Comments on: Macworld Expo 2009

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:27:28 +0000

@Bart: We are indeed exploring multiple options to extend our syncing options beyond Wi-Fi sync.

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:51:05 +0000

Sync via g3… anyway to do this in the future? I already bought the iphone app and will buy the desktop version but syncing via wifi doesn’t do me good if I just use 3g all the time… also there should be an auto sync so that if I do enter the network with wifi enabled it should somehow sync automatically rather then having to go into the app and then hitting sync…

By: thanks Michael

thanks Michael — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:51:37 +0000

Thank you Im sorry if I seems short …I have real need to organise my life . As with a lot of other people the way we manage our lives affects people we care about and the things we do…thank you for explaining and your understanding of my frustrations.

I have ADHD and to be honest Things is the closest to a real answer for sorting I have ever seen. This is a real disabilty that affects every day of my life I desperately need answers, so do many others in my position. I see real hope here. Please keep on the good work but do it quickly! :-) best wishes… Luke sorry I lost it a bit ….actually I need you. So I better be nice I guess.

By: Werner

Werner — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:14:29 +0000

@luke: It is more than clear from your post that you are disappointed, and we are sorry for that. We are always very careful when giving time estimates, because unforeseeable things can happen along the way.

Tags on the iPhone are actually the best example. We have them ready since about a week (with only minor glitches still to fix), but when actually testing them on the device, we found that we didn’t like a few of the UI details. So we went ahead and came up with alternative solutions. And even now, we are actually debating whether we should change an important aspect of how you filter by Tags or leave that for the next update.

We do all of this because we really care about Things, and because we want to deliver the best experience possible to our users (– which we consider as friends or allies rather than bosses ;) ).

By: schalliol

schalliol — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:56:50 +0000

My company develops software as well. Often an iterative testing process can take as long as development, so until you’ve passed all your tests and know how you’re going to solve them, it’s hard to give a precise date. Very close seems pretty reasonable for this size of a purchase.

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:50:28 +0000

@luke: I think Michael’s reply was pretty fair. As a software developer myself, (http://thoughtfultree.com) I can vouch for the fact that sometimes, we just can’t know exactly when task A or B will be completed.

Because of the nature of programming with a growing, evolving platform, we can’t always be sure of exactly what steps are necessary to accomplish a task or add a feature, etc. We can do our best to set a deadline, but with as everything in life, things don’t always go according to plan.

To be honest, I think the answer Michael gave was better than him “estimating”, because I would feel pretty gypped if he said 2 weeks and it turned out to be a month. And honestly, there are times when this would just be a pure guess. Sometimes the smallest detail of an app turns out to take 7 times longer than anyone anticipated.

Just my 2 cents.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:47:02 +0000

Somehow I know who jeff is.
LOL.
His boss more than likely doesn’t know when it’ll be ready, btw.
Very close means very little in development unfortunately.
it can be tomorrow or weeks, or worse.
Just the nature of trying to get everything pieced together.
The technology involved on all fronts is a bit new to really gauge how long it’ll come together as intended.
ETAs are made to be broken or break a shipping product, so I’ll be waiting it out.

By: thanks Michael

thanks Michael — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:57:32 +0000

You miss understand me I am not asking for a specific date…not asking for a commitment. I am asking for an estimated of time a hoped for goal. Surely you have these? I am sure this is what your manager asks of you. Are you not answerable to your customers even more? In the end it is us that decide whether your application sinks or swims.

I cant imagine you sitting opposite your boss and him asking the question and you reply.., well I am working hard, its coming along very nicely …were getting very close…hang in there…be patient.

If this were your car or your teeth or your well anything would you accept this answer?

your boss may accuse you of being wooly, patronising and evasive.

In these times of credit crunch I hope the will be a a shift in view of software makers from a community of frustrated users who are in fact your real boss and will decide whether your company sinks or swims.

Dont tell me to be patient, answer the question and do your job.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:18:58 +0000

@luke: While we can’t commit to a specific date, I can tell you that we are hard at work on both tags and areas for Things for iPhone. I can also tell you that both are coming along very nicely and we’re getting very close.

Please hang in there and thank you for your continued support and patience.

By: luke

luke — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:45:02 +0000

What is happening with tags and areas on the iphone app, you really need to keep us informed and give us some estimates of time, 3 days,3 months what? It makes a wonderful app almost useless. Do I need to go over to omnifocus? Or wait please let me know