Welcome to the world of software development.  Resources get redistributed and priorities change.  Fences is still in development and alphas exist internally and we hope to get a version out soon  though.

@ Zubaz: That's really cheeky... I did not complain about the conventions of software development, that's not my world. I did raise a complaint about that you promise an update for software and that you announce it for 2011 - to ultimately ignore it and talk big. Who should know the world of software development better than the developers of this software its own. It would be the least not to make empty promises or at least not to react that insolent on a serious question.

I agree, Fences is a great product although I don't use it to organize my icons into categories I mostly use it for hiding my desktop clutter. There may be free programs that do that but I bought the pro version because I have the choice to use those features if needs be.

Bigweeble, please don't spam the forums replying to old threads with the same response.  Fences has not been abandoned- we just haven't finished the update yet.

Again, quit posting the same comments to multiple threads. 

Examples for the rarely made promises:

We have it on the list for next year.

Zargon

December 21, 2010 10:34:52 AM

* Feature coming soon

On product page of the pro version from time immemorial

For users of Fences Pro these are not only promises, these are announcements. To sell software that will get updated "soon" and to have this update on list "for next year" is quite concrete. At least concrete enough for pro users that bought your software awaiting this announced featurs, this is simply a buying inducement.

Most would also have accepted some concrete reasonable reacions here. But to leave the world of software developemend holding the baby and to deny this cricumstances at all is not suitable. Thats the best way to lose customers that are not willing to accept this procedure in this case and for future updates or other software. At least you lost me and my references - mentionend here even if i think you don't care about.

Jafo,

fact is: if you sell software with announcements like "this new features are coming soon" there is a good percentage of users that buy your software awaiting exactly this features. Yes, that's the world of customers. Really good for the company behind the software, an effective buying inducement. Welcome to the world of capitalism.

Imagine:

* Features coming presumably within the next 3 years (not sure now)

Don't you think you would have lost many of the purchasers that trusted in the announcement "soon" because they place value on the customization features (among other things)? You would have lost them, for sure. Quite rightly users trust in announcements like the one you made. And "soon" does not leave much space for an extensive interpretation, at least not for the meaning "years".

The main aim of announcements like this is the hidden agenda to catch additional purchasers. Don’t think we are stupid just because our world is not the world of software development. It's not the point that I can not grasp that this procedure is part of the "rules of software development". The point is that you instrumentalize promises to catch buyers and not even feel responsible for that afterwards. Sure, sometimes we all are wrong. But all the more it's necessary to grasp the mantle or simply to concede that you could have made things better (and still can). This is not sorcery, it's a question of decency.

Ditto.

Why you would purchase something that does not yet have the features you want is one thing. That's your personal choice.  When you make an issue of it publicly (again your choice) your going to get comments you don't like cause you (knowingly) didn't  get all the bells and whistles you wanted when you made the purchase to begin with. In the meantime..is the software broken? Does it not customize to almost any color scheme or level of transparency? Does it not do what it is supposed to on your desktop in as far as helping you keep your icons organized? You complain about not getting an update and it sounds like what the software is designed to do to begin with is just a by-product or after thought.

Please let me know what it's like on your world where it seems everything is on time and you never have to wait.

There IS NO 'hidden agenda'.  It's a statement that further developments are CURRENTLY in the pipeline.  That is all.

To attribute subversive intent to such a statement is absurd.

Now, if all the public announcements regarding the timing for the release of the Fences update amounts to 'coming soon' or 'on the list for 2011' then this whole thread is on a baseless premise as 'promised' is not the case at all.

It's not simple semantics it's a totally different issue.