No they don't listen to their users. Sometimes they just sit around in their IRC channel and only use XMPP, close their eyes and ears to user input and never actually use the other protocols other than basic testing, which may explain why they lack some features.
Did you know that Yahoo conferences in pidgin used to have an invite button? They took it out, and now you have to go to Conversation>invite. And you can't assign a key combination to it, I've tried. Personally I actually preferred the old gaim preferences system.
I know what group you belong in: user-hating developer. If you hate users so much don't release your stuff in the wild, because once you do, you have a responsibility to the users whether you want it or not, no matter what kind of "no warranty or support" statements you might make.
If I build a house for someone and get them to sign a contract stating I have no responsibility as it's actual usability or quality, and then it leaks water from the first day and collapses on the second, I am morally and spiritually responsible, even if the contract or say "license" says I';m not legally.
I wouldn't exactly say "arrogant" perhaps "unfeeling" or maybe they've been sitting in front of vi (or emacs) for so long they stopped caring about user input that doesn't match their own mindset.
You should see my Freenode-#pidgin.log just after the removal of the protocol specific buddy icons fiasco last year This is just more of the same.
in fact, why don't I post some of it:
**** BEGIN LOGGING AT Sat May 5 02:17:42 2007
May 05 02:17:42 --> You are now talking on #pidgin May 05 02:17:42 --- Topic for #pidgin is Welcome to the home of Pidgin, Finch, and libpurple, formerly Gaim || see: http://pidgin.im/ (yes, we know it's down, don't ask about it) for the announcement! || Before you seek support, be sure you're using 2.0.0 (NOT MTN) and READ THE FAQ: http://pidgin.im/faq.php || This is a PG channel || Windows questions should be asked in #pidgin-win32, even if you think it's not Windows-specific || MSN is a server issue || Pidgin is the fullcrap May 05 02:17:42 --- Topic for #pidgin set by nosnilmot at Fri May 4 10:32:32 2007 May 05 02:17:43 -ChanServ- [#pidgin] Please read the FAQ at http://pidgin.im/faq.php and use Pidgin 2.0.0. If you want to use Pidgin with Google Talk, please read http://tinyurl.com/crze3 May 05 02:17:52 <mateuszk> deryni, Oh I didnt know about it... May 05 02:18:53 <CronoCloud> I've been reading some of the tickets, particular the one about the protocol icons and I don't particularly like the condescending attitude the developers are showing to the users May 05 02:19:15 <deryni> Then you need to reread it, and read the DesignGuidelines, and the mailing list, and the sf forums. May 05 02:19:31 <CronoCloud> in other words: We know best. May 05 02:19:32 <deryni> Because if you are taking offense at the developers attitude you aren't paying enough attention to the users insults. May 05 02:19:37 <Orborde> How often is the API doxygen code regenerated. May 05 02:19:40 <Orborde> ? May 05 02:19:41 <deryni> Not a single developer has said that. May 05 02:19:53 <Feles> Is it a GTK Bug that when you move a window on top of say, a Pidgin IM Window, that the window does not refresh correctly? May 05 02:19:54 <CronoCloud> no but that's how it "comes across" May 05 02:19:59 <deryni> The ones on the website? Not very often. May 05 02:19:59 <Feles> (In Windows) May 05 02:20:01 <deryni> CronoCloud: Not if you really read it. May 05 02:20:03 <deryni> Feles: Topic. May 05 02:20:14 <CronoCloud> I have read it, and that is exactly how it comes across May 05 02:20:42 <deryni> CronoCloud: Then I'm sorry you have that opinion because that was never the point and I really fail to see how you can read it that way. May 05 02:21:05 <Feles> >.> Sorry, they just weren't answering the question at all, thought I might have some luck here. Sorry about that. May 05 02:21:07 <deryni> That is without also being outraged at the users for clearly not reading and spouting the same arguments repeatedly while insulting the developers. May 05 02:21:15 <-- BHSPitMonkey (n=stephen@67.64.144.90) has left #pidgin ("Leaving") May 05 02:21:23 <CronoCloud> sigh, look, respecting the users is a top priority, we complain when microsoft does it, and now you're doing the same thing May 05 02:21:39 <deryni> Um, no it isn't. And yes, we are. May 05 02:21:56 <deryni> We are actually respecting them more by trying to make things work better than by blithely giving in to their demands. May 05 02:22:09 <CronoCloud> changing UI without user input is not good, after the change they're giving you input and you're ignoring it and saying we know best. May 05 02:22:21 <-- barlas has quit (No route to host) May 05 02:22:21 <deryni> We aren't ignoring it. May 05 02:22:25 <deryni> They are ignoring us. May 05 02:22:30 --> spanella47 (n=spanella@200.50.72.156) has joined #pidgin May 05 02:22:31 <deryni> We have repeatedly explained our reasoning. May 05 02:22:32 <deryni> They have not. May 05 02:22:35 <CronoC
Oh they don't get user-testing all right. And when users test their releases and say something is badly designed or un-intuitive, they give you the old "we're the developers, we wrote it to scratch an itch, who cares what you users think, you don't know anything."
I went into SL with the philosophy that I'd respond "sure" to any offer to see something or go someplace or try something and have enjoyed each and every one.
Oh, that's a good philosophy to have, and I bet you had some very interesting experiences.
I was surprised by how many Caucasian blonde avatars with perfect bodies there were who slowly walk places.
Thankfully, in the past year that's changed a bit but young pretty AVs are still predominant, especially for the average 40ish user age range...
Nods, though my avatar is Caucasian, redheaded, with a perfect body, who walks places. Though I do fly over longer distances, in part because I love my take off and landing animations.
As a last note, I'm not even going to get into the case of where a male has a female character as an avatar and tries to look like them....
Why not? We know transgendered people exist, so why wouldn't a transgendered person find something like Second Life appealing. They might even use SL like they use IRC, for support.
Just whatever you do, don't get a console. All you will get is re-branded sports games, FPSes with shitty controls and maybe one actually good game every now and then.
Let's take a look at which console games I have within reach. FFXII, The Bards Tale, Champions of Norrath, Diablo, Hot Shots Golf 3 and Fore, Final Fantasy VII, Justice League Heroes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward, Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, X-Men Legends, SOCOM II, Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Dark Cloud 2, Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Magic Pengel, Okage: The Shadow King, Defender, RPG Maker II, ICO, RPG Maker 3, Half-Life, Beyond Good and Evil, Everquest Online Adventures Frontiers.
I think the lowest rated games of that list are Okage and the Hunter game, the rest would be 7's and 8's on a 1-10 scale, with some 9's and a 10 or two. Only one of them is an FPS, and that one has keyboard and mouse support. Now your friends who had consoles may have been "Madden and Halo only" gamers, but there's more to consoles than sports games.
Even a good SNES emulator i.e ZSNES is a whole lot more then current console offerings. You can play Chrono Trigger, FF6 and a lot of other classic games you can not play on any current platform other then PC via emulation.
You did know you can play Chrono Trigger and FFVI on the PS1, PS2 and PS3. In fact the PS2/PS3 are the only systems that can play every currently mainline Final Fantasy game but one, FFIII.
I don't know, I don't own a PS3 yet. It shouldn't be slow, it's got a much faster CPU and more RAM than the PS2 does. Unless you're trying to run OOo, Firefox AND GIMP at the same time or something. Maybe it's E17. If you've got XFCE or fluxbox on it, try that. You could try different apps too, Dillo or Links instead of Firefox, that sort of thing.
Lets say you have a video game console, you can walk down to the store, buy a game and have it just work. Let's say that console can also run Linux even a version of Ubuntu. and you can choose to boot into either what could be caled "GameOS" or Linux. That would be good, right? Hell since the hardware is a known target the distro could be extremely customized and optimized
Porn surfing, ebay buying and off the shelf game playing on one extremely reliable, extremely virus/worm/crap resistant small box that can hook up to any TV. Hell, you could even write your dissertation on it, or if you're a sysadmin, remote admin your workplaces Linux server.
There just isn't enough things out there that need that kind of bandwidth. You discover that at this point, even 10mbit is really damn fast for normal usage like web surfing (including video) e-mail and so on. It is only if you download large things that it becomes much of an issue.
Sure 10 Mb is damn fast for normal usage, but what if you have more than one machine, add another computer, a net enabled video game machine, portable devices. It adds up, especially if your upload is slower than your download.
A lot of stuff works fine, you'll scroll more with a web browser of course, but most applications are usable What suffers at low-resolutions the most are toolbar and icon happy applications, say Abiword, or the GIMP's main toolbar.
Both my mom and dad once worked for Motorola, no not making cell phone stuff, or embedded CPU's, they made televisions on an assembly line. That's right, televisions. My mother in particular made degausser coils. Then all of a sudden they were told that the factory had been sold, to some company called Matsushita that no one had heard of, but has dome minimal brand awareness as Panasonic. Matsushita then had Motorolas Quasar brand to use for themselves, because at that time there was still some pride in buying American. Well soon after Matsushita shut down the plant, they didn't really need it, they just wanted the name and some of the technology.
Motorola KNEW that, but didn't tell anyone. They did say before the sale that if any employee wanted to stay with Moto, they could move to Shaumburg on their own dime, and they might be able to offer them a job, no guarantees. Bastards just threw the workers to the dogs, I still loathe Motorola for what they did.
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Funny thing is, back in the old gaim days, of .59 etc, they said that audio/video support WOULD eventually happen.
They're geeks, they sit in IRC, IM using Jabber, and code with vi or emacs. They probably simply don't "get" why some people want voice or video.
No they don't listen to their users. Sometimes they just sit around in their IRC channel and only use XMPP, close their eyes and ears to user input and never actually use the other protocols other than basic testing, which may explain why they lack some features.
Did you know that Yahoo conferences in pidgin used to have an invite button? They took it out, and now you have to go to Conversation>invite. And you can't assign a key combination to it, I've tried. Personally I actually preferred the old gaim preferences system.
Yes, that's how they are. They're like the ffmpeg and GIMP developers in that. It's almost like they hate users who can't code.
I know what group you belong in: user-hating developer. If you hate users so much don't release your stuff in the wild, because once you do, you have a responsibility to the users whether you want it or not, no matter what kind of "no warranty or support" statements you might make.
If I build a house for someone and get them to sign a contract stating I have no responsibility as it's actual usability or quality, and then it leaks water from the first day and collapses on the second, I am morally and spiritually responsible, even if the contract or say "license" says I';m not legally.
I wouldn't exactly say "arrogant" perhaps "unfeeling" or maybe they've been sitting in front of vi (or emacs) for so long they stopped caring about user input that doesn't match their own mindset.
in fact, why don't I post some of it:
Oh they don't get user-testing all right. And when users test their releases and say something is badly designed or un-intuitive, they give you the old "we're the developers, we wrote it to scratch an itch, who cares what you users think, you don't know anything."
Oh, that's a good philosophy to have, and I bet you had some very interesting experiences.
Nods, though my avatar is Caucasian, redheaded, with a perfect body, who walks places. Though I do fly over longer distances, in part because I love my take off and landing animations.
I'm CronoCloud Creeggan by the way.
I don't know, perhaps. But it does help me deal with RL issues.
SL blog, NSFW, pixilated boobehs: http://ccslfashionista.blogspot.com/
I think it would help in IT:
User: Hi admin, I uh need Bittorrent installed, to download Linux distros, yeah Linux distros.
Admin: Pardon me while I finish bathing in the blood of the fallen users who annoyed me.
User, seeing blood of the fallen, flees in terror.
Because it's not totally accurate, It's a stereotype from a few years back, women do play MMORPG's these days.
Why not? We know transgendered people exist, so why wouldn't a transgendered person find something like Second Life appealing. They might even use SL like they use IRC, for support.
No, I'm sorry, when it comes to co-op games that HUGE PS2 library has it all over the X-Box.
Let's take a look at which console games I have within reach. FFXII, The Bards Tale, Champions of Norrath, Diablo, Hot Shots Golf 3 and Fore, Final Fantasy VII, Justice League Heroes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward, Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, X-Men Legends, SOCOM II, Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Dark Cloud 2, Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Magic Pengel, Okage: The Shadow King, Defender, RPG Maker II, ICO, RPG Maker 3, Half-Life, Beyond Good and Evil, Everquest Online Adventures Frontiers.
I think the lowest rated games of that list are Okage and the Hunter game, the rest would be 7's and 8's on a 1-10 scale, with some 9's and a 10 or two. Only one of them is an FPS, and that one has keyboard and mouse support. Now your friends who had consoles may have been "Madden and Halo only" gamers, but there's more to consoles than sports games.
You did know you can play Chrono Trigger and FFVI on the PS1, PS2 and PS3. In fact the PS2/PS3 are the only systems that can play every currently mainline Final Fantasy game but one, FFIII.
Similar experience with Dillo.
I don't know, I don't own a PS3 yet. It shouldn't be slow, it's got a much faster CPU and more RAM than the PS2 does. Unless you're trying to run OOo, Firefox AND GIMP at the same time or something. Maybe it's E17. If you've got XFCE or fluxbox on it, try that. You could try different apps too, Dillo or Links instead of Firefox, that sort of thing.
"Do you wish to enter insert mode?"
"Dont' go, the text needs you. It depends on you!"
I heart vigor.
Lets say you have a video game console, you can walk down to the store, buy a game and have it just work. Let's say that console can also run Linux even a version of Ubuntu. and you can choose to boot into either what could be caled "GameOS" or Linux. That would be good, right? Hell since the hardware is a known target the distro could be extremely customized and optimized
Porn surfing, ebay buying and off the shelf game playing on one extremely reliable, extremely virus/worm/crap resistant small box that can hook up to any TV. Hell, you could even write your dissertation on it, or if you're a sysadmin, remote admin your workplaces Linux server.
[CronoCloud@midgar CronoCloud]$ cat
PS2 Linux release 1.0
Even better, what if some people dual boot their console between game mode and some kind of "generalized computing mode"
Sure 10 Mb is damn fast for normal usage, but what if you have more than one machine, add another computer, a net enabled video game machine, portable devices. It adds up, especially if your upload is slower than your download.
[CronoCloud@midgar CronoCloud]$ cat
PS2 Linux release 1.0
[CronoCloud@midgar CronoCloud]$ xwininfo -root
xwininfo: Window id: 0x25 (the root window) (has no name)
Absolute upper-left X: 0
Absolute upper-left Y: 0
Relative upper-left X: 0
Relative upper-left Y: 0
Width: 640
Height: 448
Depth: 24
Visual Class: TrueColor
Border width: 0
Class: InputOutput
Colormap: 0x21 (installed)
Bit Gravity State: ForgetGravity
Window Gravity State: NorthWestGravity
Backing Store State: NotUseful
Save Under State: no
Map State: IsViewable
Override Redirect State: no
Corners: +0+0 -0+0 -0-0 +0-0
-geometry 640x448+0+0
A lot of stuff works fine, you'll scroll more with a web browser of course, but most applications are usable What suffers at low-resolutions the most are toolbar and icon happy applications, say Abiword, or the GIMP's main toolbar.
No, most of america's population is Urban and lives in or near urban areas.
Take Illinois for example, most of the population is concentrated in and near Chicago.
They already ship a BluRay player that can run Linux, not the same as Linux BluRay player, but some consolation.
Ahh, finally someone mentions the REAL Motorola.
Both my mom and dad once worked for Motorola, no not making cell phone stuff, or embedded CPU's, they made televisions on an assembly line. That's right, televisions. My mother in particular made degausser coils. Then all of a sudden they were told that the factory had been sold, to some company called Matsushita that no one had heard of, but has dome minimal brand awareness as Panasonic. Matsushita then had Motorolas Quasar brand to use for themselves, because at that time there was still some pride in buying American. Well soon after Matsushita shut down the plant, they didn't really need it, they just wanted the name and some of the technology.
Motorola KNEW that, but didn't tell anyone. They did say before the sale that if any employee wanted to stay with Moto, they could move to Shaumburg on their own dime, and they might be able to offer them a job, no guarantees. Bastards just threw the workers to the dogs, I still loathe Motorola for what they did.