Read this: http://bdn.borland.com/article/0,1410,33404,00.html. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Borland has never, in my 14 years here, done something like this. Personally, I think this is a good thing. I hope folks see this as being honest and forthright. What is absolutely amazing about this is that this descision was driven and supported by the executive team! They absolutely didn't want to push out a sub-standard release but also recognized that major portions of the product are ready. This was the right thing to do, both for our loyal customers and for Borland.
Borland continues to impress me with their new found levels of openness and communication. Well done guys!
ReplyDeleteI agree with David. However, the proof is in the pudding. We will all know within a few days of the Delphi release if everything should have waited until C++ was ready.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news! My only concern is for people that "Just-Don't-Get-It" (tm), they may be very critical of the product if the Preview of the C++ personality is buggy. Even if you pop in their face a "TECH PREVIEW - MAY CONTAIN BUGS", some are bound to still complain.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm just being paranoid!
We have been big advocates and users of C++Builder in the past, and have several applications written in it. We have endured BCB6's many bugs and shortcomings for so long, holding out hope that some relief would be offered, because we always felt it was the superior product. This announcement is not good news for we C++Builder users at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm very disappointed that C++ at Borland has been starved of resources for so long. This situation and today's announcement is just a symptom of this long-standing problem. I would think that by now, most C++Builder users having thrown in the towel, as we have.
If Borland wants to be a serious player again in C++ IDEs, you'll need to step up to the plate and invest in it, and get out of the pattern of C++ always being the third priority (after Delphi and Java).
I hope it is clear that the risk you take is not of being criticized about this or in being "transparent." The risk you take is to continue to lose market share in C++ IDEs to competitors.
Kylix was widely criticized as being an unfinished product - a "technology preview" if you will. I think to some extent Delphi 2005 received a similar criticism.
ReplyDeleteA great way to improve sales would be continued emphasis on relationships with customers. For example, regular bug fix updates for 2 years after the release of a product.
I have in the past been quite critical of Borland's lack of transparency. Between the year-long silence on the future of C++Builder after the launch of C++BuilderX, the meaningless answers when Win32 customers panicked about Delphi 8 and the poor initial quality of all recent Delphi versions, I have begun to think that Borland was even better at spreading FUD than at developing IDEs.
ReplyDeleteSo even though it is bad news that C++ won't be ready in the shipping version, I think it is fantastic that Borland has chosen to be proactive about it and communicate it to their customers *before* they release the software. For the first time (to me at least) this adds beef to all the talk about a renewed commitment to quality. If they then follow this up with a quality C++ personality available for download late December/early January, I think Borland will have many sceptics converted.
My only thought is that as anxious as we are to get the new version, it is even more important that as many issues/exceptions as possible are dealt with before release.
ReplyDeletePlease take as long as you need to get it rock-solid stable.
Hmmm, so if I understand everything the good way Borland will fix all issues in a couple of weeks in the C++ personality???????
ReplyDeleteHolding the release version for some weeks is a much better idea imho
Xtophe..
Something doesn't add up.
ReplyDeleteSo all the C++ bugs will be fixed in the next 4-5 weeks? Sounds optimistic.
But if so, I definitely think Borland should have postponed the release date.
1) It would still have been a "2005" release date (if finished before 12/31)
2) Borland never made any promises about release dates in the first place.
This may turn out to be really good since it's about time something like this was done. It's a good thing these people know what should be done to address thse issues.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most positive signs I've seen that Borland is serious about its C++ customers. Good job, Borland!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't matter! I am using Delphi. Send C++, C# and .net to hell!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWow!!!
You are finally growing up guys!!!
Good for you, and keep on growing up! <big hug>
Just hope that your cusomer base is grown up too? Some of the kids out there may say "oh now, I want my new shining toy, I want it now"...
But for the people like me that deliver functional software to customers and don't want to ge stopped by a functionality that we expect to work that doesn't, we can wait.
Quality rules guys <more laughter>
Sounds like C++ is getting the Borland shaft, again...
ReplyDeleteIf, as David I claims, it REALLY is only 4 more weeks to have a releasable product, then why not just wait 4 more weeks?
Or do the execs at Borland know something they're not saying, ie... maybe MONTHS before the C++ personality is working right?
I'm not encouraged by this announcement at all. If anything, it's an example of Borlands continued disregard for their C++ product.