Well, we have struck a nerve somewhere. We have a steady flow of people making bogus logins, but not all trolls have the same goals. Most bogus stuff is from general internet hacks, but lately some of it has been specifically from the CAD world.
Generally I have pretty thick skin, but I really don’t want to get in the middle of a CAD cat fight. I used to do that kind of stuff, so I can say with some authority that nobody really wins, and everybody comes away looking bad.
I’m very appreciative that this group of people has been very supportive of this site and its mission. I know you’ve taken the fight to the SWamp, and I can tell there is someone who is bitter about being outflanked. Thanks, and I really, really appreciate the support.
But, we might not have to rub their failure in their face all that hard. I’m sure someone somewhere has taken several trips to the woodshed over this.
Maybe you all could take it easy on them a little bit. They already know they’ve effed up and how badly, and I’m sure it’s more than a little embarrassing. I don’t want to tell you what to say or do, I’d just ask that you tone it down a little because they are lashing out, and we need to avoid a huge scene.
Not many of you were around about 9 years ago when my blog essentially went to war with some DS/SW people over what was then known as Solidworks v6, which is essentially what the 3dx stuff is now. They wound up with a lot of egg on their face, and had to backtrack on a lot of what was said publicly. It was so ugly, I took my Solid Edge sabbatical. This is really the same thing over nearly the same issue - transition to Catia-based Solidworks, but with the added kicker of the forum thrown in just to have something even more explosive. The fact that I’m in the middle of it again I’m sure isn’t helping things at all.
Just maybe back off a little. Allow them a little dignity. I think they know how badly they’ve screwed up.
I’ve stayed away from their new “forum”, other than checking in once in a while to see if it’s gotten better. It hasn’t.
You said they have realized their mistake, which is good, but it leads to a question. Are they going to do anything about it? If they move to a user friendly platform I’ll be more than happy to go back. I can make time to follow two Solidworks forums.
That’s the thing. 10 years ago they were able to stop the gears that were in motion, but this is a little different. I’m sure they are still committed to moving people off of desktop, and it might have worked if they were dealing with a less popular product. They’ve been kind of trapped by SW’s popularity. They keep stabbing it, but it Just. Won’t. DIE!!!
Plus, they’re trapped because they can’t go back to the old forum. Well, they could, but they’d have to hire some old Jive employees who knew the system to keep it going. That boat may have sailed. If they can’t make this SWamp stuff float, they may lose more than credibility.
They’re kind of in a corner, which I think is maybe why they’re lashing out.
The craziest thing is that making something people could relate to took so little time. Between the time Glenn egged me on to do it and the time the site was ready to go cost somewhere on the order of 2 hours and about $15. On a $3.99/month server that I’m already using for other things. I might (should) have spent more time thinking about the name, but I knew the window of opportunity was small. So the rumor that we can’t afford to continue is pure BS. They’ve got some user stooge making up stuff and spreading crap about the site, pretending like he knows something.
I think it shows they’re trying hard to force that square peg into a round hole. CAD users know how that turns out.
I’ve pretty much gone radio silent on their “forum”. I’ve debated commenting and liking posts but decided to not give it any additional activity. If few are using the site, maybe they’ll get the message and do something.
I’m not holding my breath, just look at some of the other non-solidworks communities, very little participation, mostly DS and resellers. They just don’t get that their format is not ideal.
What make it more funny is that DSS seem to think that USER DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WANT…
I had been studying some UX design for a while (partly because of how bad the SWYMP is) and realize that the SWYMP literally goes against all UX design principle <()>
Not to mention how “SLOW” they are trying to move/improve stuff…
Maybe side-stepping a little bit..
I really appreciate what is happening to this forum so far.
Unlike the SWYMP, changes had been fast.
→ I had requested strikethrough feature and within 24hr it is implemented
→ Someone had feedback about the subforum grouping and changes had been made..
Thanks for noticing. I’m still working on the “best answer” option. Some changes are easy and some aren’t. I can’t implement every suggestion, but I try to do the ones that benefit the most people.
I’m not sure why you guys are hitting that site so hard. Just let it die. We have a new forum here that is at least as good, if not better, than the Jive mess. I’m here for information, not to hold a grudge against DSS stupid decisions.
One thing is, we need more people over here… There is no way we can adjust their way of thinking, but there are a lot of people needing help, easier doing it here then over there. The site won’t die, they will revamp it enough to retain some sanity.
I realize they can’t go back to the Jive platform, but there are dedicated forum platforms out there that they could move to. This is one. XenForo is a user friendly option that I’ve mentioned (maybe about 6 times in different places).
And maybe they are in a corner. Another metaphor would be that they’ve dug themselves a hole. When that happens you won’t get out if you keep digging.
I have been hemming and hawing about doing something similar and here it is.
We need to remember that they are real people with real issues and real families. Harassing someone for following instruction when potentially their family’s food on the table is at stake is a bit much.
But we are here now. Stop kicking them while they are down.
Gentleness and respect…(yeah, sometimes I suck at those as well…and I need a reminder sometimes)
#1 - Is this Forum the Long Term answer for all SolidWorks assistance? #2 - Will matt be running this Forum till he’s a 100 years old? #3 - What happens when the “Heat of the Moment” cools off, will we stay here? #4 - Since we can’t pull from the Old Forum Archives, do the regular guys need to keep switching back and forth?
My answer to to every point above is “No”, so that will leave the next generation with a useless pc of junk, unless, we make noise. DSS understands that, it’s not about money, their gamble is that they will outlive all other means of communication to the Past World Of The SolidWorks Forum.
And… That is why we need to keep making noise, getting it at least semi user friendly, or switch to another Software. Matt can’t afford to stick a fork in the uncooked Turkey, he is too vested in SW, we can and we will.
#1- Why not? DSS has proven themselves to be out of touch with their user base. #2- Just because Matt decides to retire in the next 50 years doesn’t mean this site dies. #3- Where else will you go? Not to mention, for those of us looking at alternatives, this site means we don’t have to join a whole new world and feel our way through it. #4- Do you think DSS will ever make the Swymp fully functional as an archive? I have my doubts…
And, give us 2-3 years and there will be a massive amount of knowledge stored here that is easy to access.
Why give up now? We need some more noobs to ask questions…and then we’ll never look back. ><
#1 - I don’t think that is the goal of this, or any forum. #2 - If it is popular, this site will outlive all of us. I’m doubt SW will even exist 10 years from now, but CAD will. #3 - Absolutely. #4 - No. Stay here and forget about that other place.
I’d win another one