Oog. I just spent the last 2-1/2 hours processing a bunch of T-Shirt orders from the Artificial Duck Co. Store. I was going to call in my order with the screen printer tomorrow, but now I think I should wait a day or two until things die down a bit. Nothing drives sales faster than quality merchandise at insane prices!
Anyway, when I fired up ecto (the amazing blogging tool I use to write this stuff) it notified me that a new version 2.3 has just been released. Wow. In addition to piling on new features and being a free upgrade, it's dead sexy. I'd say it was perfect now, but I said that about the last version and was proven wrong. And that brings up a very good question...
How is it that just one guy (that would be Adriaan Tijsseling) can constantly find new ways to improve his software... release bug fixes within hours of having them be reported... and provide world-class service for his customers... when mammoth companies like Adobe and Microsoft with thousands of employees suck so badly at it? There are bugs in Adobe Illustrator that I have been BEGGING them to fix for nearly a decade, and they have never been addressed. I send Adriaan a feature request and it arrives fifteen minutes later. WTF?!?
And it's not just ecto, there are plenty of other shareware developers that are equally astounding in their dedication to their customers. I wish that people would remember this when they find themselves using an unregistered piece of software over and over and over again. Hard work like that deserves to be rewarded.
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Smaller companies operate on a entirely different level.
Bigger companies are run by demons from Mars, and hence don’t care.
How can they be rewarded? Cartoon Dave Tshirts saying their product/company is totally bitchin’! Nothing says I’M SEXY without a seal of approval to show for it.
Seems to me like the difference is in who is supporting the software. At big companies, the software the tech support people are supporting is not their own. It’s just a job. On the other hand, when you write a letter to the writer of the software, that person will care a whole hell of a lot more about your problem.
Demons from Mars? That explains a lot…
And nothing is sexier than having Dave on your chest. But a Dave T-Shirt is good too.
I guess when the software you write is “all you” there is more of an incentive to make sure people are happy with it. I just find it odd that big companies focus all their efforts on the next version rather than fixing the problems with the current release. Sure there’s more money to be made from upgrades than bug fixes… but doesn’t customer service and satisfaction factor in there anywhere?
ecto for Mac is out. The Windows version remains the same.
It’s time for the Mac we’ve-got-a-superior-platform-but-never-get-respect-or-cool-stuff-first crybabies to shut up.
(None of those people are here. But you all know some.)
Geez,
That last post by me has a harsh sound. And it seemed so whimsical when it was floating around in my head. Even when I previewed it it had a bit of whimsy left.
Now. Just harsh.
Maybe I need some Enzyte. I’ll bet Bob makes kick-ass comments.
Ah, but we Mac users understand your frustrations… for Windows is a harsh mistress!
I personally love shareware. I would marry shareware if I could. Do you take shareware to be your bride? I do!