rling@UW-JUNE.ARPA (Robert Ling) (08/03/86)
I understand that bugs are probably inevitable in large programs but when I read that such and such a commercially sold program is 'full of bugs' I get very annoyed. Now for the flame: {utzoo, ihnp4, decvax}!hcr!hugh (Hugh Redelmeier) writes: >I use Flash (the program) and am quite happy with it. But: I know >(and like) the developers. Whenever I have had a problem, they have >fixed it. > On COMPUSERE, there is a bug list & fix file: in atari16 >sig, data library 2 (telecom), brouse with keyword "flash". I'm glad Mr Redelmeier knows (and likes) the developers of Flash. For him a bug fix probably means calling the developers up one evening and then getting a disk with the fixed program the next evening. Other folks, I'm afraid, don't have it so easy. In addition to having to subscribe to COMPUSERVE, one has to spend ~$20 to get all the bug fixes. That, of course, increases the overall price of the software. When an end user can find 'lots of bugs' after a short period of time using the product it could only mean that the program wasn't sufficiently beta tested. I won't be suprised that in some cases the process of beta testing goes like: Day 1, developer to friend : "Hey Joe, would you like to try this program? I'm thinking of marketing it." Day 2, developer to friend : "Hey Joe, I'm shipping the program already; did you have any problems with the program?" I'm suprised that the people who purchase these software are so tolerant. I frequently read reviews like: "... there were several bugs but on the whole, I like the XXX..." Me? I'm still cursing the writers of 'Thunder' because it trashed one of my files. This was not meant to be a personal attack on Mr. Redelmeier; I'm just tired of PAYING to BE a beta tester. - Robert Ling <rling@uw-june.arpa>
"Michael_Krause.ROCH"@XEROX.COM (08/05/86)
Try some of Ashton-Tates dBase-nnn. There may not be many hard-core BUGGZ but their code sure is "loose" in many places.