Sim
Well-known member
Even Microsoft with monolithic release cycles ships on a known / predictable schedule at least monthly.
You're seriously comparing a small company with a few employees to one of the largest software companies in the world?
The other thing not helping XenForo is lack of transparency
Look at it from their perspective. If they publish some kind of roadmap with features to be released and promise to have it released by a certain date - but technical issues (eg needing to find and implement a new editor) or just the realities of coding a massively complex system, prevent them from releasing on schedule - then everyone crucifies them for not adhering to their release promises.
The pressure to release something sooner inevitably leads to poor quality - and then they get crucified for releasing low quality software.
Estimating software development time is a very complex and invariably inaccurate task. Just ask anyone who actually works in the industry.
things go dark for a couple months, then development happens, and repeat; no one knows anything beyond what happens real-time, any sense of long-term direction or goal is undefined.
That would be because they are busy a) working on new features and b) supporting the existing software, fixing bugs. If you keep track of the bug report forum you'll see how many bugs have been closed recently - we'll be seeing another patch release soon.
As far as long-term direction, they've already announced 2.4 and we have a very clear understanding of what's coming in 3.0 - what more do you want? Version 4, 5 and 6 mapped out for you with precise dates? It doesn't work that way.
I only see Jeremy or Chris interact with the community at this point, which is scary, given some of us are building our businesses on this software for commercial purposes.
That's a commercial risk you've chosen to take. That's on you, not on them. Have you paid for some level of enterprise support package that guarantees any kind of response or performance? Have you negotiated for them to support your business? Do you know how much I would charge my business clients for promising software support for things that I write for them with service level guarantees? Hint: it's not $75 per year.
I also run several businesses based on this software, but I do so with the confidence that the software I'm using is well built and not full of bugs or rushed to release to fulfil some promise to stop people complaining.
Whether or not he is part of XenForo doesn't matter
Seriously? Expecting someone to remain at a company just to keep you happy is not employment or even volunteering - it's indentured servitude. People have to right to do what they want and if someone chooses to move on to other work or if life gets in the way or even if they've just had enough of the complaining - then who are you to demand that they stay? What right do you have to demand that XenForo insist that someone keeps posting just because it "doesn't look good"?
Things change - people move on - life happens.
Even seeing people post a photo of their garden is an update that builds a sense of a community is noticed and makes things feel like they are still being supported and there is energy behind what is going on. There is literally nothing from XF being shared now.
The last post by @Chris D was around 2 hours ago.
I count 54 bug reports being marked "resolved" in the past 3 weeks or so.
That's not nothing. That's called them working their butts off and keeping the software functioning. I'd much rather they do that than drop all support work just to release something or post pictures of their garden.
I think you need to take a deep breath and gain some perspective.
Seriously - your post says a lot more about you than it does about the developers.