VB7!!! I have a good solution to get what we want!

Joacim Andersson pointed out an interesting thing
in the other VB7 topic.

If all of us here at Vb-world and Vb-sqaure etc. gang
up on microsoft and nag day and night about what
we want in VB7 (Static linking, smaller apps, better
installer etc. etc.) we could get them to do it.
If one person sends them a request, they'll say
"screw this" and delete the message. If 1000 people
do it, they'll finally catch on. Get what I'm saying?

Maybe I'm a little crazy but yu guys get the drift
don't you?

[Zej]

A creative mind, Megatron but considering Microsoft
gets 8,000,000 hits a day, 1000 messages will do
diddly sqwat.

[Gen-X]

I have been wondering something to myself for a while.

Surely we here at vb-world don't have the corner on ingenuity and surely the people at Microsoft are not so retarded as to not know the things we have already stated as being seen as good for inclusion into VB7.

So that leads me to believe that it isn't through any lack of Microsoft "hearing" what people want for the product but more perhaps what they are either a) willing to give or b) able to give, when it comes to a new version of the application.

I am wondering... if it would be more beneficial to see if we could try and coax microsoft into constructing a SURVEY that people can go to and answer questions about what THEY would like to see in the next product and as a result get them to start to realise that us as the developers should be consulted and that future directions can be based on what the people out there want.

I get a sneaking suspicion that Microsoft make decisions without asking people because they believe they already know the answer.

Good point Gen-X, however l have the feeling MS develop new versions of a product in a similar fashionb to how my own company goes about it.

1. Survey betta sites regarding new feature requirements.

2. Take the best ideas, (some are off the planet), and see if they match where we want the product to go.

3. Determine if the new features can be incorporate in the product development time span.

Clearly with vb7, (from Beta versions etc), MS are moving the product heavily into the ecommerce area, (go MS) with support for xml etc. The merging of the vc++ and vb ide would indicate both products are going to eventually merge completely.

[Gen-X]

Personally I dont think companies invest enough in "risk".

As you have said Jethro they will carefully plan their moves such that they get the most economical and most return for their product (very sensible sure, but also very slow) while investing no money whatsoever on "innovation" or "invention".

Surely if they put only 10% of their gross profit into ventures that *might* gain them an incredible boon (smartly choosing which ones of course) then while they may come out 10% less the viable... they *could* make such an advance as to double where they are now.

Microsoft follow this philosophy very well... Don't take too big a step, don't give too much away... slow and steady and you keep raking in the money. If they for but a moment invested some R&D into things like a 3DOS or a new model for hardware/software interfacing, Neural Network enhancements to operating systems and the like they might actually find something that will be beneficial to us all.

I think we have moved too much to the opposite of the 70's and 80's... Now we are all looking at the floor infront of us rather than at least a FEW looking to the sky above us

[thevbuser]

Maybe we should cause if u've seen the news lately they did a report on how soon the internet will take over and there wont be anymore desktop.

This would blow microsoft out of the water and other internet servers to dominate. If we were to convince Microsoft in vb7 and in later versions to add more internet
translating, web page building, etc. capabilities then maybe they wont be so far behind when this happens.


TheVbUser

All of your suggestions are great! But if we want to get
it to thier heads, we have to have a lot of people.
So far we got about 5! It's a start.

[blah]

Are you serious? how many times have you talked with anyone at microsoft?

I have sent mails several times and got reply in less that 48 hours. I even have had technical discussions and saw an immediate change in their online documentation.

Also I have sent mails to other companys but Microsoft is the only one that has answered every mail i send.

Good luck

[Zleepy]

If it's what blah says, that they don't just delete the messages, then maybe we have a chance to make them do what we want.

[Paul282]

Well,

We can sit here and wax intellectually about it or we can actually plan it.

I'd suggest a pettition. but rather than send one with x signatures, send the same email (a letter agreed (cringe) on by all) from each person with the same subject line so they know its a conscensus.

If we talk to people we know and other forums and get every one to send it once a day for a week from each of our email accounts

That'd be hundreds (thousands if we do it well) of the same email.

Who's in? We need to put our names somewhere so everyone can see them while we organize (and decide whether or not we are kidding ourselves)

if no-one has a better idea send me your names (and email addresses? up to you) and I'll stick them on a forum post here.

I have a spare address, [email protected]

Are we doing this ?????????????????????????????

[Crazy D]

The M$ dudes *know* that we want static linking, true object oriented stuff, and all the other things we all want, no doubt about that.
So if they want to add it to VB, they will do it.
And if they don't put the things in we want in VB7, we better let VB be VB and move over to Delphi or C++ Builder. Commercial companies usually listen to that...
But then, even if they only add more web development in VB7, I'm sure all of us will still be using VB (at least I will if I still work for this company by then...)
I think they will look at it as spam if 1000s of ppl send the same mail to them. That doesn't help (only to piss em off).

Actually not, Crazy D. The greater the demand for
something in VB7, the more they'll concetrate on it.
Why would it piss themn off if they're making good money off of it?

[Gen-X]

I agree with CrazyD that it would piss them off to receive SPAM.

Not the ideas because they are sound... but war-mailing them our "demands" would not have us looked kindly upon.

The best suggestion is for us to synchronise our own emails detailing what we would like to see in VB 7 and just organise to send them at roughly the same time.

That way they still may receive 400-500 emails... but they will all be different, all be asking for something we want and NONE of them could be considered spam.

THEN, they would take notice because they simply have a large quantity of people making requests for their application rather than someone who is going to repetitiously send the "same" email until they get heard.

Good Idea Gen-X but what if they "don't have time"
to really read our messages. I suggest that each of us
put a similar theme in the subject of the message.
That way, they can see roughly what the messages are
about without even having to go into them.

for example, the following are different themes of
people wanting less runtime files:

No more runtime files
Static linking
Smaller Apps
Faster Apps
To large Runtime files
Hard to distrbte

get my drift?

[rjlohan]

Found this accidentally in a search. So, did you guys get what you wanted?

[beachbum]

I'm still waiting on that minibike I wanted when I was 10