Re: [pcgen] More issues with RC2

Hi Frost,

 

Facts and opinions are just that. In the past "some" people have told me that I was too blunt and should phrase things differently to coerce them. I think changing what someone communicates in order to coerce someone else into a specific way of thinking is fundamentally dishonest. It's better to give facts, clearly stated opinion, and reasoned logic wherever possible. If the result is hard for someone to accept, then so be it. I would hope the vast majority of people can take what I write as though it were an observation of a perceived problem. Nothing more. With no emotion at all.

I will speak and write plainly to convey my meaning. If someone takes offense because I am blunt, so be it. It's on them. I do not accept the end justifying the means. In a similar vein, if someone asks me "how do I look", they should be prepared to accept an honest answer, good or bad. I will not lie just to protect someone feelings, whatever they might or might not be.

 

I disagree, obviously, about the uninstall entry. Small things that are easy to fix should always be given the highest priority. If it were built with a Visual Studio Installer Project it would be as simple as replacing a single string in the project properties dialog. A grand total of no more than 30 seconds of work. "Great things are done by a series of small things put together" – Vincent Van Gogh.

 

Concerning your comment about, and I paraphase, paying more attention when printing; the whole point of any software is to make some task easier for the user by automation. The issue with the paper size in the USA has been an issue for decades since localized versions of DOS (and other later operating systems for home users) and helps a large segment of the user base from accepting a substandard visual printout, many of which may never even notice that it is substandard. And some of which will see a printout from Hero Lab and decide to use that. I'm not saying that someone will make a decision solely on the appearance of the printout, but it is all the little things that come together when a person decides what software they want to use. All those little things together are important.

 

The same thing applies with the uninstaller in Windows. A user that has hundreds of programs installed may or may not see it in the uninstall list in Windows simply because it is not listed as PCGen. Since users may have multiple versions installed at the same time, the product name entry in the uninstall list should contain the word "PCGen" followed by the version number, such as "PCGen 6.08.00RC1". This, by the way should also be the label on the desktop icon. Apt-get packages in Linux are a strongly named with version numbers, it is conspicuous that the package for Windows is not.

 

Mark

 

 

From: main@pcgen.groups.io <main@pcgen.groups.io> On Behalf Of Frost
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 8:46 PM
To: main@pcgen.groups.io
Subject: Re: [pcgen] More issues with RC2

 

On Sun, Dec 16, 2018 at 03:21 PM, markjmeans wrote:

In case it isn't clear, if anyone has taken my comments as a personal attack, I'm sorry. It's is not my intent. Though I will not change my behavior to be excessively passive or sensitive in order to eliminate that possibility.

And I hope you don't expect the rest of us to change our behaviours toward people who seem to think they are talking to a corporate support team who are getting paid to do any of this regarding a product for which you have paid handsomely. If you acknowledge that it's likely your comments are being misconstrued as "personal attack", "trying to disparage anyone's effort", "derogatory or accusatory", yet refuse to alter your communication style, don't expect anyone to be all that receptive to what you have to say.  You don't need to be excessively passive or sensitive to achieve respectful conversation.

I am surprised this discussion continues.  The entry in the uninstall isn't the right number. That's not a tragedy, and definitely not worth a bolded opinion to delay release. 

Your paper size isn't automatically selected.  Sounds like you just need to pay more attention when you're printing - especially when you are so acutely aware that the default setting with PCGen (at least on Windows) is A4.  I use another piece of software that frustrated me the same way for all of 10 seconds until I went and changed the default paper size (it is irfanView, btw).  I fully expect that this is a Java peculiarity in that there is the layer between the OS and the application and it doesn't have full awareness of its host environment (without extra programming, perhaps?).  It would explain the similar behaviour of OpenOffice, too (something I'd be much more inclined to believe people print from more frequently than PCGen).

My appreciation goes out to the people who do the programming for this product.