Still No G U I ?

[chad78]

Many months ago, Craig promised to have "something to show us" in the GUI department within a week. And more recently, several weeks ago, there was a thread trying to nail down the pre-order date, where it was promised that "What the masses want, the masses will get" - and that was in direct response to a request for a video of a fully assembled, fully working Pandora - running the official Pandora GUI.

We're just hours away from the latest declined pre-order date, and still no videos - no fully assembled anything - and no GUI. Not even a GUI mock up.

You all claim to be so busy. Busy doing what? You've got nothing to show for it.

Where is the video? Where's the screen shot? Where is anything?

 

[palmertech]

You do realize that if they reply to this thread, it will only prove that they indeed DO have time to be reading the forums, and hence not working their butts off?

 

[Ardos]

I'm sure that it'll be here as soon as is humanly possible. They're going to want to get it out ASAP as much as we want it here.

Edit: Besides, I'd much rather that they took that little extra time to get it just right than rush it out which is the case with far too many products these days.

 

[gaterooze]

Just a shot in the dark, but maybe they're busy... making the GUI?

As Squidge said, if they stopped to pretty up a placeholder GUI to satisfy you, the work would be completely wasted as they would need to scrap it to properly develop the genuine GUI.

edit: I would also like to support chad78's assertion that the Pandora devs must answer to him and do things exactly as he wants. Yes, he is that important.

 

[realyst]

People, please stop feeding the Chad.

 

[gaterooze]

People, please stop feeding the Chad.

Aw c'mon, it's the most fun on this site.

 

[gruso]

 

[dbzeag]

I hate to say I, but I half-heartedly agree with chad here.

Completely different industries, but my company doesn't have to many issues with developing new hardware, or even installing parts together from off the shelf components like the Pandora. Where we always underestimate is the UI. What OS we use, the applications installed, the overall usability of the product.

Sure the hardware might be great, but you need software to run it to its fullest extent. That being said, I would have thought generic Visio or UML diagrams of a basic usability interface layout would have been available soon after the project was originally launched. Might not even be at a psuedo code stage, but it would be direction to an idea.

Soon after that I would have liked to see screenshot stills of even at least sloppily named buttons or something. A terminal, a boot up screen. The beagle board has been available for quite a while now. A boot screen should have been implemented by now. Actually, how else are the videos for the games being made? The product had to boot at some point.

I am quite concerned actually about the UI. As far as I am concerned, it is the most important part. You can do amazing things with crap hardware if the software is really good. Since we have arguably very good hardware, I would have still liked to have seen good software running on it. Progress on that development would be nice.

Do we even know what the kernel is going to be? Do we know what drivers will be installed/available for what devices?

Shouldn't an API have been published for home-generated game developers to use? That should have been the first thing released, honestly, is the list of interface calls and/or API used to communicate with the kernel and/or hardware.

 

[Mr Wendal]

Am I the only one that thinks the best solution is to out put off the preorder date until we have some more info on the final device?

 

[slygamer]

Some people are beginning to sound like they're funding the development of this project because they're demanding to be shown proof of progress. You haven't paid anything yet people. What you have seen is due to the good graces of those few people actually doing the hard yards on this project. You have no rights to demand anything of them.

craigix may have promised some things that he hasn't delivered on, but this is probably more of a suggestion to craigix that he should promise less.

 

[gruso]

Am I the only one that thinks the best solution is to out put off the preorder date until we have some more info on the final device?

Probably. Seriously, there is enough information. We know about the hardware, we know about the kernel. We haven't seen the GUI but anyone with a serious interest in Pandora as a piece of hardware isn't too concerned about that. They're working on it; why can't it just be a nice surprise?

The beagle board has been available for quite a while now.
So?

A boot screen should have been implemented by now. Actually, how else are the videos for the games being made? The product had to boot at some point.
We've seen it booting Linux.

Do we even know what the kernel is going to be?
Yes.

Sorry but I don't have time to search out the sources (I'm ninja posting from work).

They have stated that their focus shifted from apps to GUI for the release. You can find that in the blog. Once again, they're working on it. Forum needs less me me me and more wait and see.

 

[chad78]

For the very last time - I will not explain this to you idiots anymore.

THIS IS NOT, NOR HAS IT EVER BEEN, ABOUT APPEASING ME. I KNOW I DON'T MEAN SQUAT TO ANY OF YOU. IT IS NOT ABOUT MAKING CHAD HAPPY - IT'S ABOUT KEEPING YOUR WORD. IT'S ABOUT MAKING SOME SORT OF PROGRESS. IT'S ABOUT DELIVERING THE PRODUCT YOU PROMISED OVER 8 MONTHS AGO. IT'S ABOUT KEEPING DEADLINES. IT'S ABOUT SHOWING YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY BUYING.

I love Apple products - but I would never buy a new MacBook without reading reviews from people who have used it - without seeing pictures of the final product - without seeing videos and screenshots of the operating system. And that's from a proven company with a long history of delivered products.

I love Nintendo products - but I would never buy their next system without reading reviews from people who have play it - without seeing pictures of the final product - without seeind videos and screenshots of the games. And that's from proven company with a long history of delivered products.

How do you expect people to lay out $330 or €200 for a product that they've never seen in its final form, a product that has never been completely demonstrated, a product that doesn't have a GUI that anyone has seen.

Even showing a beta or a prototype wouldn't be enough for Nintendo, Apple, Sony, or anybody else. Why should you expect people to trust you even more than people who have been doing this for decades?


EDIT: Removed font size abuse -Chip

 

[CronoTriggerfan]

Just a shot in the dark, but maybe they're busy... making the GUI?

Chad's complaint is that the devs stated they'd show us a GUI over a month ago. They've obviously got something to show under his estimation, but they haven't. Though I think they scrapped whatever was going to be shown for the KDrive GUI, so that one might be justifiable.

Am I the only one that thinks the best solution is to out put off the preorder date until we have some more info on the final device?

What, do you just not read the forums or something? :lol: All harshness aside, (and I do kid, I assure you) the point of Craig canceling the early preorder was to ensure that final units will be shown before the 30th, as has been stated numerous times. By his estimations, we're due to see a final Pandora case any day now.

That one, though, kinda pisses me off. I know that they didn't get there in time for Leipzig, but that was WEEKS ago. Any kind of "shipping error" would have been worked out a long time ago, so why the heck haven't we seen anything yet?

But I must agree with Chad in some of these accounts. "When it's done" worked in the early development stages, but it's time to buckle down, pick a damn date, stick to that date, and begin showing off what this thing is actually capable of. Craig seems to be doing this to some extent with the 30th speculation and the promises of new content before the preorder, but seeing as nothing has been promised, I must consider this date to be like all the others: a farce. And thus, since the date is completely movable, I, in turn, think that the display of content is mobile as well.

 

[gruso]

Shut up Chad.

 

[WizardStan]

I'm going to have to agree with Chad's underlying sentiment here. When you say "we should have something to show this week" and then just disappear for a month or so, it looks fairly unprofessional. At the very least an acknowledgment that it wasn't going to happen would have been welcome.
Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy to wait until it's ready, but all these "should"s and "maybe"s are feeling like a major tease. Either hold to some kind of schedule and actually follow through with showing something (anything) when you suggest you might, or don't even suggest it: stick to the "it's ready when it's ready".
By this time there's no point, I think, but I did say similar months ago, and I still hold that stance.

 

[gaterooze]

QUOTE
IT'S ABOUT SHOWING YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY BUYING. [...] How do you expect people to lay out $330 or €200 for a product that they've never seen in its final form, a product that has never been completely demonstrated, a product that doesn't have a GUI that anyone has seen.


Um... you can't actually buy it yet.

Obviously you would expect those things once pre-orders are open, but they're not. So it's up to them what & when they show things. If they don't consider something perfect enough to show just yet (and with people like you around, I don't blame them), then that's fair enough. If it costs them a few sales (which I doubt), that's their problem.

Why don't you do this: just chill and wait for an e-mail to show up in your box one day announcing pre-orders opening for the Pandora. Then take a look and see what info/videos/etc is available at that time, and decide whether you want to buy it or not. Simple.

 

[AireTamStorm]

Filling the screen with oversized text does nothing but show how immature you behave here. It isn't that people cannot read your words normally, its that you be ridiculous and then do something as radical as claiming immunity. They're ignoring you.

I hate to say it finally, but please get over yourself.

Damn, third time I've edited this post:
Do you actually belive that starting a thread like this is productive?

 

[PoisonedV]

theyre working on the anti-chad features

 

[greendots]

Why is Chad still here....

 

[cherrycyanide]

Why is Chad still here....

because hes fun to laugh at.