stefan wrote:
Brett wrote:
With a competitive rival now, Graphisoft has to inform users what they are working on for future releases. This secretive way they operate up to now doesn't seem to me that they care about their users. Every release is a lottery for us to see if they have finally included the basics we have been waiting for year after year.
Welcome to the world of commercial software development. Frankly, this is not that uncommon, it is more the rule than the exception. If you want a more open approach, you could try to look for an Open Source alternative to ArchiCAD (there isn't any) or switch to a company which applies Open Beta programs, such as McNeel for their Rhino3D NURBS modeler.
There is some truth in the belief that this mode of operation is not uncommon and more the rule than the exception.........in the nineties.
Fact of the matter is that it is rapidly becoming an outdated way of operating by completely keeping customers in the dark about products in development until the product is actually released. Virtually most of all the major software developers now have very active user participation in both their products' pre-release development as well as their pre-release advertising and marketing. And this isn't limited to just the Beta-testers' input. Revit developers (including its original authors, actively take part in the user forums to discuss the programs' features, shortcomings and even the path of development. And Autodesk itself has a similar approach to the other software in their stable if you consider their input at the AUGI forums. Or you could take a look at Vlado's involvement at the Chaosgroup forums for Vray. Or perhaps Chema at the Fryrender forums. These are the original authors of the respective softwares mind you. It used to be the same at the Maxwell render forums until they messed up with the RC fiasco, but they didn't completely abandon the open approach and now they have a designated liaison who deals with most issues on their forums; the developers themselves still take part from time to time, mind you.
At some point, all these developers realized the value of involving their customers at some level or another in the development process or at least being upfront enough with them regarding the development path of their products as well as what was and was not possible rather than making promises which they couldn't keep (of which GS have made quite a few in the past year alone) and then proceeding to keep their clients in the dark about it until the product was released. They all pretty much learned from NextLimit's disastrous PR management with Maxwell during its Beta and RC phase and now they're all better off just being upfront about it.
And the language barrier shouldn't even be an issue, as all the examples I gave, save for Revit, have developers who are either Spanish or Bulgarian - and yet still somehow manage to find a way to communicate clearly and frequently with their users.
If you want a bigger name in a different but related field, how about Steve Jobs previewing the Iphone 2.0 to full-on media event. Granted this is past the development phase but at least he's giving the head's up on the expected features prior to its release so that you decide early enough whether you'll want to buy one or not. I could go on giving you examples which I guess would qualify as exceptions by your definition until they begin to challenge the very distinction of which is the "rule" and which is the "exception". Obviously marketing has a large part to do with the way Apple typically handle their pre-release information, but then again when you consider the fact that they cut their teeth against behemoth of software developers - Microsoft, in mastering the PR game, does it really surprise anyone that they know a thing or two of how to sell a product.
Graphisoft need to have a more visible and frequent presence in these forums beyond Beta testers who "know but can't tell". I can't remember the number of times users raised issues regarding the Grid tool last year, and the availability of the Maxonform plugin before a developer showed up to address them but it was a little ridiculous.
They also need to address users more directly and honestly as to what's feasible and what's not possible in the wishlists section particularly in upcoming versions, rather than leaving them hanging with the false hope (delusion?) that each new version will bring a much asked-for Wish going several versions back. These are not unreasonable requests or expectations from a software developer, nor is it considered "whining" by most serious software developers, and indeed business operators who know and value the importance of customer confidence.
And to keep defending them when they chose to do otherwise, is merely encouraging bad business habits, which are doing nothing but hurt them in the long run, - and clearly, its hurting them in the present as well - against their major competitor; as they continue to fall further behind Revit here in North America, with the rest of the world to follow.
Rant over.
Spell-checkers, grammar correctors and serious responses, welcome.
let it go mate, it's no wonder you are full of anger . . . 
). 
