Please no more'secret' updates. Please... no.

Dear Developers & Supporters,

You are doing a fantastic job. Seriously. It's amazing what you've built with the software, and it's even more amazing how fast, well, and patient you are supporting us here, no matter if a user has read the documentation or not.

But one thing you do not do well: You are not informing us properly on updates. Not at all. That's a huge, huge flaw, and you are the only serious company I know doing that.

So, I purchased, downloaded and began working with HS Business and HM Multivendor on 14 February 2014. HS Business was then at version 2.3.0, the changelog dated 11 Feb. And both is now the very same, still.

Since then I've been sometimes looking if there had been any updates, new builds... but no, all the same. Until today.

Meanwhile I saw in the forums one or the other 'fix' you did for individual users in the form of file attachments. Three of which i downloaded as well and used. "Brilliant", I'm thinking, "these guys are really cool and help people this way fast and effectively"... especially since I sometimes saw you mentioning that such improvements will make it into the next package. Except, no new packages, yet. I thought.

Then I started pulling my hair out on and off over recent times on this damn address edit thing... you know, the popups that don't work with some templates, and that are darn ugly with Mootools, still. When I noticed that I got 403 errors even when trying to live with that crap, I had it. I did a fresh test install with a 100% bootstrap template, and still got 403's! I really had it. More search on the forums produced a thread from a month ago where, again, a fix was offered along with the note that it'll make it into the next package.
I compared the relevant file - what I had and what was supposed to be there before the thread. Not the same!

So, I downloaded a fresh "2.3.0", threw it over that new install, and guess what... well, you know it: no more 403's. And the edit popup actually looks ok!!!!!

You. Can. Not. Do. That.

I mean, of course, you can do improvements and weave them into 'the package'. That's a wonderful thing! Go on!
But you MUST inform us. Maybe add a post to a sticky thread, which is locked for us regular users so it doesn't crammed up with discussions about it. DEFINITELY update the change log. DEFINITELY update the version number, or at least publish and update a build number. PLEASE. No, not 'please' - it's a MUST.

Come on. What do you expect us doing? Download a 'package' daily and see if anything has changed? How in friggin' reality should that work? Possibly on a live site? How the heck do I know what else has changed in this... errrrm... latest 2.3.0? With the amount of customisations that I have here (and most of us have), I either spend 3 days of exploring and trying, or I might just miss (most of) it?!

Guys, you are great, and obviously you've got nothing to hide. Super. See, we all know some garage dev's who cover up their bugs that way - 'silently' - and I know a few of those, especially in my geographical neighbourhood... but that's not you, which is one more reason to work with you!

Please tell us about the good stuff you're doing. All of it, all of us, and in a professional way.

Thank you. Seriously - for all that's there, and for all that's coming!

Hi Nicolas,

Thank you for your response.

Here's another long one from me. Sorry, but I'm on the way of making HikaWhatever part of what generates income for me. So, in the long run this is important... and I sure hope VERY important, haha...

The fact that you "patch important issues" and "hotfixes" in the form of new builds immediately is a great thing, as mentioned, and same with you improving and adding features and functionality.
I also totally understand that marketing patches and fixes 'loudly' may well be misinterpreted by a large crowd as the software being 'unstable' or otherwise 'whacky'. Which it is not, as we know.

However, patches and feature add-ons/changes are two different things from a user perspective: the first happens 'silently in the background' without changing any basic functionality, while the other impacts functionality.
Unfortunately, and unless I'm overlooking something badly, you guys are handling both the same way, simultaneously, and mostly quietly. And I think you can't do this - meaning you shouldn't do this, you could do it in a better way.

Again, patches and features are two different things. Maybe you're calling them the same, but they are not, not for us here at this end.

Throw patches and hotfixes into new builds, and sure, don't mention it. I and probably everyone else here trusts you blindly, and will install anything without even checking. In the unlikely case of anything going pear-shaped, that's what backups are for. Period.

So, patches, hotfixes - put a check mark behind it, we don't even need to talk about them anymore, keep them coming, we love you for them!


Different, very different, with features. Since they're affecting UI/UX more or less (usually in a good way but anyway), we need to know, you can't "just do it" and not talk about it. It costs us big time to figure out what and why things are suddenly different, if we're seeing them at all or if they remain 'buried' under a previous customisation and what it would take to 'merge' your improvement with our customisation', and it costs both you and us unnecessary effort and time in the support forums.

Yes, from a user perspective, new feature releases are always a pain, and the more often, the worse - I agree. We're talking software which, in most cases, used professionally as a major tool for providing income. Unless well documented, there's no way I'd put any new release to work without a clear understanding of the impact and thorough testing.
The auto-update (notification) doesn't change this, or make it any easier. It's only that I'd finally be informed that an update for whatever reason is available.

I just checked, I have now over 50 customised files (some lightly, some greatly), not including emails, and I haven't even really started with HikaMarket. I wish I could, but I can't run an exact protocol of each and every changed line with 'before & after'. You well know what a new feature release means to me, and I'm not the only one:

(a) If you tell me nothing, and you quietly throw feature changes or additions or both into a new package, I basically start all over with each package, like on the first day of customisation. If I don't even know what features are affected, I even start like on the first day of trying HikaShop! Or I might not know of and notice changes at all because the upgrade is overridden by my customisations. So, what good are such improvements then? Hmmm...
So far, you wouldn't even tell that a new package is out... but there's a change to good coming up - phew!
So, that's all a no-no.

(b) If you tell me at least what features are changed or added, it'll take me still long to dig myself into what files are affected, and what needs to be done to benefit from them while still keeping, or adding, my customisations.

(c) So, for the type and structure of software you're deploying, upgrading of features must be "well documented", and IMHO that means a list of files affected by your upgrade. You know which files they are anyway, I dare guessing it's just about putting them into one doc (which could be part of "the package"). Sure, both you and us need some reference to "changed since when", which leads to it being a must to weave a proper system of version/build numbers (which I'm sure you have) and to tell people (which yet you don't).

What might appear at first glance like a slow-down (at your end), will very quickly become routine, and not cost you anymore (since you have some sort of internal tracking anyway), rather pay you back as you quickly gain time (and if only in support).
Us users will gain instantly and hugely. The auto-update alone doesn't do anything, without proper documentation it'll rather make it worse: "uh, another new release... but what is it for... and how much time will it cost me to effectively implement it with all my customisations..." - all of us are familiar with this, in our computers' OS's, many apps, and many extensions. Don't need more of it, and sure not from the main source of income...

As you well know, the more complex the software gets, the more important this gets. If you have only 3 features and you change one or add one - ha, piece of cake. Well, we're talking a few more here, and with you guys doing the fantastic job you do, there's no end in sight.

In a nutshell:
Keep doing the great work! While you can brag about all of it or not, some we don't need to know all the details of, other we MUST know all of! So, please tell us when and what, and in a way we can work with!


Thank you for reading patiently; hope you understand.

Regarding (c) - very cool, thanks.

I've seen the changelog, and the version number and date above it. Is this changelog per the date published there (11 Feb)? Or does it get amended each time you put a new build on the server?

Yup, I can tell. (Guess my question was more rhetorical, haha.)

Dang. Put yourself onto our seats... you see the problem.

Thanks for trying. Don't blame you, not really, since that's the hardest part: on one hand getting all the cool new stuff quickly out all the time (and those patches and fixes, of course), and on the other hand documenting everything well... a royal PITA.

But with the nature of the software, improvement in that department would be sweet, if not mandatory. Otherwise we'll keep seeing many, and many more, unnecessary 'confused' posts here, and I'll see myself going nuts because it's unmanageable to stay on top. Will probably dare updating only once a year or so, then spending a holiday worth of time with it, and for the rest miss all the cool new features.

Well, already now I saw myself slightly in trouble, but am thank god I'm not 'live', yet. And I see only the tip of the iceberg here, you know best how many people stick long, typically too long with old versions. Otherwise bigger PITA for them.

'Nuff said. Only one more time: please no more 'secret' = undocumented feature updates.

Thank you!