http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7330891098684984608#
Windows 98 crashes during Gates' Comdex demo - April 20, 1998
Please let's remember that writing software is not easy, writing functioning software for millions of people is not immune to problems.
Let's be fair about this.
@alden wrote:Justin,
You are certainly very gracious man as you believe that Verizon is doing everything right with 1.9.
I was born in Russia and we have saying over there: the cook should make cookies and the plumber should fix pipes, not vice versa...
It seems to me that by choosing to create new IMG 1.9 by themselves Verizon wanted to save money and show that they can write software as specialized software companies can. Well, we all see results here. Verizon don't have enough expertise and knowledge for writing complicated software and they made strategical maistake with 1.9. I bet that Verizon will end up by spending more money on development 1.9 by themselves rather then hire outside software company. DirectTV and Dish did exactly that and result is very good - reliable, good IMG nobody complaining about.
Verizon, on the other hand , took a diffrent approach, and it became a disaster.
By the way, I have some unpleasant experience of dealing with Verizon BEFORE I switched to FIOS. I live in condo build in 1978, and for several years I have had a problem with ananlog Verizon teelphone and Internet DSL hooked up to tel. line. Every time after big rain I've had service interruption then tech from Verizon fixed the line until... new big rain. All my and condo management efforts to replace bad cable were fruitless and the cable is still not replaced. I don't have this problem anymore as I am now on FIOS lines, but I bet that some of my neighbours who did not switch to FIOS still have problem with telphone.
Alex
Alex,
I am not sure why we are continuing this discussion, we have different views and neither of us is going to change them it appears.
Look, I have never said Verizon is doing everything right with 1.9. What I have said is that they had a beta test, lots of problems were found and fixed, some remained and were not fixed, for whatever reason. They then started the rollout, some issues came up, they decided to stop the rollout and address those. They apparently did an evaluation and decided the problems were severe enough to suspend the rollout, and I agree that they did the right thing. It was their choice, and the key for me is that when I finally do get 1.9 I want it to work. My position is as simple as that, I want a working IMG when I get it, and if that takes a while, so be it. There is absolutely nothing in 1.9 that I (and you!) cannot live without, after all we are living today with 1.8, like it or not, so I do not see the big crisis you apparently do.
And one last time: IMO IT IS NOT A DISASTER, I THINK YOU ARE GROSSLY OVERSTATING THE ISSUE. TO EACH HIS OWN I GUESS THOUGH.....
The end on this particular topic for me.
__________________________________
Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
QIP7232, IMG 1.8, Build 02.54
Keller, TX 76248
To all,
As a present software developer for industrial applications, I can tell you that there are typically 3 stages of program development: alpha, beta, and pilot. In the alpha stage, I develop the program using "best-intentions" and some past experience in avoiding problems, then try it out on one product or user (myself). When it passes this test, I continue on to my beta stage. This involves multiple instances of the product and/or users, and multiple time frames. To put it briefly, I put the program to test using as many physical variables as possible and available. Statistical fault analysis techniques are involved at this stage in order to try to predict what will be possible in the real world application. In the pilot stage, the program is placed into service and carefully monitored for faults and variability's that are not desired. Typically I do the first two stage tests myself using my equipment and materials. Then the customer sets up the pilot run time and place and I conduct the pilot run onsite. The pilot run/test is the most revealing at times because it is done in the real world with real users, situations, and equipment. In my opinion, we are now in the pilot stage of IMG 1.9 development and what I see are typical anomalies of such. It will get wrung out in due time.
Been a Software Engineer for many decades.
I Haaaaaaaate writing user interfaces.
Give me a back-end server process with a well defined API and structured error handling anyday.
But you throw a human into the mix, particularly a random, free-range human, and all bets are off.
I said it before, nobody will test your code like an end user.
I give Verizon a hard time over IMG 1.9, but it's really just in good fun. Needling.
There's a saying in the engineering world "If you want it bad, you get it bad."
I don't want IMG 1.9 that badly.
@alden wrote:It seems to me that by choosing to create new IMG 1.9 by themselves Verizon wanted to save money and show that they can write software as specialized software companies can. Well, we all see results here. Verizon don't have enough expertise and knowledge for writing complicated software and they made strategical maistake with 1.9. I bet that Verizon will end up by spending more money on development 1.9 by themselves rather then hire outside software company. DirectTV and Dish did exactly that and result is very good - reliable, good IMG nobody complaining about.
Alex
Just for your information Verizon also wrote 1.8 by themselves, so this is not their first foray into doing the IMG.
Not saying they are perfect as they also had issues with the 1.8 release.
I too was mislead by the online article about eSATA drives. No mention of the v1.9 requirement, and it looks as though it is available now even with the QIP 7100 DVRs. I bought a 1TB Western Digital, and I'll hold on to it for now.
@GaryDoug wrote:I just talked with another VZ sales rep about the 1.9 rollout. He explained the schedule very simply: "We update until the customer support group is nearly swamped with calls about the changes. Then we stop until it abates before restarting the rollout." So it is the relative tech "savyness" of the local customer base that dictates the schedule. In the area of Florida where I live..., and the number of senior citizens here.... it may go on hold forever...;-)
OK, I get the joke" with the number of senior citizens...", but be careful, I'm one of those senior citizens (althought not in Floriday), and I consider myself fairly tech savy. I think the calls for help have more to do with the dumbing down of society in general than it does with age. Just sayin'.
"There's a saying in the engineering world "If you want it bad, you get it bad."
I don't want IMG 1.9 that badly."
That's precisely one of my points, stated previously. After spending years developing 1.9, then going through further refinement during the beta testing, how bad can 1.9 possibly be at this point. The remaining issues, while in need of resolution, are minor in my view and on balance, not nearly bad enough to hold up a roll-out.
As to the point that, as some one said "1.8 is working fine, nothing wrong with it. I can wait," if you define routinely having to delete programming that you might never see again because you're running out of HD space "working fine," then I guess it is. However, in my case, I'd much prefer not having to do that.
I read elsewhere that some with 1.9 was having problems with multihub not working if programs with certain characters were recorded (characters like colon). This may be something else they are working out before they continue deployment.
@mphare wrote:I read elsewhere that some with 1.9 was having problems with multihub not working if programs with certain characters were recorded (characters like colon). This may be something else they are working out before they continue deployment.
Could be, but the question is, should that rather inconsequential flaw hold up the roll-out?
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