[ut3] Ask you self...

[Tom Rivers]

On 4/7/2008 5:15 PM, Sir Brizz wrote:
> With that mentality, most of the upcoming games over the next few 
> years are never coming. :p
>
> Brizz
>
> Raphael Brunner wrote:
>> Have you ever asked yourself why ryan or someone else don't answer to 
>> questions around the linux-client?
>>
>> If it's true, that I working on something, I can give a statement about
>> it. If it's not true, then I better say nothing (if I'm unfaithful or
>> someone has it prohibited to speak about!)

I think the point he was trying to make was that it doesn't take more 
than a minute to send out an update on whatever progress has been made.  
As a programmer, I not only need to give a deadline for when I plan to 
deliver a product but I also must routinely give status reports to those 
people who have commissioned me to do the work.  Since good lines of 
communication are the best way to keep everyone informed, I have to 
agree that it would make everyone feel much better if there were some 
kind of regularly scheduled update on the status of any given project.  
Even if the message says the same thing as last time, at least everyone 
would know that there is someone actively doing something.

For some perspective, I've dealt with Ryan since the days of the 
original UT.  To say he is an exceptional programmer is certainly an 
understatement.  It has also been my experience that Ryan doesn't engage 
in regularly scheduled update postings to his mailing lists.  I never 
asked him why because he has always come through in the end and 
delivered outstanding products.

Having said that, I don't think it is unreasonable to have someone in 
authority, be it Ryan or one of the folks who has commissioned him to 
work on this project, simply give us an estimate of when things should 
be finished.  If that isn't possible, then a time when we can next 
expect to hear an update would be the next best thing.

As others have correctly pointed out in the past, the work will be done 
when it is done.  I certainly agree that is the case.  The question is 
really whether the practice of not keeping customers updated on the 
progress of an important release makes good business sense.  In my 
experience, keeping customers informed is the only way to keep them 
happy.  There's an old saying: "If you don't take care of your 
customers, then someone else will."  If the folks in charge want to keep 
their customers happy, then I think it makes a lot of sense for someone 
to spend the few moments it takes to put out a post to this list every 
couple of weeks to let everyone know the project is still on track.  A 
tentative due date would also be much appreciated.

To do anything less certainly makes one think why the minuscule amount 
of effort to keep us in the loop has not yet been made.


Tom