AMUSING Solid DIgital Digest POLL SUBJECT

[odmullen]

"Do you plan to participate in the next SolidWorks beta test?"

..I have a choice?

I'd like to propose that users submit SPR's requesting that NO new features be added until ALL the stability issues are fixed - especially those related to the tangible output for lots of outfits: DRAWINGS.

 

[SBaugh]

Sorry, I don't find the assusment in the question??

Because you do have choice. I will be participating in the beta testing.

Users CANNOT submit SPR's. SPR's are from SW directly. You can however place an enhancement request into SW concerning the issue you have. Beta testing has nothing to do with your request. All you can do is request that but IMO, I think the stability is there in SW04 SP3.0. I have been using it and I don't crash. i don't remember the l;ast time I crashed with any of my files. The only crashing I have done, is with some customer files and those files turn out to be corrupted. If your having stability issues you should try checking out the "Trouble shooting a crash prone system" at the SW KBA.

Another note if your having stability issues - Have you called your VAR yet?

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[TheTick]

I think he means that, like it or not, we are all beta testing. SW's latest release does have a "beta" feel to it, in terms of stability. I would agree with the opnion that SW seems to be learning at the (non-beta) customers' expense.

 

[rockguy]

Good reply Scott. Any word on when beta testing for 2005 will start. I was told end of march. Haven't ssen anything on the site??

I participated in beta testing for 2004 and found it a great way to try the new features and get a jump on the new release learning curve. I submitted some issues. Each and every issue was acknowledged by SolidWorks. I was even contacted about some of them for further exploration. What better way is there to provide feedback and interact with the software developers.

I can see the point about not getting paid, it requiring time and people feel like guinea pigs. No one is forcing you to beta test. No, buying the released version and using it is not beta testing. If you would have beta tested you would have known the released version was much better than the beta's.

Quit complaining. SolidWorks is giving you the opportunity to test the software, find bugs, add feedback, twist their ear a little and make enhancement or new feature request. You are actually getting a say in "your" new software and you can win some prizes. Sounds like a win win situation to me.

 

[ctopher]

Great reply's! I agree with all of you! You 3 guys said it all.

 

[odmullen]

2003 is on SP 5.1. 2004 is already on SP 3.0.

If this isn't beta testing, I can't imagine who can afford to be a beta tester. My retired neighbor does some for Microsoft. Maybe SW beta tests with retired users who never have to get drawings out on a deadline and within a budget, so they spend all their testing effort on critiqueing skins and fiddling with the sexy modeling features (and there are lots of cool features - I have to give SW credit).

The stacked balloon SPR (fixed in SP 3.0) cost me three crashes in an hour yesterday.

I don't really have time to do all this ranting, but my patience is gone. My wrists are sore, my clients are frustrated, and I have little confidence in my tools. When SW works, it's a great tool. If I had a milling machine that ran amok several times a day and trashed the workpiece would I be a happy guy? If my car died every time I manually cancelled a turn signal, would I buy another one from the same maker?

 

[EdDanzer]

I agree that we are all beta testers. This does create problems if you are doing production work at a set price. The instability problem is from all aspects of computers, video card, cpu, ram, operating system, and add ins. Working with old or old and new files in assemblies and drawings seems to be the most painful. An example of this frustration is this page

http://www.danzcoinc.com/skid_grapple_parts_9e0040.gif

. The original work was done in 1999. To make a small web page I wanted to check everything and save as a .tif. 3 hours later I had a usable drawing page. I’m not sure it took much longer from scratch to make it. Yes I’ve sent this bug in, but as usual, no response.
If I’m cranking out work 1 or 2 crashes a day is normal. At one time I figured every so many key strokes a crash would happen.
SolidWorks could reduce the number of new features and concentrate on stability if they choose to. I don’t think we will upgrade to 2005, as 2004 has been less stable than 2003, and I was told it would be better.

 

[JNR]

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't...... None of the large CAD software packages (or for that matter any large software packages) out there are really any better than each other in this respect. The amount of code and interdependencies is so vast that it is virtually impossible to completely test all theoretically possible combinations. Trust me on this - we do software for landing aircraft, etc. and it is much much smaller than SW or similar programs. The incredible amount of automated testing we have to go through is truely amazing - and horrendously expensive.

I will also repeat yet again that there are also business decisions to be made in this highly competitive market. Unless you want to go out of business, you can't wait forever until (you think) it's perfect before you release the next revision. Again, trust me - I have been a VAR in the past and seen this happen. In business you have to make econnomic and marketing decisions that are often compromises with technical excellence (Otherwise half of us would be driving 50 year old cars and watching 50 year old TV's or whatever . And before anyone trotts out the BS that if it continues ths way it is they will go out of business anyway - all I can say is grow up and get real. Sales are still increasing and are far ahead of anyone else, so obviously that is not true. I realize it is frustrating for the perfectionists among us, but that's life in the competitive business world.

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

There are only 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't.