If my expectations are wrong or if I’m way off base, please let me know and I'm not trying to be a complainer, but maybe it is time to call a spade a spade with Invelos?

After the last update, the Alt-Key combinations stopped working when adding a DVD. I contacted support over a month ago and the problem still hasn’t been fixed and there is no time table. I literally check in every week and get the same response – essentially, it will be done when it is done (no sorry, no nothing). That would be cool if I could go back to a prior version but I can’t as this is explicitly advised against by tech support.

Is this a world ending issue? Naaaa - but when you are entering in a ton of new DVDs, it is a major pain and more importantly I don’t understand why it takes over a month for a simple fix, the arrogance in their reply, and more importantly any willingness to help find a work around. 

In short, it just seems like they don’t care. Frankly, maybe they don’t and from reading various posts over the years one can definitely see that thread woven through the DNA of the company.

I hope someone at Invelos (maybe Ken?) reads this and takes it for what it is – constructive criticism. I love the product, but a little TLC would go a long way in regards to your customer service.

Don
P.S. I just noticed you can do a poll for a message – I’ll give it a try – should make for an interesting poll…

Any time I've ever opened a Ticket i've had an almost immediate response from Ken/Invelos and obvious effort has gone into resolving my problem.
The implementation may take a while since more important things are being carried out but i'm happy that Ken 9especially as a one-man-prgrammer) makes every effort to solve problems as quickly as possible and implement them in a timeframe suitable to the rest of the development going on and appropriate to the seriousness of the problem.

VDL:

Please tell me that you understand the difference between a "bug" and something thaT prevents the program from working. You would run into similar issues with virtually any program ever made. Do you really think that Bill Gates would release a brand new Windows just because you found something that didn't work the way you think it should or want it to....that's not gonna happen. Wow that's amazing.      

I've never had a reason to contact customer support, but let me ask you this, when was the last time you had to pay for an update? This program is essentially free software as I see it.

Which doesn't mean I'm 100% satisfied with the program, or how things are run is the way I would do it, but it is what it is. But if you've been using the program for years you probably know this already...

All good points and I do realize this isn't he end of the world and I want to thank everyone for being nice on such a sensitive issue!

Just a couple things to note as with anything it is your viewing perspective and maybe mine is just a bit different than others:

- The core issue isn't just this patch/bug, it is an underlying feeling I've had as someone who has used the program a lot - even back before the ownership issues and have even written custom plugins for it over the years. I use the program a lot, but have been frustrated time and time again as it seems like I'm always waiting for a 'fix' from Ken(?) on the basics and the responses I get are essentially 'corporate', or paraphrasing, it will be done when Ken gets it done.

- As for the bug comment, yes, I realize it is a bug, but for most software - especially when a core usability interface feature is blatantly broken, they'll release patches before the next major release. Can you imagine Microsoft waiting to release a fix until the next version of Office if the hot-keys didn't work?

This is a bit off topic, and I'll admit that I haven't looked closely at the new version's internals to know if any of these items have changed, but here would be my wish list if I were King at Invelos for a day:

- Stop trying to drive what is done with the program - setup an environment to let the community drive it instead.
- Hire additional programers (charge more - okay by me)
- Stop using dbisam for the database - yuck!
- Start using SQL or some sort of open DB that folks can easily integrate to without needing to make a in-program plug-in and publish the DB info/specs.
- Stop locking down some of the local DB files- what are you afraid of here?
- Multi-User Version
- Web Interface Version
- App for Android
- Open API for master online database
- and most importantly, fix the darn HotKey issue!!!

Don

Quoting VDL:

Quote:
All good points and I do realize this isn't he end of the world and I want to thank everyone for being nice on such a sensitive issue!

Just a couple things to note as with anything it is your viewing perspective and maybe mine is just a bit different than others:

- The core issue isn't just this patch/bug, it is an underlying feeling I've had as someone who has used the program a lot - even back before the ownership issues and have even written custom plugins for it over the years. I use the program a lot, but have been frustrated time and time again as it seems like I'm always waiting for a 'fix' from Ken(?) on the basics and the responses I get are essentially 'corporate', or paraphrasing, it will be done when Ken gets it done.

- As for the bug comment, yes, I realize it is a bug, but for most software - especially when a core usability interface feature is blatantly broken, they'll release patches before the next major release. Can you imagine Microsoft waiting to release a fix until the next version of Office if the hot-keys didn't work?

This is a bit off topic, and I'll admit that I haven't looked closely at the new version's internals to know if any of these items have changed, but here would be my wish list if I were King at Invelos for a day:

- Stop trying to drive what is done with the program - setup an environment to let the community drive it instead.
- Hire additional programers (charge more - okay by me)
- Stop using dbisam for the database - yuck!
- Start using SQL or some sort of open DB that folks can easily integrate to without needing to make a in-program plug-in and publish the DB info/specs.
- Stop locking down some of the local DB files- what are you afraid of here?
- Multi-User Version
- Web Interface Version
- App for Android
- Open API for master online database
- and most importantly, fix the darn HotKey issue!!!

Don

Ummm, Don then I think you should try the latest version

The program has always been user driven, some of us think excessively so
Adiitional programmers, probably not in the cards
Dbisam...Ken's choice
Multi-users see 3.6
App for Android, yeah let's design an App for a Phone OS that is being SUED, that's a good idea, probably not in the cards anytime soon, lawsuit settled first
Open API don't hold your breath
I'll agree on the HotKey, even though I am not big on using them, but I think that by and large is fixed try 3.6 first

Kind of hard for you to really complain, Don, when you haven't tried the most recent version

>> The program has always been user driven, some of us think excessively so

Can you please explain why you think the program has been excessively user driven and why you are implying that is a bad thing? I just have a hard time seeing that as being bad.

>> Multi-users see 3.6

Great - I hadn't taken a close look at the new features, but I do recall putting in multiple requests for this feature starting in 2007. Nice to see that it was finally "gotten around to". Hopefully my HotKey fix won't take 3 years.

>> Adiitional programmers, probably not in the cards

Why? The core concept of the program is good, but the key thing that makes this program work is the user-generated database of DVDs. One programmer just isn't practical to support something that has grown the way this program has - in affect, Ken is limiting the real potential of the database by bottlenecking the interfaces to it thru him.

I had initially thought of saying that he should open source the program, but that really isn't necessary if he just opens up the core elements and connectivity to them.

Bottom line, for Ken's model to work he has to keep innovating and frankly for one programmer that is an impossible mission.

>> Dbisam...Ken's choice

Sure, but see comments above about the larger picture.

>> App for Android, yeah let's design an App for a Phone OS that is being SUED, that's a good idea, probably not in the cards anytime soon, lawsuit settled first

Wow - this one really surprised me. Maybe a bit of Apple Fanboi going on here?

Couple of items that you may be interested in:

  HTC is being sued - Not Google. If Apple had a strong case why not sue Google directly on their Nexus One Handset? Even if HTC loses in court over this doesn't mean the end of the platform, it just means some of the user interfaces elements have to be re-worked like multi-touch.

  Android's out sold iPhones this month and continues to have an exponential growth curve in both new handsets being sold and apps being developed. It is also the only platform available on ALL cell phone carriers.

  Apple is currently being sued for patent infringement from Nokia who has been in the phone market far longer than Apple. So by your logic should the iPhone App be tossed as well?

>> Open API don't hold your breath

Isn't that sort of my core point of frustration with Invelos? Invelos/Ken being unresponsive to unleashing the platform and by proxy removing the bottleneck of a one-man 'dictator'. At the end of the day, the community has built an awesome database and it seems a bit odd to me that we leave full control of it to one person's whim.

Again, just my thoughts and please don't kill the messenger .

Don

I always get a kick out of the fact for any  PM's I send to Ken..
I sent one a month ago and he never even 'looked at at ', as it remained "Yellow Exclamation"..
Now the month has gone by  and it is no longer in my PM's sent.

It was so long ago now I forgot ( almost) what it was about.. 
Bottom line don't bother sending any PM's  just post your complaints / enquiries  here on the boards ..