A "short" rant about the current state of affairs.

[Guest jtc42]

Hi,

As mentioned in the description, mods, feel free to lock, delete or more this or really whatever you want. This post doesn't have much of a purpose other than to make me feel better but hear me out first at least.

Back in November 2010 I bought myself a SanFran from Orange. £100, OLED screen, bargain. Before it had even arrived in the post I found this place, and suddenly the whole purchase made so much more sense. Underneath this already wonderful phone was a community. Not a huge community, but a very tight one, where people were working together really hard to get 2.2 working on this phone. I was amazed. Yes, there were some drawbacks at the time, things like touchscreen freezes and no button backlights, but the ROMs worked fine for day to day use. Some preferred to use 2.2 because of the extra features it added at the expense of stability, and some happily stuck with the 2.1 custom ROMs. As soon as my phone arrived I quickly flashed MCR, and later switched to FLB. These ROMs were updated constantly, people left constructive feedback and suggestions and from this the developers were able to reasonably fix problems when they had the time, and we were thankful of the effort they put into it, getting nothing back from it.

Look now. Browse through ANY of the CM7 threads. These forums have become some kind of mob rage. Bugs that have existed for ages are being reported constantly by people incapable of reading anything before posting unbelievably rude, abusive, and sometimes threatening sounding messages. If the developers do not fix these bugs immediately suddenly, to some people, they're not doing their jobs, they're letting down the community, and every existing bug is THEIR fault. The devs don't have lives any more, to some people here it seems that the devs are just computers, who's soul purpose is to code software for the budget phone you bought, thinking the community would make it become a top end Android superphone. People seem to forget that nightlies are not supposed to be stable, they offer nothing but a preview of what might be to come if the devs can make it work well enough.

The FLB ROM has all but been discontinued, my ROM of choice, and the worst thing is, I don't blame him. A lot of people on this forum are still posting useful, genuinely constructive feedback on development so far. The problem is, to find these posts you have to wade through pages and pages of "nerd rage", people exclaiming how terribly unstable a ROM is and how the devs are making the wrong decisions or doing it wrong.

Prime example of this is the infamous Gen2 move in CM7. Uproar has ensued since this was announced. So many people are telling the devs (note, the devs that have been working on this for a very long time, doing an excellent job, and looking only for what their professional opinion sees as best for users) that theyre doing it wrong. As if these people know better.

I suppose this essay then is more a plea. Anyone coming to this forum, especially those here because of CyanogenMod development, please take note.

This forum was a once wonderful, peaceful community. If you are going to post on the feedback threads for ANY developments, please, PLEASE post FEEDBACK. Not nerd-rage-newb-rants about how the devs are "doing it wrong".

If you want to put forward your dislike of current ROMs or the way they are being developed, do it this way: Make a better one. Or at least suggest a serious model of how this could be done.

For example, rather than posting "ZOMGZ MOVING CM7 TO GEN2 ONLY IS TEH STUPID!!! DO BOTH OR GEN1 ONLY!", why not instead consider this:

The devs are people!

*Shockhorror*

They have lives, they have families, and jobs, and other hobbies, and commitments. They go out, they socialize, just like everyone else. The only difference is they ALSO give up their own time to do everyone here a huge favor. If you want them to change how they do this, make a detailed suggestion. Maybe offer to help in making Gen2 - Gen1 porting better. Or offer time to help fix the bugs people complain so relentlessly about.

It all really comes down to something my nan always says: If you dont have anything nice to say, don't way anything at all.

Please, people, for the love of crap, listen to my nan damnit!

If you have a serious suggestion, or a bug report, with a descent log and some information about what may have caused it, or even better a suggestion on how to fix it, do so. That's how it used to be. We can make it that way again, it's not difficult, as long as everyone actually does so. If all you want to do is flame, then please, send me a personal message, pester me instead of the devs. Let them get on with it, if you need to rage to someone about how your still-in-development ROM isn't perfect, do it to someone who will listen but doesn't really care. Or even better, keep it to yourself, or even move back to a stable ROM! *Crazythoughts*

I would like to say, this does not apply to everyone, by any means. It applies to a minority. But a minority large enough to still manage to be infuriating at times. For those of you who have stayed gold all this time, keeping this community running, just generally being lovely people, I cannot thank you enough. You people have made this phone a pleasure to use, and have made this community a pleasure to be a part of. I cannot thank you enough.

I think that's all I have to say.If you have read this, thank you for taking the time to hear me out, and I hope you find something in this that was worth reading. If not, sorry for wasting your time! PM me and I'll try and make it up to you!

Thanks all, hope all is well.

PS. All devs, especially CM7 devs and any in-development custom ROM devs, keep up the good work! You guys rock! (I'm jealous, I could never do as good a job as you guys!)

The irony of this is, before long, this will be lost in the jungle of threads about such issues discussed in this post >.<

Edited April 15, 2011 by jtc42

[Guest Frankish]

I've sold my SF :)

[Guest jtc42]

I've sold my SF :)

If student loans weren't looming over me like an impending shadow of financial doom I would get a new phone in the blink of an eye.

Shame though, you bough a hell of a lot to this community. Seriously man, I'm big on theming, you saves my phone :) Best wishes for the future though :)

Edited April 15, 2011 by jtc42

[Guest jamidodger1]

If student loans weren't looming over me like an impending shadow of financial doom I would get a new phone in the blink of an eye.

Shame though, you bough a hell of a lot to this community. Seriously man, I'm big on theming, you saves my phone :) Best wishes for the future though :)

+1

[Guest isambard]

I have to agree, the friendliness of the forum has changed quite a bit.

It's funny how initially everyone was clamouring for the devs to drop their own ROMs and all work together on CM instead. And now we get threads pining to the days when there were different ROMs.

You just can't win.

Frankly, developers can spend their time developing whatever the hell they want! Nobody has the right to force devs to spend their time in a specific way.

Anyone not liking it can simply use something else or learn how to make the changes they want themselves.

[Guest jtc42]

I have to agree, the friendliness of the forum has changed quite a bit.

It's funny how initially everyone was clamouring for the devs to drop their own ROMs and all work together on CM instead. And now we get threads pining to the days when there were different ROMs.

You just can't win.

Frankly, developers can spend their time developing whatever the hell they want! Nobody has the right to force devs to spend their time in a specific way.

Anyone not liking it can simply use something else or learn how to make the changes they want themselves.

My point exactly! It's not their jobs, it's a hobby. How many people get mauled by people to do their hobby in a certain way that suits them? Haha

[Guest mvheuver]

I agree 100%, very well said. I was new here a few months ago and was impressed by the great community. I got enthused by the great spirit shown in the forums, which I started to follow every day, and at some points every hour. Discussions were rational and friendly. Sadly, lately I don't really bother checking this forum any more as there is so much crap to wade through from people who have no idea what they are talking about.

I just hope the devs won't get fed up by this vocal minority and will keep doing the work which other people greatly appreciate. Thank you devs, please be aware we appreciate all the work you have invested in making this cheap phone even better than it already is.

[Guest Azurren]

I've sold my SF :)

Saaaaaaaaaad face :)

I remember the days when I could read / reply to every post on these forums (Well, the pulse ones included)

Trouble is the Blades to popular :)

Then you get kind of people the OP posted his rant about.. In their defence they are probably just angry because their plea for help was lost under a sea of posts.. That and the fact that they are retarded

Edited April 15, 2011 by Azurren

[Guest jtc42]

Saaaaaaaaaad face :)

I remember the days when I could read / reply to every post on these forums (Well, the pulse ones included)

Trouble is the Blades to popular :)

Then you get the above (OP).. In their defence they are probably just angry because their plea for help was lost under a sea of posts.. That and the fact that they are retarded

I used to make an effort to contribute in some small way to every thread. I'd like to see someone try that these days.

[Guest Frankish]

I've gone and bought a Defy! I know i'm crazy it has a locked bootloader :)

However it has a stable Froyo (Official i think?)

Overclock as far as 1.2ghz.

Flash 10 support!

Better camera with flash.

Almost 100% working Desire HD Sense rom port.

CM7 port just needs ril fixing and a few other bits...not too far off now i hope.

Larger screen than SF.

[Guest Azurren]

I've gone and bought a Defy! I know i'm crazy it has a locked bootloader :)

However it has a stable Froyo (Official i think?)

Overclock as far as 1.2ghz.

Flash 10 support!

Better camera with flash.

Almost 100% working Desire HD Sense rom port.

CM7 port just needs ril fixing and a few other bits...not too far off now i hope.

Larger screen than SF.

Fair enough :)

My next device will be a tablet.. I really have no need for a phone-phone

When I re-read my previous post it didn't sound right.. I wasn't calling the OP a retard :)

I'll edit it now

[Guest jtc42]

Fair enough :)

My next device will be a tablet.. I really have no need for a phone-phone

When I re-read my previous post it didn't sound right.. I wasn't calling the OP a retard :P

I'll edit it now

I did wonder, but I kinda assumed you didn't mean that by the fact you agreed with me beforehand ;) I'm tempted by this too, with a bluetooth headset theres not much advantage to having a phone-phone.

I've gone and bought a Defy! I know i'm crazy it has a locked bootloader :)

However it has a stable Froyo (Official i think?)

Overclock as far as 1.2ghz.

Flash 10 support!

Better camera with flash.

Almost 100% working Desire HD Sense rom port.

CM7 port just needs ril fixing and a few other bits...not too far off now i hope.

Larger screen than SF.

Much as I love what you've done for the community, I hate you right now :) Dayum I wish I could afford a new phone nowww :( Gotta wait till next January before my contract renews ¬_¬

[Guest Azurren]

Much as I love what you've done for the community, I hate you right now :) Dayum I wish I could afford a new phone nowww :P Gotta wait till next January before my contract renews ¬_¬

Mine renews next February :)

Then again.. I sold that phone and bought a blade :)

Chances are I'll sell this and buy a tablet before then at this rate.. I already have a Bluetooth headset and I'm sick of squinting at webpages. Bring on a >1ghz, 3g, flash compatible, budget honeycomb tablet!

Edited April 15, 2011 by Azurren

[Guest isambard]

Fair enough :)

My next device will be a tablet.. I really have no need for a phone-phone

When I re-read my previous post it didn't sound right.. I wasn't calling the OP a retard :)

I'll edit it now

The Blade was my first android phone. It cost me a lot, cos it ended up making me buy a DesireZ and then a Galaxy Tab 7".

The GTab is awesome! Great portable form-factor!

[Guest jtc42]

Mine renews next February :)

Then again.. I sold that phone and bought a blade :)

Chances are I'll sell this and buy a tablet before then at this rate.. I already have a Bluetooth headset and I'm sick of squinting at webpages. Bring on a >1ghz, 3g, flash compatible, budget honeycomb tablet!

Dont ZTE have one in the works? :) #groundhogday

Edited April 15, 2011 by jtc42

[Guest Matthew Ferguson]

I know how you guys feel, I was able to check all the updates and read Flibble's posts about improvements and stuff that he made, when his rom first came out, and about when he hit r7 things went mad, and I just couldn't deal with the sheer amount of posts there were.

When JJ and others came out, including the original Modaco Froyo ROM, I remember how people at first just politely commented on the flaws, but then, after a while, people started ranting, ANGRY almost, about how the backlights didn't work and somehow they should... it's not an official ROM, people just need to calm down! It's the same with CM7 really, and just like the original versions of JJ, if people just read the first post things would be so much better :)

[Guest dorren]

This is one of the best threads I have read since a long time.

I cant code anything myself so whatever the devs do I am happy :)

Thanks all devs :)

And thanks OP for the great post...

[Guest shadowninty]

yes, its quite depressing :)

[Guest Frankish]

Mine renews next February :)

Mine too...can't wait!

[Guest Fou-lu]

whaaa? devs ain't computers? but they were build bots creating each nightly! devs being humans are news to me! thanks!

anyway,I'd advise not pissing off the current devs, we get this for free, it's just like people who complain about the NHS! there too slow! bad staff!! bla bla bla, in America it was around 200-300$ for a stab wound and horrible food here FREE, all in all if you want devs for our community, chill out, or the zte skate community who most probably will be 60% of us, if it's cheap, won't have any devs.

[Guest daveyork84]

People will always complain. It's human nature and it's more likely to come to the surface with the large community the Blade has. I just hope the devs ignore the mindless 10% who feel the need to cry like big babys and know their work is appreciated.

Edited April 15, 2011 by daveyork84

[Guest bluemotion]

I have to agree...

Not to worry, CM forums are still free of angry nerds.

much better place for devs. not so good for a bit of banter tho, like this forum WAS.

I wish I could contribute a little; starting a computer science degree soon so hopefully i will be able to. :)

I've noticed this influx of douchebags on quite a few hacking-style/user-improvement projects; i think its because its becoming more accessible to people, the wrong type of people; people who might be perfectly well mannered in Life, but since they can hide behind the internet they think its acceptable to behave like tossers. its happened with psp, iphone, ps3 (extremely bad), and now the zte blade.

I have just learnt to sift through the rubbish. :)

[Guest jtc42]

This is one of the best threads I have read since a long time.

I cant code anything myself so whatever the devs do I am happy :)

Thanks all devs :)

And thanks OP for the great post...

Thanks, it seemed easier than responding to every single idiotic complaint post personally :)

whaaa? devs ain't computers? but they were build bots creating each nightly! devs being humans are news to me! thanks!

anyway,I'd advise not pissing off the current devs, we get this for free, it's just like people who complain about the NHS! there too slow! bad staff!! bla bla bla, in America it was around 200-300$ for a stab wound and horrible food here FREE, all in all if you want devs for our community, chill out, or the zte skate community who most probably will be 60% of us, if it's cheap, won't have any devs.

Haha I know right, it's crazy ;)

And you make a good point about the Skate, can't wait to see how that goes :(

PS. I can't work out whether youre agreeing with me and it just sounds like youre advising me "not pissing off the current devs", or whether you ARE telling me that and have just misunderstood where I'm coming from. Im gonna assume the first one, but just in case, I totally agree, I love the devs here, and I shall try and support them in any and every way I can :P

[Guest jtc42]

I have to agree...

Not to worry, CM forums are still free of angry nerds.

much better place for devs. not so good for a bit of banter tho, like this forum WAS.

I wish I could contribute a little; starting a computer science degree soon so hopefully i will be able to. :)

I've noticed this influx of douchebags on quite a few hacking-style/user-improvement projects; i think its because its becoming more accessible to people, the wrong type of people; people who might be perfectly well mannered in Life, but since they can hide behind the internet they think its acceptable to behave like tossers. its happened with psp, iphone, ps3 (extremely bad), and now the zte blade.

I have just learnt to sift through the rubbish. :)

Oh god I remember when the PSP community turned into tossers. That was a baaadddd day :) But you make some very good points. I just think this post needed making by someone because so many good threads were being swamped by n00bs.

[Guest Fou-lu]

I agree, "pissing off" is for the moaning baby's..

about the ps3 community they are the worst you will ever see, not all, but the racist inbreds are in influx there, moan moan moan, Sony probably planted some spys in there lol

Edited April 15, 2011 by Fou-lu