I booted up my PC and headed over to KVR for my usual daily foray to see what's new and thought I would have a look at what is happening with T2 but as per normal (of late) it's a pretty dead forum.
I have been dissapointed with several developers recently - you know, they advertise a product PREMATURELY and then go quiet when anyone asks what the ETA/SITUATION is!
One of the worst offenders has been AMG/Muon with their forthcoming sample/chopper beat mangler thingy - I can't for the life of me understand why companies don't have a marketing/R&D strategy when it comes to this stuff?
Then you have the year long development of the Minimoog thingy - are these people trying to upset someone?
The list goes on with programs like Devine Machine/GURU - again they show screen shots then bugger off for like 4 months with not a word!!!
I have to put my hands up and say that for all the woes they have caused in the past, Native Instruments seem to have got there act together and appear to be putting out information on products 'soon' to be released only when it appears that the product is a few weeks away from actually being FINISHED.
I thought the support forums were about communication - looking at TRACKTION 2 I really wonder why there appear to be some genuinely distressed CUSTOMERS when surely, if nothing else the developer or whoever could at least let people know the state of play - but all that appears to go on is countless 'HYPOTHETICAL' threads and posts about 'what might be'!
I don't personally care if it takes a dev 2 years to produce a piece of software but don't stuff screenshots in our faces and tell us 'SOON BABY' and then go quiet for the next six months - where is the integrity in that or perhaps I assume that other people have basic social skills in the area of communication that perhaps I take for granted?
I am certainly pissed because I can not see any advantage in 'TEASING' your prospective customers with false or misleading information on a product that does not exist or is bogged down with snail paced development - I do respect developers like urs/Filterscape who dont make a fuss and simply turn up with a product out of (almost) nowhere - there you go try that, NOT "here it is, sorry we advertised it a year ago"
I have to say that I have invested in most of the products that I have described above and certainly in the case of AMG they have made a statement concerning their products - nevertheless I still think far too many companies 'JUMP THE GUN' with new product anouncements that end up taking ages to become available and really should just hold out until things are practically at bata or at the least give people a realistic idea of what is taking place with development - via forums or E-Mail.
Flipper.