Firmware Update Delayed... - Page 3

tompe · 04-11-2008, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why mess with the images when the bug has been fixed? What will happen is when the next firmware update is available and you see your tiny images, you'll be cursing yourself for reducing the images just because a few people on the forum might still have the old firmware.

I cannot know that it has been fixed and it has not been fixed for people with old firmware. Some people will not take the trouble to mail a company to get an unofficial update to fix something that is not a problem now.

And you are wrong. The rescaled images are not tiny. Do not spread misinformation in this way.

JSWolf · 04-11-2008, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes, it would because a release will describe what they have fixed so i can now that it is fixed. I also refuse to have a program that will generate a lot of email to me and were people will be unwilling to update just because it is a lot of trouble.

What you could do is make a switch to not scale images and if that switch is used, make it display a disclaimer saying that if you have a Gen3 and firmware not of 538 or later then do not use that switch.

HarryT · 04-11-2008, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I cannot know that it has been fixed and it has not been fixed for people with old firmware.

You could know with reasonable certainty by taking a number of images which failed on v476 and seeing if they work on v538.

Is there a flag on your software which allows people not to rescale the images if they so choose? That would solve the problem, wouldn't it? Make the default action to rescale, but allow people to override it with an optional flag?

tompe · 04-11-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

You could know with reasonable certainty by taking a number of images which failed on v476 and seeing if they work on v538.

I have only save a couple of them so it is a lot of work for me to test this. much easier to get a statement that this bug is fixed in an official release.

Quote:

Is there a flag on your software which allows people not to rescale the images if they so choose? That would solve the problem, wouldn't it? Make the default action to rescale, but allow people to override it with an optional flag?

No, it will not solve the problem since people can generate files and distribute them. I do not want to contribute to the distribution of files that do not work for some people.

Krystian Galaj · 04-11-2008, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes, it would because a release will describe what they have fixed so i can now that it is fixed. I also refuse to have a program that will generate a lot of email to me and were people will be unwilling to update just because it is a lot of trouble.

Why do you assume they'll provide any information about the release other than just the release and installation instructions? Just because it's normally done?

HarryT · 04-11-2008, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

Why do you assume they'll provide any information about the release other than just the release and installation instructions? Just because it's normally done?

I'm not sure it is "normal" actually. It's generally done for computer operating system releases, yes, but not for consumer devices. Eg, when you get a new version of Apple's "iTunes" software the release notes generally say something like "Bug fixes" - they don't specify what the bugs were.

I'd say that the Gen3 is much more of a "consumer device" than a computer, so I certainly wouldn't assume that a firmware update would include a specific list of what exactly had been fixed.

tompe · 04-11-2008, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

Why do you assume they'll provide any information about the release other than just the release and installation instructions? Just because it's normally done?

I am used to Archos and they usually specify what they have fixed in new firmware releases.

delphidb96 · 04-11-2008, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I am used to Archos and they usually specify what they have fixed in new firmware releases.

That's nice. However, that one company makes it policy to specify, in detail, what each new firmware update fixes or adds does not automatically force other companies to do so. And from what I've seen, we're far more likely to get a 'fixed some bugs' notice than a detailed list of upgrades.

If the detailed list were the standard and more than 60% of companies used it, I'd start bugging the hell out of any company that didn't. However, it seems to me - and I have no statistical information to back this feeling up - that the reverse is true, maybe even to the tune of 80% or more not revealing details of fixes and upgrades.

Still, if you really must beat your head against that particular wall, feel free to do so. I won't be joining you.

Derek

Utahcowboy · 04-11-2008, 11:45 AM

[QUOTE=Ortep;169096]So you are suggesting that Microsoft is not making there own software?

Microsoft is a software company who develops many complex programs and bookeen only has one product which contains a relatively simple program. Don't compare apples and oranges.

hapax legomenon · 04-11-2008, 12:52 PM

This behavior by Cybook is not unusual. But it would be nice to know what bugs are being worked on and expected to be fixed.

pilotbob · 04-11-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utahcowboy

I also don't understand why it is taking so long.

I take it you don't work as a developer or team member on a software development project?

BOb

tompe · 04-11-2008, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I take it you don't work as a developer or team member on a software development project?

I really do not think you can generalise in that way. The software does not seem to be so complex and other products with firmware with similar complexity can have much faster release cycles.

The most probable reason it takes a lot of time is that Bookeen has not so meny people available to do development work. And that is en economical reason.

HarryT · 04-11-2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I really do not think you can generalise in that way. The software does not seem to be so complex and other products with firmware with similar complexity can have much faster release cycles.

The most probable reason it takes a lot of time is that Bookeen has not so meny people available to do development work. And that is en economical reason.

I do suspect that Bookeen's development team consists of two guys in a backroom somewhere. It's very much that kind of a company.

pilotbob · 04-11-2008, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I really do not think you can generalise in that way. The software does not seem to be so complex and other products with firmware with similar complexity can have much faster release cycles.

The most probable reason it takes a lot of time is that Bookeen has not so meny people available to do development work. And that is en economical reason.

Yes and no. But resources are certainly an important issue. But, also is visibility. We never announce a date, we usually announce a "projected calendar quarter". And that is only for the initial beta release. Once the beta is released we then do a controlled release to customers that request it up to a certain amount. Once that has been out for a certain amount of time we will project an RTM date. But, at that point the deliverables are all done and several customers are in production.

My point is, software development is hard. Release dates are an art more than a science. And, missing a publised release date is generally VERY bad, which is the ONLY thing Bookeen has seemed to do wrong at this point. Putting out a bad release is worse than missing a release date.

BOb

cmbs · 04-11-2008, 02:29 PM

My problem with Bookeen is very much their communication.

They ignore customer emails. When I got my cybook it wouldn't work correctly. That's a $350 brand new product that doesn't work correctly. I wrote them THREE letters, EVERY ONE IGNORED. That is a problem.

There is no troubleshooting on their website, no way to get help for problems with the product. If they had that, they wouldn't receive as many emails in the first place.

They give out information, sometimes (very hit and miss), to people who write. Important information, like the update to build 538. Again, THAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE ON THEIR WEBSITE, freely available to all their customers.

They give out release dates for the upgrade that they then don't meet. We wouldn't expect an update the first week of April if they hadn't said there would be one. They themselves have created that expectation. AND they're giving the dates out only to some people who write and ask, and again, this should be an announcement publicly made. Of course I want the update to work correctly. I don't mind waiting if I feel they are working on it. I do mind them giving out dates they don't meet, and I think any dates should be publicly announced.

If their communications were better, I'd be far less critical of them. But I still believe the product shouldn't have ever been sold with some of the problems it has/had (before build 538, which by the way, some users still don't know about). I don't think it was thoroughly tested before going on the market (and to believe it was is to believe they put it on the market knowing full well about the problems). This, along with their other behaviors, makes me think they're more interested in sales than in quality.

edit:
Do you need more proof of where I get my opinion from? Look at their blog. They have given out two release dates that have come and gone (to a few lucky souls who wrote and were blessed enough to receive a reply- and who so generously shared that information with the rest of us, like bookeen should have done in the first place), and now they have finally posted two new entries on their blog, and neither touches the subject of the overdue updates. Instead all they're doing is bragging about how many more people are being exposed to their product. How much time have the "two guys in a back room" been devoting to an upgrade in between working out all these deals to get their product to market?

What is the point of these blog entries? To impress us with how impressed others are with their product. To improve sales. They are just confirming my belief that they are far far more concerned with sales than with service or quality.

04-11-2008, 02:29 PM	#45
cmbs non-believer Posts: 384 Karma: 713 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: USA Device: Cybook Gen 3, JetBook Lite	My problem with Bookeen is very much their communication. They ignore customer emails. When I got my cybook it wouldn't work correctly. That's a $350 brand new product that doesn't work correctly. I wrote them THREE letters, EVERY ONE IGNORED. That is a problem. There is no troubleshooting on their website, no way to get help for problems with the product. If they had that, they wouldn't receive as many emails in the first place. They give out information, sometimes (very hit and miss), to people who write. Important information, like the update to build 538. Again, THAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE ON THEIR WEBSITE, freely available to all their customers. They give out release dates for the upgrade that they then don't meet. We wouldn't expect an update the first week of April if they hadn't said there would be one. They themselves have created that expectation. AND they're giving the dates out only to some people who write and ask, and again, this should be an announcement publicly made. Of course I want the update to work correctly. I don't mind waiting if I feel they are working on it. I do mind them giving out dates they don't meet, and I think any dates should be publicly announced. If their communications were better, I'd be far less critical of them. But I still believe the product shouldn't have ever been sold with some of the problems it has/had (before build 538, which by the way, some users still don't know about). I don't think it was thoroughly tested before going on the market (and to believe it was is to believe they put it on the market knowing full well about the problems). This, along with their other behaviors, makes me think they're more interested in sales than in quality. edit: Do you need more proof of where I get my opinion from? Look at their blog. They have given out two release dates that have come and gone (to a few lucky souls who wrote and were blessed enough to receive a reply- and who so generously shared that information with the rest of us, like bookeen should have done in the first place), and now they have finally posted two new entries on their blog, and neither touches the subject of the overdue updates. Instead all they're doing is bragging about how many more people are being exposed to their product. How much time have the "two guys in a back room" been devoting to an upgrade in between working out all these deals to get their product to market? What is the point of these blog entries? To impress us with how impressed others are with their product. To improve sales. They are just confirming my belief that they are far far more concerned with sales than with service or quality. Last edited by cmbs; 04-11-2008 at 02:48 PM.

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04-11-2008, 11:45 AM	#39
Utahcowboy Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 52 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3	[QUOTE=Ortep;169096]So you are suggesting that Microsoft is not making there own software? Microsoft is a software company who develops many complex programs and bookeen only has one product which contains a relatively simple program. Don't compare apples and oranges.

04-11-2008, 12:52 PM	#40
hapax legomenon Erotica Writer Posts: 102 Karma: 106 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Device: ipad, Sony Reader PRS 505, Cybook 3	This behavior by Cybook is not unusual. But it would be nice to know what bugs are being worked on and expected to be fixed.

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