Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: We Make Shitty Software, With Bugs

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:7/5/1999; 10:29:12 AM
Topic:Link colors
Msg #:8201 (In response to 8196)
Prev/Next:8200 / 8202

I've heard from a corporate customer who says I should just kick back and let people have endless conversations on why this software sucks. That doesn't work for me, sorry.

There is a solution, we will soon split this DG into two, one for customer conversations and one for people who want to use the leading-edge development software we're working on. There has been a development delay, I had hoped we would have already made the switchover to the new two-dg approach. I've written about it here before, but let me repeat the story.

On the customer DG, you will be allowed to make feature requests that apply to your personal use of the software. This will be for UserLand customers only. I will participate in that forum to the extent that I participate on the Frontier-Users mail list, to answer questions. Other members of UserLand will participate there too, including the Support Associates.

On the latter, which is the continuation of this DG, you will have to live with breakage and missing pet features without complaining or repeating messages that other people leave. This DG will be open to the public, you may be a customer of UserLand, but in this space, that's not special. In other words, in this latter space I am allowed to direct the discussion in a direction that's productive for the development process, and you are not allowed to exercise any priviledge you might have as a customer of ours, or anyone else.

This is part of the separation of publishing and editorial work at UserLand. I have to keep the roles clear, and unfortunately that means you must too. It is not OK for UserLand customers to exercise editorial control over what happens here, any more than it would be OK for an advertiser in a newspaper to try to influence the editorial content of the newspaper.

BTW, this happens whenever there's a big change in process. The number of angry and controlling messages goes up. I could totally see this getting much more intense. I really hope people can stay positive, the integration of the aggregation engine with the other new software we have in development will change things a lot. Some of you are new to this, I am not. I've been thru a dozen of these shifts with Frontier and working with an online community. Every time a new crop of people must learn that they don't run the show. Sorry if this hurts or makes you want to leave, we're doing the best we can. Thanks for listening.

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