Quote:
Originally Posted by BetterRed
I don't have any iDevices, and only a few apps on my Android devices. I regard the near constant stream of undocumented updates as a signal that the apps are developed by a bunch of 'cavalier amateurs' - that includes Google apps - why does a Photo app need updating twice a week.
The tone of the reaction to CC's change of ownership stems in part from the fact that the original developer's, Charles Haley and his son (name escapes me), used 'professional' change management practices - offering users options, i.e. do you want/like: this, this, or this; documenting changes, sometimes before even doing them; beta testing with open feedback etc.
Another factor is that Charles is a major contributor to the development of calibre, Kovid's posts in the calibre forum often reference custom columns, column icons, the template language… as being in chaley's bailiwick. As a result he was always 'top dog' in knowledge domain he shared with CC users.
I guess what I'm saying is that CC's original developers set an extremely high bar within the CC user community regading what they expect of CC developers. Very few, if any, Android or IOS app developers can be expected to match those expectaions - either by inclination or capability.
FTR I don't use CC, but I have recommended it to a number of friends and acquaintances - regretfully in some instances.
Re subscription charging - maybe a free book a month would be a 'fun thing to do' - e.g "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, or "The Cleopatra Ode" by Horace might get people away from Sci-Fi and Chick-lit for a moment 
BR |
I think that a continuous stream of undocumented updates tends to reflect unstable code. I would expect that once the code has stabilized, then releases settle down to occasional simple feature enhancements and general adjustments as the underlying OS has new releases.
I tend to differentiate between the Android code base and the iOS code base. My understanding is that CC for Android has been around for quite a long time. CC for iOS hasn't been around nearly as long, and I think there was only the original release and a couple of bug fix releases. I have no idea what the user base for the two products (CC Android and CC iOS) are.