PaBear,
Thanks for your reply PaBear... I had worried I might have overstated my
point until I read your response (I was admittedly a bit grumpy after having
wasted so much of my time needlessly). You made my point expertly by
completely ignoring my point and suggestions and recommending that I read
previous posts demonstrating that you you are fully aware of everything and
that (1) it's "McAfee's issue, not IE8's," and (2) "Such are the risks when
beta testing any software." PaBear, your responses are why I bothered to
write anything in the first place. My point was that when customers like a
product and a company well enough to want to help out by beta testing
software, they are offering to accept the risk of some inconvenience because
they like the idea of being able to help (you and MS) out. Your products help
us, we should help you. It's a feel-good win-win Kind of thing. Heck, if my
system crashes and I'm one of the first few dozen, hundred, or thousands to
"discover" and report the issue, I feel I've actually done something to
participate and help out in the effort. Yay! HOWEVER... when I suffer a major
inconvenience and discover that it's a known issue for many months then my
having suffered the inconvenience hasn't benefited you or anyone. I'm then
faced with the sad realization that despite the numerous ways you could have
very simply prevented my inconvenience, and the inconvenience of thousands of
other innocent well-wishers, your attitude (MS's) is that we deserve it for
(1) being chumps enough to be willing to test your beta software in the first
place, and (2) that every other software company on the planet should
immediately re-write their code the minute you (MS) put a beta out for
anything. How nice. And how nice that you are so up-front about your
attitude. Which attitude is why I'd made the analogy to the "big three"
automakers in my previous correspondence (see below).
When a beta-tester suffers a problem that helps you (MS) out, we'd like to
think our efforts (potential inconvenience and time) are accomplishing
something... it's a Microsoft community kind of thing... I don't even mind
should you (MS) HAVE to let tens of thousands of us spend hours and days on
an issue you already know about so that our efforts and time wasted
accomplish nothing, presuming it's because there's nothing to be done about
it or because it's something being worked on... But to know that all you had
to do to prevent tens of thousands of us from spending OUR time and efforts
and suffering the inconvenience was to post a simple list of known
incompatibilities, or do a quick scan first for them, or any one of a dozen
other such quick solutions... means that MS beta-testers aren't the helpful
customers we'd thought ourselves... we're CHUMPS.
PapaBear, admittedly, my comments and point about your and MS's disregard
for the customer and arrogance being similar to that suffered by the big-3
automakers wasn't really a question, it was a statement - a statement well
backed-up however by your subsequent ignoring of my point and questions in
your response. But hey, we can all be a bit "lemming-like" in our thinking;
everyone deserves the benefit of some doubt and a second chance...
So in this positive spirit, I'll ask again, how about answering my
question; WHY WASN'T A LIST OF KNOWN INCOMPATIBILITIES POSTED PRIOR TO MY
DOWNLOAD ON BOTH THE IE8 AND MCAFEE SITES OR A SIMPLE SCAN DONE ALONG WITH
THE DOWNLOAD??? (Why the seeming disregard and disrespect for our time, or am
I totally wrong?)
Thnx again, and following are the relevant prior postings mentioned above;
Subject: Re: IE8 Beta and McAfee 8/30/2008 4:11 PM PST
By: PA Bear [MS MVP] In: microsoft.public.internetexplorer.beta
Your McAfee software's the issue, not IE8B2.
Post by Mikem2341McAfee became unstable after installing IE8. White screen on McAfee
homepage. After uninstall of IE8 all returned to normal.
Enjoyed IE8 even though shortl;ived, hope the issue can be resolved.
Such are the risks when beta testing any software.
Post by Mikem2341I agree, however, someone might have foreseen the issue beforehand. So, like
I said, I'll just have to wait for the issues to resolve themselves. Don't
get me wrong here, I'm pro-microsoft, just can't live without McAfee either.
Did you read any of these previous discussions? =>
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx?query=mcafee&dg=microsoft.public.internetexplorer.beta&cat=en_us_2BAF8EC5-645C-4477-A380-0F1CF6C102F9&lang=en&cr=us&pt=&catlist=&dglist=&ptlist=&exp=&sloc=en-us
Post by Mikem2341Both the IE8beta and McAfee download sites should put a list of known
incompatibilities right next to their respective download buttons...
adding
this to their websites (once a place is set up for it) should take zero
time... this problem was noted back on 6/7/08 (or earlier)!!! I just spent
the better part of two days screwing around with this issue before
figuring
out what it was... this isn't acceptable when such simple solution
(posting
known incompatibilities).
<GRUMPINESS AHEAD> Of course... one might expect a simple scan of ones
system for known incompatibilities would be done before any install of any
software, period... but that would be like suggesting to one of the big
three car-makers that the writings on the wall when management (or lack)
is such that no one at any level feels they have the authority (or
motivation/interest) to insist that obvious product shortcomings be
addressed. Sigh. You'd think the fact that lemmings can't swim would be
motivation enough... (6/7/08 !!! Sheesh!!!) but no one ever seems to think
such little details apply to them or what they are "supposed" to be
responsible for.
12/5/08 Beta is beta... no problem with that... or that all problems
aren't
fixed right away... or that there might be squables as to who has to fix
what and how... HOWEVER... this doesn't mean the following MINIMUM
courtesy
to ones customers couldn't be made (6/7/08!!!);
(1) both IE8beta & McAfee post incompatibilities next to download button,
or
as a pop-up after pressing button....
(2) Auto-check for known incompatibilities... p.s.. this is what computers
and software do ;)
just a thought, thnx