Comparing software to consumer electronics is not even a fair comparison.
You are absolutely correct where you won't
find the kind of problems you do in software as you do in other consumer
products. But ask yourself this question
Why is software inherently so buggy ?
The answer in my opinion is the consumers. We as consumers demand better
software day in day out, we always
want the latest and greatest, the better game, the more featured OS, the
fancier word processor. I can't remember
how many posts i read when EQ was still in beta where people we're
complaining that the schedule kept slipping and they
wanted it NOW. I think Verant did the best they could too satisfy both
end's of the spectrum.
1. Keep the consumers happy by releasing the product as soon as possible.
2. Keep the consumers happy by releasing the product as stable as it can be
in a timely manner.
It's always a double edge sword ... you can slip the schedule to fix bugs,
but then they get flamed for slipping.
Or you can release on time with more bugs in the software, then they get
flamed for releasing buggy software.
The fact is software companies have learned to live and deal with flames
because you can never please everyone.
The key is findng a good balance.
There is no such thing as bug free software. At least i've never seen any
such thing. You live with the fact that
your operating system (i'm guessing most of you are running some sort of MS
Windows) crashes quite often.
We were promised plug-n-play and we got plug-n-pray. Yet we still go out
and buy these buggy pieces of software.
Why ? because at the end of the day it's usually better than what we
currently have and we are willing to put up with
the bugs that are in it.
At the end of the day WE are just as much to blame as the developers for
buggy software. WE create the demand and
the developers are just trying to meet that demand.
I personally think Verant has done a very reasonable job in handling bugs
and getting patches out. I don't expect or ask
for perfection in software because i truly believe it does not exist. All I
ask is that bugs/problems get dealt with in a timely
manner.
Just my 2 cents.
At 03:11 PM 6/14/99 -0300, you wrote:
>From: Sergey Bukhman <sergeyb@...>
>
>
>
>mstokes wrote:
>
>> From: mstokes <mstokes@...>
>>
>> Two things.
>> First, you will never have a project of this magnitude without having some
>bugs
>> making it to release undiscovered. Software is inherently buggy, its a
>fact of
>> life, get used to it, you will see it happen more and more.
>
>Being a software designer, I tend to notice that.
>
>>
>> Second, they have stated that people found exploiting a bug will be
>warned. If they
>> continue to exploit the bug, then they will be punished. Its painfully
>obvious why
>> they don't list bugs. They don't want to be forced into policing them
>24/7. If you
>> stumble onto something that is a blatent bug, report it so that it gets
>fixed, and
>> move on. If you find something that could go either way, enjoy it until a
>GM/Guide
>> tells you to stop.
>>
>
>Thing is, they released buggy software. I paid good money for it, and keep
>paying every
>month.
>
>They should take care of it. Their game. My money. Their problem, not mine.
>As a
>consumer, I shouldn't even have to think about these things. What happens is
>that the
>game designers are aware as to how much the gaming public is involved in the
>process of
>making designing games, so the EXPLOIT us.
>
>Have you ever seen a TV released that only shows prime number channels, with
>a promise
>to come fix it some time? Ever seen a stove that only heats to 50 degrees
>with a promise
>to come fix it some time? Ever see a car that only turns left with a promise
>to come fix
>it some time? No. This happens only in computer software, especially high
>profile games.
>
>--
>Sergey
>--
>KPS PUNK (Paramilitary Undercover Nuclear Kamikaze)
>
>
>
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