Sorry guys, while I totally understand your frustration, as a software developer myself I have to side with Stardock on this one.
When you purchase an application, you should only do it for what it does for you *now*, not for whatever expectations you have about it in the future (unless, of course, the developer stated that x or y features will be coming soon).
JcRabbit, I am a fellow software developer, so hopefully that will allow us to find a common ground here.
Yes, when I purchased OD+ I did so because of how good the free version was working for me (while still on Win XP). However, I also bought a license because Stardock claimed that OD+ is in constant development. No specific features are mentioned, but that is not necessary, because simply stating that a product is in constant development is already making a committment to customers.
No software company has the obligation to support an Operating System that hasn't been released yet, as Windows 7 was not a couple of years ago when ObjectDock was last updated. ObjectDock, after all, was performing its function well at the time you purchased it, otherwise you would not have bought it at all! It has performed good service to you during this time (otherwise you would not be here complaining either) and it's not Stardock's fault that you decided to upgrade to a non-supported (and even non-existing, at the time of your purchase) Windows version.
There's a problem with your words that I've quoted. The vast majority of bugs that I've reported in the approriate thread and over e-mail to Stardock are present on Windows Vista. Vista is supported, yet the bugs remain unfixed.
All I can say is be patient - or look around for alternatives. You just can't seriously expect Stardock to drop everything else it's doing, or change its current direction, just to release a new ObjectDock version in a time frame you find acceptable. Resources are limited, after all. And you definitely can't expect a refund because ObjectDock doesn't work properly on a Windows version that wasn't even released at the time you purchased it, sorry.
I'm pretty sure ObjectDock's developer, Jeff, is doing the very best he can, that he loves his creation and that all this backlash is painful to him - but he cannot split himself in two. None of us can - so just try to be a bit more patient, your complaints have been heard by now.
People have been patient, it's not good enough any more. OD also happens to be the market leader of dock software, so there's little worthy competition. Besides, why should I abandon a program that I paid for and pay (or not, if it's freeware) for another piece of software. Most of the time, transformation is easier than replacement. While I don't expect Stardock to drop everything, I do expect every self-respecting company to value its existing customers, which is not being done. Yes, resources are limited, but bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush. Therefore, if they can't manage to give equal simultaneous attention to all projects then they shouldn't branch out so much.
As to whether Jeff is doing the best he can, I really don't know about that. Nobody from Stardock that has direct influence in relation to OD has spoken to us (the community) to let us know what is holding things up, what progress is being made, timelines of development, etc. I'd like to hope that Jeff is doing his best, but I can't offer any sympathy because OD hasn't seen any love in a very long time.
The OS is relevant.. in that Win 7 was not released at the time, and therefore was NOT catered for. Furthermore, 64 bit versions were not developed/particularly catered for as demand, prior to Win 7, was low at best... most people were still running 32 bit systems and Stardock saw/felt no need to develop a verson which had little or no customer base.
Also, the ObjectDock page states that it is Vista ready... NOT Win 7 Ready! Nor is 64 bit support mentioned, for that matter, so your moving to a completely unsupported OS does not negate the fact that it works perfectly for those running it on the OSes is was advertised to support. More to the point, if you purchased OD 1.0 for an OS prior to Win 7, and you obviously did, and it worked well for you on that OS, you are NOT entitled to a refund... period. A refund may have been applicable if you had found it dod not work on the advertised OSes, but that clearly is not the situation here.
Once again, most of the bugs that I encounter on Win 7 are the same bugs that I encountered on Vista. The OS is not at fault here, OD is.
Yeah, ok, the "under constant development" thing is unfortunate, and it may have raised the expectations of people like yourself, but there are other circumstances here to consider....
1: Win 7 has only been available to the public for a couple of months, and Stardock, from a business point of view, had to assess the market/its customer base to determine its prorities; demand for OD; for which version (32 or 64 bit) it would prioritise development. It's still only early days.
Now let's be fair. Windows 7 has been available to public for almost 5 months now. Yes, I am counting from when it was released on TechNet, but if general public can buy software from Stardock over the Internet, they can certainly buy a TechNet subscription to download Windows 7. There's definitely a demand for OD (and for bugs to be fixed), how else will it be 5th in the list of Stardock's most popular software? Further, Stardock claims: "Stardock is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner". So if they're so chummy with MS, why can't they get their hands on an early version of Win 7 and iron out the creases in their software in time for release of the OS?
2: The birth of Fences! The developer of ObjectDock, Jeff Bargman, is also the developer of Fences, and much of his time at Stardock of late has been devoted to sorting out issues for Fences users; filling users feature requests and updating Fences to comply with users needs andd expectations. Fences, after all, is the new toy on the block... everybody wants it; everybody wants it working properly ona multidude of configurations; everybody wants it updated with new features, and everybody is talking about the latest and greatest toy from Stardock... Fences, NOT ObjectDock.
Fences is not as popular as ObjectDock. Besides, I didn't buy Fences, I bought ObjectDock. I don't see why whatever is going on with Fences should affect me, an OD+ user. Besides, this "one at a time" thing that is going on is unlikely to persuade me to want to buy another piece of Stardock software again. Fight is happening on multiple fronts, Stardock seem to struggle with that.
So, incOgnito, put yourself in Jeff's shoes. You are the lead developer for two popular applications, and one has taken off like wildfire while the other has almost gone into hibernation, sales and customer-wise... what do you do?? Do you throw all your energies into the app with huge customer support/large customer base, or do you throw them entirely into the app which has almost fallen off the radar, so to speak??? Do you appease the majority of your customers, or do you let down/annoy the heck out of them by tending to the app with a handful of customers complaining that it needs an update?
I don't want to put myself in Jeff's shoes. I am not paid to be in Jeff's shoes. It's also laughable that Fences has taken off like a wildfire. The free version maybe, but not the $20 one. After all, it's has only been a couple of weeks since the Pro has been released. Therefore, the majority of Fences' users aren't paying for it, yet a lot of users of another software who have paid are suffering and are being left out. Doesn't seem fair, does it?
It has been officially announced that work on ObjectDock has recommenced, that it should be released some time in the 1st Q of 2010, so be patient and give it time...Jeff/Stardock deserves that.
I know that a new version of OD is in the works, but I haven't any official Stardock source state that it should be released in 1st Q of 2010. Would you be so kind as to post a link to where it says so? I know that a Stardock representative under a nick Zargon0225 said in June 2009 that "Object Dock Plus 2.0 BETA will be available later this year." Obviously, this has not happened. So not only there's a lack of information, but some information that is being given isn't reliable. If Jeff/Stardock deserve our patience then OD+ users deserve more reliable information. The former won't be forthcoming if the latter isn't on the table.
