Open Source Kickstarter Report Card

[Richmond]

On 18/08/15 06:58, RunRevPlanet wrote:
> Peter said:
>
>   > I have no doubt that these promises
>   > were very genuine. Clearly, LiveCode
>   > hasn’t been able to deliver them in
>   > the time they expected.
>
> I never doubt the sincerity of LiveCode Ltd. and the team behind it.

I don't think anyone is impugning LiveCode's sincerity, but actions and 
intentions
are not the same thing.

I do feel that somehow, LiveCode is behaving like a lot of children 
trying to be terribly grownup and not managing it.

The 'main problem' as I see it does NOT have to do with the Kickstarter, 
the goals,
the stretch goals, the BAF, or anything at all like that.

What is a problem is the way LiveCode come across in their publicity 
stuff they keep e-mailing us:
it appears arrogant, inconsiderate, and most decisions they have taken 
are inadequately explained
(otherwise we wouldn't have had a gazillion postings about this recently).

I do feel that all the Kickstarter donors, at the very least, deserve 
more comprehensive and well-thought out explanations of decisions
taken by LiveCode central, and those who hold commercial licences 
probably deserve more.

Hence my remark recently (which nobody commented on) that LiveCode might 
do well to hire a PR officer
to do the PR and let the clever programming boffins get on with 
developing LiveCode.

Let's have some 'fun':

1. From now on children who don't do their homework at my school will be 
sent home forthwith,
on the understanding that if they appear at the next class without the 
homework they will simply be ejected again.
I will shout at them, hurl their books across the room and do my best to 
make them realise what stupid little sh*ts
they are in front of the other children.

2. Unfortunately there has been an increase in children coming to 
classes without their homework. In an attempt to
rectify this problem I will ask children who come without homework to 
sit in the entrance hall and do that homework.
Obviously this is not really satisfactory as they will miss the teaching 
that takes place while they complete work they
should have done at home. I would be grateful if parents could explain 
this to children, and while I realise that all
parents lead busy lives, do their best to ensure their children do do 
the small amount of homework they are given.

Now those 2 paragraphs are theoretical messages I could send to parents 
of children who attend my school.

I am sure that everybody will realise that #2 is a far better way of 
dealing with the situation, as well as the fact that
it is couched in more tactful language.

>
> But when a major feature which would be a tangible improvement for *everyone*
> using LiveCode is pushed to the end of the roadmap it is frustrating.

Indeed, and if LiveCode could give us some sort of a GANTT chart that 
was regularly updated so that each of us could see how each of her/his pet
stretch goals was coming along that might make things less frustrating.

Certainly one of the things I understand about Open Source is 'Open' and 
that means not hiding one's light under a bushel, and some
sort of accountability.

>
> * First it was open source that was going to help make the Next Generation IDE.
>
> * Then it was the magic of widgets that would boost productivity.
>
> * But I later discover the "LiveCode Builder" language needs to be finished to
> empower widgets and IDE.

2 years after the projected completion of all the goals and stretch 
goals and many are "coming after LiveCode 8" does make one wonder.

>
> * In the meantime, LiveCode HTML 5 deployment is also coming, soon...
>
> Here is my point and regret: every month that a new user downloads LiveCode,
> plays with the IDE, and then leaves (likely never return) and laughs with her
> colleagues about a code editor that doesn't have bookmarks or search and replace
> in selected text, is a month wasted in building up the LiveCode user base.
>
> Forget the big plans and clever stuff like code completion or code tips, just
> deliver basic functionality that should be standard in any IDE worthy of he name
> Integrated Development Environment straight out of the box and then maybe the
> "tire kickers" will stay and the number of users grow.
>
> --
> Scott McDonald
> "Components, Controls, Tools and Resources for LiveCode"
> www.runrevplanet.com
>
>

Richmond.