal, but hopefully it is better than the black hole.
>
> Lauren
>
>
> John Esak wrote:
> > Hi Lauren,
> >
> > Question, how does the wish list on the new FP forum work? Is
> it in place so
> > that people can add wish lists there. Can the new support forum possibly
> > accommodate new wish lists as a special support function. In other words
> > instead of starting a support question or incident, you could
> notate that
> > this is just a wish list you are submitting... and it gets put
> onto a (the)
> > list and prioritized and responded to in some way?
> >
> > Meanwhile,
> >
> > Tony Ryder just came up with a good wish list item in the FP Room.
> >
> > When you use the block function LOAD and SAVE on a processing table:
> >
> > LOAD) Immediately after entering the line at which the process
> snippet is to
> > be loaded, rcabe should show you an F6 listing of the files,
> then choosing a
> > file should show you the processes available for that file, and then
> > choosing the process you want should load it.
> >
> > SAVE) When a file is saved, rcabe should tell you if that process name
> > already exists and query as to whether you want to overwrite it.
> >
> > Now, if this were put on the "new" wish list in the FP forum,
> one could hope
> > that say weekly perhaps, someone at FP Tech could run down the
> submissions
> > and give them a number which could then be tracked like a
> support incident.
> > Eventually, after discussed by FP Tech, a response on the order of
> > "possible/impossible/desirable/not-desirable" whatever could be
> assigned to
> > it. And better yet, eventually a tentative yes/no as to whether
> it might be
> > included in a future update.
> >
> > I must say, this suggestion has been made at least 50 times before,
> > publicly, privately, etc. The first I remember is in The Guru
> Magazine back
> > circa Version 3.0/4.1. It is simply time that someone, somehow, some way
> > from FP Tech answers it. My feeling is now that the support
> forum engine is
> > in place, there is an excellent and *easy* way to finally
> implement it... so
> > can we can some response this time to how wish lists are
> handled and will be
> > handled in the future?  Thanks.
> >
> > cc: filePro Forum
> >
> >