Jeff Browning wrote
I see the issues (beyond the fair point WRT source) as two-fold:
- Why does something as small as the issue that blocked release get to not only block it... but also derail release of something "so close" to derailed?
- Why no communication on status and at least some statement about plans for a fix and resubmit?
I'm a huge fan of DNN. I advocate it professionally and personally. I'm not interested in slinging mud nor am I interested in chastizing people that volunteer their time to build something for free that I can use for captial gain. Seriously - I'm a supporter and will continue to be. However, these curious aspects of "the process" chip away at confidence. And, as an adjunct to "smith's" comment.... I've stalled a portion of a personal project since July 21st because I thought "I could taste it" too and it looked to be worth reprioritizing for. (professionally, long ago my team chose to integrate subtext instead because of features...)
Project contributors: I sincerely appreciate that you do work that we all benefit from, all in the name of community. I (and it sounds like others) just need for you to be direct about where things stand and what's realistic to expect. We're big boys and girls - we can take it. It's just better to have predictability and make decisions from there. Also - could you please provide feedback into improving the release process? How this got sideways with the issue stated (not to mention took so long because someone was on vacation... i.e. aren't there alternate testing resources? If not - let's recruit them) and so much time has passed is bizarre.
People, for better or worse and because of the platform DNN has become, have begun to make business decisions based on what happens with these projects so please realize that communicating often and transparently matters. To date, your communications have been great and forum responsiveness remarkable (trust me - there are other projects that should be declared dead due to lack of responsiveness...). Your updates - about what's happening, what to expect, when, where, and how, are needed.
Also - why not just expand the beta for this? I see that most of the project contributors seem to trust the code for personal blogs. Why not let us run it knowing that it's... well... beta if source isn't an option?
Best regards,
-Jeff
Jeff,
I agree that we need to work with the realease process to refine it more, and I hope that we can get a better handle on it in the very near future. Being a project lead myself (over the documents module), I know how frustrating it is with the release process and communication. It is done in the best efforts to provider a quality release in the end. However, with lacking commuincation, and the overall time spent, many people consider it to be a detractor rather than a benefit, this is a fundamental problem that I'm sure is being worked on.
As for the beta's, I know in the past they have been allowed, but I believe it is the project leads decision, hopefully someone from the blog team can chime in.