Poll now workin: Do you support more frequent NWP bug-fixes?

[martin]

I'd like to vote, and vote yes, but phpbb returns "The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again."

This was actually some conflict between phpBB and our board's default template/style "Hestia Blue". We've fixed the problem, so voting should work again.

[CrisB]

As I implied in my posting above, I really don't see the point of this; I cannot imagine anyone saying no to more frequent bug-fixes or updates.
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But, take part in this poll ... no, not even to say I have better things to be doing.
Mark

But you're not saying yes you do support more frequent bug-fixes, Mark. So are you a no after all? Why post to say - at enormous length - that you decline to take part in tho poll?

Thanks for your participation anyway
Cris

[martin]

But you're not saying yes to support more frequent bug-fixes. So why post to say - at enormous length - that you decline to take part in tho poll?

I assure you that I'm not going to great lengths to ignore the poll. I'm merely speaking out on a technical point which I can illuminate.

As others have pointed out, issuing more frequent updates will surely be the decisive choice here: who would refute frequent progress? We at Nisus surely agree with such sentiments. Our product's fitness is so very important to us, and we'll do all within our capability to improve and develop Nisus Writer in the way that we think best empowers our users.

[CrisB]

I assure you that I'm not going to great lengths to ignore the poll.

Martin, I do know that you're not ignoring this, and I also know you know that "I find it difficult to envisage how Nisus support could be better." Yet as soon as I had written that, I thought of one area - more frequent bug-fixes...

NWP 2.0.4 came out in August 2012 and 2.0.5 in September 2013. That's thirteen months in which 248 bugs and issues were fixed. Until the fix is issued, each bug gives the user the hassle of needing to spend time working around the problem.

Suppose bug-fixes were issued every six months instead. Then to vastly simplify the issue, and other things being equal, there would be half the number of bugs outstanding for half the time. That's a quarter (50%*50%=25%) the hassle for your users. Put another way, this would give Nisus a four-fold improvement in customer satisfaction in the bug-fixing area.

I do fully appreciate that Nisus have limited staff who work extremely hard, and that more frequent bug-fix versions would increase the work-load. Yet I hope that a four-fold increase in customer satisfaction speaks for itself...

warm regards,
Cris

[dshan]

2.0.6: Talk about getting what you ask for! Way to go Nisus!

[greenmorpher]

2.0.6: Talk about getting what you ask for! Way to go Nisus!

True, true. I am reminded of my younger brother's modest foray into programming his little CPM computer (an Australian MicroBee). he was a petrol head and mechanical designer who had worked ast a pretty high level in that field, being involved (albeit as a junior) in work on the Repco V8 engines that powered the Repco Brabhams to world F1 dominance, who remarked how simple mechanical systems were compared with just setting up a little logo to print out with threletter "x" on a dot matrix (or was it impact?) printer.

When his programming didn’t work as expected, he kept wanting to get out the screwdriver, rip the cover off the machine, fix the problem with a hammer. With a petrol engine, you problems are either fuel/air mix or electrical (perhaps both), with a diesel, you are looking at fuel/air mix. Full stop! (Okay, with some refinement.) I am in awe of what people like the lads and lasses working in the computer programming field achieve with so many possibilities for something to go wrong.



Cheers, geoff

[greenmorpher]

On reflection, the fact that we can wait, what, a year?, for a 0.0.1 update, then another can appear in weeks, tells us something about now Nisus designates their updated/upgrades.

I would have called 2.0.5 at least a point update, e.g. 2.1, and possibly more -- maybe some points. 2.0.6 looks like a real 0.0.1 update.

I tend to see 0.0.1 updates as bug fixes and minor tweaks -- perhaps improving the reliability of some features but not really changing them. To me a 0.1 update is perhaps a number of tweaks that move existing features forward in needed ways, if not taking them to or markedly towards some level of maturity, and, of course, with bug fixes.

A 1.0 upgrade is new features, further development of existing features to being them to maturity, and, of course, bug fixes.

Them's me thoughts!

Cheers, geoff