Offer version 2 free to all existing customers as compensation.

Walt - KZ1F

Um, because it is Sunday and I try hard not to compete with the masses to work DX on the weekends. It's similar to not shopping the Friday after T-Day. I was re-architecting SSDR but since Flex is already doing that, I can either redo the UI or do this. I chose do this. However, I did work Malawi (again on different band) and Estonia..

Bill -VA3WTB

Yes Howard, your right also I think, Flex was wrong and missed, but there are those just waiting for them to miss a date so they could carry on like this.

Walt - KZ1F

Gee Howard, I could have sworn I said that. I will add one thing to what you said..."nor should they"

Walt - KZ1F

Gee Howard, I could have sworn I said that. I will add one thing to what you said..."nor should they"

Bill -VA3WTB

Ok Burt I think everyone knows the time line did not work out the way they had hoped and they fully explained why. OK? So where do we go from here?, what do you want?

Bill -VA3WTB

Me too Burt, as Gerald just said they have moved to another project all ready and he is almost ready to give his approval.

DrTeeth

Burt, those words do not just apply to hams. Politicians use the same language as they know what people will hear will not be what they said.

I am NOT suggesting that FRS did this for a moment before anybody thinks I intended that.

Jay -- N0FB

Burt...I have a fictious scenario for you:  
You are the new owner of Flex Radio Systems.  You have worked with your engineering team on version 10.1.  The release is going to be very challenging.  With all the appropriate padding added from what your engineers tell you, you decide to post a no guarantee road map with a date a year out.  This so your customers are kept in the loop of what your company is up to.

A year passes and your engineers tell you some upsetting news.  They have found a serious flaw in their development direction for this release.  They tell you that they can complete a "release" on time, however the performance of the release would be awful and it would be full of bugs.  Your engineering team offers an alternative.  They could rip out some major pieces of code which is causing the performance problems and then test it appropriately.  The problem with this route is that it will take 3-4 months longer than expected.  You will miss your roadmap date.

Now you as the Owner of Flex Radio must decide:  Do you release the software which you know is going to perform poorly and is also riddled with bugs.  If you go this route, you know your company's reputation for producing great products will be wrecked.  On the other hand, you could instead bite-the-bullet and let your customers know that the development of the release is going to take significantly longer than originally expected.  However, by taking the extra time, the release will perform much better than any current releases and will be very stable to boot.  With this tact, you will have a few who will complain about timelines, but your reputation for building great amateur radio solutions will remain in tact.  You will also have built a great foundation for future releases.

Burt, you are sitting in the command chair.  Those are your choices.  What do you choose?  (By the way...no fair changing the conditions of the scenario.  That would be Monday Morning Quarterbacking!)

Bill -VA3WTB

Burt I think Gerald get's the point here, any remark of a goal or hope has not been good, but with all this aside, it has not prevented people from enjoying their radios. This update is not the radio, just an feature update.

Walt - KZ1F

Hmmm. With the exception of one, maybe two comments. This one is pretty tame Bill. There have been others that had gotten downright nasty, which is why I don't subscribe to this board any more. 

DrTeeth

Spot on Burt. That is exactly how to handle something like this.

Walt - KZ1F

Howard, not so. There are people in the 'software' industry that are notorious for promising dates, sales and marketing. Then mgmt gets all bent out of shape when the people doing the work can't deliver on S&M dates because they have to explain to the board why development missed a date.

DrTeeth

@ Bill
With an SDR, surely the update IS the radio?

Walt - KZ1F

Even in an Agile environment there is now a MVP, minimum viable product. Of course that is a perturbation of Agile but just goes to show, S&M love their dates.


Bill -VA3WTB

I know Burt, but if we stand back and look at all this, it is not a big deal. We have a radio with working software and it works very well, most people really are enjoying the radio just as it is. We are talking about a software upgrade, that's all.

I tell ya when it comes out and people see how stable it is and see how the performance has more than doubled all of this will be forgotten.

Walt - KZ1F

Burt, they actually did precisely that. Greg or Gerald said it would be a month late (mgmt) then Steve corrected them and said 3 months. Then Steve, followed by Greg or Gerald said the R word. Anyone in software knows what the R word means. Anyone who could actually look at the code (Flexlib) much less the radio (Linux code) itself could do the math and pretty much know what they were saying. Anyway, chill dude.

Walt - KZ1F

Burt, they actually did precisely that. Greg or Gerald said it would be a month late (mgmt) then Steve corrected them and said 3 months. Then Steve, followed by Greg or Gerald said the R word. Anyone in software knows what the R word means. Anyone who could actually look at the code (Flexlib) much less the radio (Linux code) itself could do the math and pretty much know what they were saying. Anyway, chill dude.

Walt - KZ1F

Bill, I believe I said that too.

Walt - KZ1F

And I just worked Solomon Is. almost 9,,000 miles away. Yeah, maybe that was me and the radio. :-) Actually I did an alert in HRD a couple of weeks ago for this...I am still waiting on the email from HRD robot. But they are in the log on 15. Working DX is so cool when there are no jammers or freq police.

Jay -- N0FB

Burt...I, as acting teacher for this test, assign you the grade of "F" for not following instructions.  You were told not to change the parameters of the scenario.  

James Whiteway

Well, after reading all this, I'm DEFINITELY not giving a release date for James' Super Duper "Do it ALL" SDR software package for the 6000 Series! In fact, I'm not reveling any details of it's advanced features that take the 6000 Series radios to unimaginable heights of operating ease and "Flex-ability" (sorry about the pun there).
   Too bad too, I was so excited about getting all the rave reviews and feedback on this up and coming program. But, that's all gone by the wayside now!
james
WD5GWY

(just a little something to lighten the mood a bit?)

 


Walt - KZ1F

I disagree Guy and this thread and the others, like the one saying, "if I (the author of the comment) took 3 months to do......I'd have been fired". That took the entire 1.4 subject into a completely unwelcome direction. In no company I ever worked at did we announce to customers where we were in the next release. Companies have a marketing dept for just that purpose, where they can control to whom and what is disclosed. Doing status reports sets up the company for ...well, what we have been discussing for the last 4 months.  This entire thing has been action against our own self-interest. I don't think the "I love thee forever Flex" are helpful either. We are customers, we should act like it. And we should also be treated like it.

Walt - KZ1F

It was from the 80's Steve..."I want it all and I want it all NOW". I believe it was started in California. But the virus quickly moved east.

Walt - KZ1F

Steve, I never forgave them for that. Also, the Millenium Hotel didn't have our room ready when we landed in London a couple of years back. Never forgave that either. We had been up for over 30 hours.

Walt - KZ1F

No, I believe it is private. Yes it is.

Jay Nation

James
Don't start lying now, claiming you never promised anything, What is taking so long? Its been over 44 minutes, You have to keep your promises, or your a lying, liar doodie bug. Why anyone so Rigid in their thinking, would even bother trying something that has "FLEX" written all over it is a mystery to "THEM" Never the Less you PROMISED!
If you'd only be as Flexible as you claim you are, you'd admit you promised and failed to deliver on it. You'd tell everyone that you lied, and I'm right. But your going to have to promise that I'm right, and promise that you lied, and that I'm right. You know that I'm right,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT! ...
 
...

... IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!,IM RIGHT!

 I'm weird too.
73, Jay - NO5J

James Whiteway

Yes you are Jay.......WEIRD!!!! 
And I'll have to consult my legal counsel for advice on how to handle the rest of your statement. ( can you spell libel ? )
:-)

james
WD5GWY

Mike NN9DD

Not over all but in my section and division. There are others as well doing well in the state and division levels Mike N9DFD

Jay Nation

Oh so now you think I can't Speil. And I'm right about that too. 

[this is Chuckles]""[a clown, peeping back at :-)]  

73, Jay - NO5J

James Whiteway

Oh I "might" have promised something, but, clearly, you are mistaken if it was an exact release date. Maybe, I said I'd be testing my "to die for" (or to pay for) software package soon and might even release it one day soon.
Sounds kind of like a politician doesn't it?  
hehehe

james
WD5GWY