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How software gets updated is an interesting process and based on a
priority list I'll tell you about. Then I'll give you some clues as
to how to get on the priority list and how to move up. Read all of
the post, the secret is at the bottom.
First you have to understand how the list is made up. Here's the list
of priorities for upgrading software.
1. Technical problems that impact the use of the software. OS
conflicts, hardware problems, crashes, etc.
2. Changes being forced on the developer by other companies who are
constantly changing protocols, moving from 16 bit to 32 bit real time
applications (speed issue, and Metastock needs more speed), data
vendors who don't follow published protocols, etc.
3. Changes that need to be made to keep up with changes in the
market. Other companies don't sit on their asses. They add things
that help sell their product so you've got to keep up in some kind of
way. The feedback here comes from the marketing department.
4. Changes that serve the long-term strategic business objectives of
the company. Example: Microsoft incorporated and tried to integrated
Internet Explorer into their OS.
5. Technical support issues. Tech support defines a list of issues
that they get called about most often. These need to be fixed because
tech support costs money and doesn't make you any, so the fewer phone
calls, the lower the cost.
6. Customer suggestions ranked in the order of what has been most
requested. This one is the lowest priority. Do you know why? Think
about it.
Before the entire upgrade planning process takes place a budget has
been set. It's usually a percentage of the revenues from that the
software generates, but sometimes it's more because there's a
strategic purpose to the software that goes beyond the sales it
creates by itself. The budget dollars translate into programming time
and resources. Everything on the list is prioritized and the priced
out in terms of those resources. The list is evaluated with various
people in management and the process begins.
About 70 to 90% of the way through the process, various managers come
in and say they need more changes and each change is life and death.
Now the release is delayed while the systems people and management
figure out what can and can't be done and what it's going to cost.
After that gnashing of teeth is completed, the program is finished
and goes out for beta testing. Of course, beta testing turns up many
new surprises that have to be fixed before the final release.
So where's the established users in all of this. Equis wants to keep
you happy, but just happy enough not to complain too much or to
switch products. That's as happy as they need you to be because
you've already bought the product and invested a huge amount into it
in terms of time and emotional energy. Those are big barriers to
switching. You know it and Equis knows it. TradeStation has a better
programming language so why aren't you switching instead of
complaining?
As for the new customers, the vast majority of Metastock's new
customer's don't have a clue why they're buying the software or what
it can and can't do. When I read these posts I can tell that a lot of
you still don't have a clue. A few people buy Metastock because
they're switching from some other package that some of you say will
do "anything and everything I need" except it didn't so something
those people thought their lives depended on that metastock does
better. And finally, there are a few traders who actually know
Metastock and are buying with their eyes open.
The list of items under #6 above is decided on by how many questions,
phone calls, tech support time, etc metastock gets about an issue.
Your list of stuff is already on the bottom of the funding. If Equis
gets three calls requesting X be changed out 100,000 calls a year, I
don't think those three requests are going to get on the list.
Fib boy are you hearing me! Powerful ain't the problem. Listening
ain't the problem. It's about money and selling more product, period.
Where do you think those bonuses come from? Are you sending them
extra money every year? If you leased the software, turnover would be
a problem, but you didn't lease it you bought it.
Why did you buy it, because you would have bitched to high heaven
about leasing it. Get it.
I used to have customers call me asking me why in 2000 we didn't make
a DOS version of our software. You've got to be kidding. I'll be
those customers said we weren't listening or responding to the
market. We had another guy call and want to know why we only made the
software for Windows and not Apple OS. Well, because out of the last
20,000 copies we've sold we've only talked to one customer who had an
Apple computer trying to run his cal lab--that's why. Everybody
thinks that everybody else wants chaos theory formulas, Fib
everything, Gann out the rear, but the truth is it's a small minority
of customers who want that stuff.
Equis tries to satisfy this need by producing the add-ons for the
Gann boys or Chinese cycle freaks. That way they can get someone else
with the expertise to write the code and they can do the other stuff
higher on their list.
I'm sorry to say there just isn't much money in writing books or
programming tools. If there was, do you think all of the smart boys
and girls in the TA biz would pass up this opportunity. Of course not!
I just hope Roy makes enough from his work to feel like it was worth
his time and effort because if he doesn't it's going to be even
longer before someone else comes along and tries again.
The secret to getting anything on Equis's list is to round up several
hundred to several thousand Metastock users, get them to agree on the
ten things they most want to see fixed in Metastock, have them either
call individually or email with the same list of ten items. If there
are enough of them Equis will put the items on the priority list and
they will get fixed. It's that simple.
Here's my bet. You couldn't get 25 Metastock users on this board to
agree on a list of ten things that need fixing much less several
hundred to a few thousand, so don't plan your complaints getting
addressed anytime soon.
We don't make a DOS version, we aren't going to turn back the clock
and make one next year either, and it's hundreds of thousands of
dollars cheaper to give the one Apple user a free Intel computer with
their software purchase, than to write even a basic version of the
code for Apple users--unless of course Apple users are willing to pay
$800,000 a copy.
JO
P.S. I'm not sticking up for Equis. They've got some problems they
need to address if they want to keep on going on, but I haven't seen
any of those problems mentioned in these posts. As I remember Eduardo
was asking about plug-ins---he didn't send out a venting invitation,
did he? I know you all feel like you have real gripes, but everything
runs on money, not emotion.
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