Campaign for Release Notes?

I don't know about angry calls or letters...I generally get more positive responses using honey than vinegar. But I do agree that basic release notes would be of great value if only for the P.R. benefit to TiVo. Not to mention keeping us from each other's throats.

My vote is yes...I'd like to see release notes!

Perhaps a poll is in order? If so it probably should go into the Coffee House area so everyone gets to put in their two-cents.

 

I would love to see a list of all changes in a release and bugs that were fixed.

Maybe something like this (release notes for the firmware on my Linksys Router)

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...1130871131659&ssbinary=true&lid=1499961879B77

 

I'd love to see Release Notes but unless we stop buying TiVo (and sell the ones we have to flood the market with resales so that the price to sell new TiVo necessarily must be driven down further) then just saying we want it doesn't amount to much. The reality is I'm going to keep my TiVo regardless of the lack of Release Notes, so for everyone like me, TiVo gets a clear indication that they can keep operating as they do.

In a broader sense, all you really should care about are the bugs you experience. You should report every single one, and get a case number for each. You should call frequently to get updated on the status of your report, and if you don't get satisfactory service, you should file a formal complaint. (Bug reports are for bugs; complaints are for service. You need to do both, each to address the corresponding issue.) Then as each new release comes out, you should call to get an update on your report. If its status is still open, then have it escalated. And so forth. That's really the most effective way you can make the lack of Release Notes become something that TiVo WANTS to remedy.

 

Sigh...

 

That's obvious. TiVo has made it very clear that they do not and will not publish release notes. The only thing your proposed "campaign" will do is waste time and bandwidth. Find a productive use of your energy.

 

Indeed. If tivo support were to get a measureable volume of polite phone calls asking what actually changed/was fixed in the new release from people who remind the support person that their question would most likely have been answered by release notes, they might conclude that it's less costly for them to publish release notes than handle the additional support call volume.

I suspect the volume of such calls is not measurable today.

 

Excellent advice IMO.

(Bold text added) Also an excellent point...driving costs down is part of every company's goal.

 

And I suspect the volume of such calls parallels the extent to which TiVo subscribers actually care about this. FWIW.

 

++

We'd all like more info on these releases, but this is a long standing request that I just don't see Tivo budging on.

In the grand scheme of things, you have to remember that we're grossly in the minority here and Tivo isn't going to change how they do business for a handful of people.

 

If TiVo were to get more "professional" about anything it should be first to have a real beta testing procedure.

 

They don't? Seems like I recall references by Pony that the MRV was in beta testing with consumers and that the real code would be deployed in Nov. I also recall a sign-up page to register to participate in the program. What do you mean by your comment?

 

You're probably right, but like I explained in the main 9.2 upgrade thread, that is a severe miscalculation on TiVo's part. Wacky internet enthusiasts who post on forums matter.

Nobody's saying that TiVo should include detailed release notes in the upgrade notification on the box. Most people just don't care. But it should include a link to "http://www.tivo.com/releasenotes" or something of the sort for those who are interested and want to see more, particularly when functionality is changed or major bugs fixed.

 

You may be surprised, the moderators around here are pretty helpful and open to requests.

I wouldn't mind seeing the results of such a poll myself.

If we're going to bring beta testing into this, something else to consider is that many of the people that are interested in "release notes" sort of information may actually get that info from Tivo's "unprofessional" beta testing process. I mean, if Tivo didn't tell them anything, why would they need such a big NDA?

The subset of folks that are interested enough to want release notes, but not interested enough to involve themselves in the process has got to be fairly small (but again, I'd love to see the poll results and be proven wrong).

 

I would rather Tivo's developers spend time fixing bugs and implementing new features than keeping track of every little bug fix they add to a given release.

The reason why lean software organizations do not publish release notes (and this is not as unusual as implied in some posts here) is that it takes significant effort on the part of the same people who are responsible for fixing bugs to keep track of what was fixed. This overhead is fine if you are Microsoft, but would be a burden to a company like Tivo that has limited resources.

I would like to see release notes too, but I don't know that I would want Tivo to redirect energy that could be better spent elsewhere onto writing them.

 

This is a very pragmatic and cost-effective perspective. I think folks need to keep in mind that what the OP is asking for translates into higher costs, which translates into higher prices. So when advocating this, please indicate your commitment to paying (let's say) $200 a year for support from TiVo for each box.

 

Nobody has yet stated the obvious. TiVo may not be able to provide release notes because there might NOT BE any release notes!

The quantity and severity of bugs in 9.1 lead me to observe that TiVo is very unprofessional in terms of their approach to software development, testing, and deployment. From that observation it is logical to conclude that release notes just aren't part of the current TiVo "culture".

 

No software organization worth its weight in crap would follow a lifecycle model without release notes. Whether they release them to the public, that is a totally different story. Sometimes release notes contain proprietary or otherwise embarrassing detail that the company would rather not release.

As for demanding release notes, we consumers have very little power to make those demands. No one here would really avoid a purchase based on the lack of release notes. Comcast on the other hand, might get them.