Software development in "agile" shops does not work this way. In agile, the political internal will to do anything is driven by "most value first." Meaning, only the features that will provide the most value to the most people will be worked on. There is usually only a small percentage of time adding what I call "Enterprise" features. That's the stuff you mentioned, the "rounding out" of previously released features. Dotting the "I's" and crossing the "T's" doesn't provide a lot of value to a lot of people. It provides focused value for a sub-set of users.
The problem with agile is that over time all these little "enterprise-y" features stack up in the backlog. This generally leads to a huge backlog with a whole ton of unfinishable features. The proponents of agile suggest that some day the software will mature enough to be able to finish off those features. This is absolutely wrong, because software development is always driven by humans (who are imperfect). The only way to prioritize a feature out of the backlog is to explain why it provides more value than something above it. If 15-20% of SmugMug users complained about this feature you wanted, it would probably be prioritized. Until then, you just have to wait until some developer at SmugMug is bored one day - or people have complained enough - so that it gets prioritized out of the backlog and in to a sprint.
Until a feature is in a sprint it isn't going to get done. The way to ask for software features from companies using agile methodologies is to ask this: What priority does the feature I care about have in the backlog? How do I move it up in priority? Is there a sprint planned with this feature in it?
For those not familiar with agile, a "sprint" is usually a 2 week work period with a set list of software deliverables due at the end of it. There is only so much work that can be done. If it isn't in the sprint, it usually isn't going to get looked at. There is probably some kind of sprint planning meeting in which SmugMug managers decide what stuff in the backlog will go in the next sprint. That is what you're trying to manipulate here.
Thought this insight might help. Customers need to know what, and how, to ask for new features. I would love more "random" sort features as well. Though, I'd like it to be more full featured than just random slide shows.
Time for SMUGmug to let us know what their intentions are with the slideshow programming. We have been patient. We have told them what we want. Tell us what your intentions are to fix the many problems. Be specific. There are many issues with the lack of giving us what we could do with customization. There are the problems Mac users are having with the flicker. We have no randomization. There are other issues many folks have reported. TELL US WHAT YOU ARE THINKING TO FIX THIS STUFF. Too much time has gone by with little info from SM. For crying out loud, throw us a bone.
yes sir....I don't understand what the problem is with letting us all know
what Smumug is working on and when if there is a when this random issue will be worked on.
Is it really that hard of a concept to grasp, informing the customers?
I have been a customer since 2005 and ALL of my help questions have been answered, and that is why I love Smugmug.
I know the help people and programmer's are busy, but when you don't have enough time and are back logged, your
customer base needs to be updated so post like this don't just kept on going and going. OK I'm done beating a dead horse, I'll stop
As I stated, this is part of a much larger slideshow overhaul. This will not be implemented before it is combined with other changes to the slideshow. I apologize.
"This will not be implemented before it is combined with other changes to the slideshow."
And when will that be? As I stated above, this is a critical "feature" (feature in quotes, because for me it is a bug) for me. Are we imagining sometime way in the future? Or is it understood that there are people who consider this feature critical enough that they will not use the new site or look for another one if the utility we had is not returned?
Please don't make the mistake of imagining that the fact that you haven't heard from people means that they are satisfied.
"This will not be implemented before it is combined with other changes to the slideshow."
And when will that be? As I stated above, this is a critical "feature" (feature in quotes, because for me it is a bug) for me. Are we imagining sometime way in the future? Or is it understood that there are people who consider this feature critical enough that they will not use the new site or look for another one if the utility we had is not returned?
Please don't make the mistake of imagining that the fact that you haven't heard from people means that they are satisfied.
PS: I come back periodically to this thread in the hopes that I will hear this bug is fixed. Is that a waste of my time? Should I be looking for some other kind of notification? When the major revision of the slide is done will we receive notification in some form? Or is the major revision an unlikely enough fix that I should be making other plans?
(Should go check when my smugmug renewal occurs -- looks like Feb 2014 for my decisions).
I don't get this... the slideshow needs a major overhaul after just over two months of live use? Are you saying that it wasn't production-worthy at launch
[fx] walks away muttering about the HST mirror fiasco again [/fx]
I don't get this... the slideshow needs a major overhaul after just over two months of live use? Are you saying that it wasn't production-worthy at launch
[fx] walks away muttering about the HST mirror fiasco again [/fx]
Well, the slideshow was a buncha steps backwards because it didn't (doesn't) even have the features that Legacy already had available, and which people had all gotten used to & assumed a major "upgrade" would have. But maybe you were being sarcastic... :twitch
I know they are doing a total overhaul on the slideshow and I hope it comes out fast. There have been a ton of features asked for to give back what WAS in it plus the features we had for customizing it thanks to the wonderful code produced by our user base. So, I am HOPING we get all those abilities. If so, it will take ALOT of coding to provide this along with ways to turn features on or off to meet ALL our individual "needs". Willing to wait a bit for them to get it right. Now, I am also hoping they are doing a total rewrite of the keyword system.
We had the random option in slideshows before...
...I'm getting frustrated to see all that we had before is not working on the new platform. Upgrades are great if you don't take away features we already had. The random slideshow is just one of many things I'm finding missing!!
...I'm getting frustrated to see all that we had before is not working on the new platform. Upgrades are great if you don't take away features we already had. The random slideshow is just one of many things I'm finding missing!!
Yes . . there are a number of examples of this that are important to me personally. The worst part is that we were seriously mis-led about the upgrade . . a very few old features were listed as features that would not longer work, but not nearly as many as in reality don't work ! There are many great things about the upgrade, but I hate being mis-led (a word that I'm using consciously to avoid saying something much less pleasant).
Everyone following this post should go to the above link and cast your vote (all 3) and lets make this topic the highest voted for and really bring it to the forefront. There is only 35 votes and some topic have thousands
Everyone following this post should go to the above link and cast your vote (all 3) and lets make this topic the highest voted for and really bring it to the forefront. There is only 35 votes and some topic have thousands
I really doubt that will have any impact at all. SmugMug are already working on this, you're not going to get them to work harder by adding votes to the feature request.
Random and no picture limit
PLEASE add the ability to make the slideshows start randomly. It is unfortunate that visitors always have to see the same slideshow sequence. I was a user of the jfriend slideshow code and I really miss the randomness.
I have also noticed that on internal gallery slideshows the pictures repeat before going through all the photos in the gallery. While I'm at it I would really like to option to move the caption to the top and add the ability to see the caption in the gallery slideshows. My website provides correct taxonomic classification and location information and I want viewers to see those captions.
Smugmug announced that the new smugmug was in the works two years ago.
They said they were working on an improved iPad app well over a year ago.
Almost nothing has been done about the "big" bug list or the list of features taken away (also known as the feature request list).
We did get a hefty rate increase though.
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yes sir....I don't understand what the problem is with letting us all know
what Smumug is working on and when if there is a when this random issue will be worked on.
Is it really that hard of a concept to grasp, informing the customers?
I have been a customer since 2005 and ALL of my help questions have been answered, and that is why I love Smugmug.
I know the help people and programmer's are busy, but when you don't have enough time and are back logged, your
customer base needs to be updated so post like this don't just kept on going and going. OK I'm done beating a dead horse, I'll stop
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Ahh! The joy of not much of anything.............
Spend some of the money from the rate increases.
Cheers,
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And when will that be? As I stated above, this is a critical "feature" (feature in quotes, because for me it is a bug) for me. Are we imagining sometime way in the future? Or is it understood that there are people who consider this feature critical enough that they will not use the new site or look for another one if the utility we had is not returned?
Please don't make the mistake of imagining that the fact that you haven't heard from people means that they are satisfied.
(Should go check when my smugmug renewal occurs -- looks like Feb 2014 for my decisions).
[fx] walks away muttering about the HST mirror fiasco again [/fx]
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I think so. But, yes, the slideshow was not production worthy at launch. It also doesn't have thumbnails, which were available in Legacy.
thanks for the update
Nikkor 18-70mm
Nikkor 70-300mm
My Gallery
Ahh! The joy of not much of anything.............
...I'm getting frustrated to see all that we had before is not working on the new platform. Upgrades are great if you don't take away features we already had. The random slideshow is just one of many things I'm finding missing!!
Yes . . there are a number of examples of this that are important to me personally. The worst part is that we were seriously mis-led about the upgrade . . a very few old features were listed as features that would not longer work, but not nearly as many as in reality don't work ! There are many great things about the upgrade, but I hate being mis-led (a word that I'm using consciously to avoid saying something much less pleasant).
Everyone following this post should go to the above link and cast your vote (all 3) and lets make this topic the highest voted for and really bring it to the forefront. There is only 35 votes and some topic have thousands
Nikkor 18-70mm
Nikkor 70-300mm
My Gallery
Ahh! The joy of not much of anything.............
I really doubt that will have any impact at all. SmugMug are already working on this, you're not going to get them to work harder by adding votes to the feature request.
Please check out my gallery of customisations for the New SmugMug, more to come!
http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/17723-smugmug/suggestions/4330696-allow-randomized-photos-in-slide-show-
http://feedback.smugmug.com/forums/17723-smugmug/suggestions/4250479-bring-back-random-playback-for-slideshow
PLEASE add the ability to make the slideshows start randomly. It is unfortunate that visitors always have to see the same slideshow sequence. I was a user of the jfriend slideshow code and I really miss the randomness.
I have also noticed that on internal gallery slideshows the pictures repeat before going through all the photos in the gallery. While I'm at it I would really like to option to move the caption to the top and add the ability to see the caption in the gallery slideshows. My website provides correct taxonomic classification and location information and I want viewers to see those captions.
margygreen.com
The last entry on there Smugmug blog (new features) was Sept 23 almost 2 months, http://news.smugmug.com/category/smugmug/new-features/
The last entry on there Smugmug CEO blog was Feb 8 2012 , http://don.blogs.smugmug.com/
The last entry on there Smugmug Engineering blog was January 30, 2013, http://sorcery.smugmug.com/
doesn't look good
Nikkor 18-70mm
Nikkor 70-300mm
My Gallery
Ahh! The joy of not much of anything.............
They said they were working on an improved iPad app well over a year ago.
Almost nothing has been done about the "big" bug list or the list of features taken away (also known as the feature request list).
We did get a hefty rate increase though.
I agree, it doesn't look good!
Cheers,
I hope you'll be happy to learn that Slideshow randomization is now available in the Playback menu of your Slideshows.
Enjoy!
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Cheers,
Phil
www.sunglophoto.com
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