Article:		Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Mac OS X
Subject:		Performance Issues Are Problematic
Date:		2004-01-15 17:54:34
From:		cjennings
Response to: Performance Issues Are Problematic
One of the reasons that you haven't seen a patch for Dreamweaver yet is the fact that we've decided to spend more time gathering our customer complaints and fixing much more of them. This patch should be available in several more weeks since it's in the final testing/validation phase right now. I think you'll be much happier with the performance and stability of the product as well as the number of issues we've corrected. How do I know? I work on the team (in fact I'm ordering dinner for a long evening right after I hit the submit button). :) -- Craig Jennings

Showing messages 1 through 9 of 9.

• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-21 09:00:12  agallisa [View]
  
  
  Its always nice to see a developer chime in and let us know that they are aware and are working on the problem. I am very excited about a patch to MX 2004. I use it all the time at work and it really is much better with it CSS integration.
  
  My only wish besides the obvious performance problems is that they somehow give us the ability to tab the documents the same way you can in the Windows Version. It certainly makes for a much neater workflow. I use Exposé to help me with this but its just not the same.
  
  Thanks for posting here Craig. -Alexis
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-29 17:43:39  cjennings [View]
  
  
  Hey, thanks Alexis!
  
  I thought I'd give this group an update on how things are coming along since my last post. It looks like we're around two weeks away from finishing up. The Macintosh performance is mow about as fast as our previous release, so you will be much happier with thi). During startup we're still a little slower, but beyond that you shouldn't notice much of a difference between 2004 and MX. In some areas, we're even a little faster.
  
  I'm excited that the team's fixed many difficult bugs (our Advil bottle is half empty now) and in the last couple of weeks we're targeting around a dozen more. We recently took a poll of the whole engineering team to see if we felt we were ready yet. The last couple of months, we've been working longer hours and even Saturdays on occasion, but the team wanted to continue this way for two more weeks to make sure we clean as much up as possible and have stability and performance nailed. I'm proud to say I work with a great group of dedicated people!
  
  Hang in there -- help is on the way. Look for the patch mid-month.
  
  -- Craig Jennings
  Dreamweaver team member

• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-16 07:33:07  anonymous2 [View]
  
  
  Mr. Jennings, you seem nice enough, but please pass along my disgust to your fellow Macromedians. I used to love your Mac products, but with the release of the MX line, your company's offerings have become a sorry joke who's pathetic performance has cost me more money and time than I care to think about.
  
  If MM is no longer interested in creating GOOD - hell, I'll settle for FUNCTIONING - software for the Mac, just pull the plug and stop the charade.
  
  I said it to your customer 'service' and I'll say it here: I will never pay for another Macromedia app again. You're incompetence has lost you another customer.
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-16 08:14:32  anonymous2 [View]
  
  
  Folks, let's all not jump in Mr. Jennings. He did say they're working on the problems, which is what you wanted, right? And, it takes time to find the bugs in the codes, fix these, then test these, and then pull it all together for an update. What more do you want? For Macromedia to drop all Macintosh development stone cold?
  
  If you have read the blogs by Macromedia folks, you'll notice that a good number of them are Mac users. That should tell you something - I'm sure they're not happy with this release but then it was a major update, with a major interface redesign and sometimes things just don't go the way you want. I'm speaking from the developer's perspective (ColdFusion-generated websites) so I know what it's like - you run into things you didn't expect to happen and you have to fix these and it takes time.
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-25 03:05:05  Crag [View]
  
  
  Well I've checked out some of the blogs and I must say if these guys are Mac users then either they ignored the problems or were told to ignore them. I mean, did MM want to get the product out the door for the Windows users and decided to screw the Mac user in the process? Maybe they figured that we'd all hang in their till they got around to fixing the Mac only bugs?
  
  Because reading MM own boards, EVERY Mac user has had serious problems with MX 2004. And usually, when someone brings one up they get a standard reply from a "MM Team Volunteer" swearing on a stack of bibles that it works on their Mac. Right. What special Mac do they have?
  
  Frankly, MM has had it's chance and it lost many Mac customers in the process. I feel no pitty for them or their programmers. Maybe they should test the product first? They could have delayed the release of DWMX04 till the Mac side was stable... but that would've delayed the Windows version. So, we Mac users, who help establish MM as the defacto Wed Development company got screw. I won't again and I hope you don't either.
  
  Do I sound pissed? I am. It's cause my company lost over $1500 dollars casue we didn't act within the 30-day return window.
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-17 20:50:41  robreed [View]
  
  
  I couldn't agree more. I registered just to say that. I want to say thanks to everyone at Macromedia working on these issues. And thanks for openly acknowledging them in the first place. You don't have to look any further than Apple for a company that does less than that. As a matter of policy it seems Apple refuses to even acknowledge huge issues with shipping products before they have a patch available and even then you have to read between the lines with the release notes to find vague references to real problems. 10.0/10.1 Server had huge problems and 10.3 Server still has big problems, though it's much improved... Panther client has problems and everything from Apple Remote Desktop to PowerSchool... iPhoto 4 is great, especially compared to the horrible performance of the previous version. There was an iPhoto article (at least one) here too and that article didn't make a big deal out of big performance issues either, if I remember correctly.
  
  As users (or administrators, managers and developers)we're as much a part of the platform as any application developer, hardware or software product or the OS itself. Do you ever think to ask yourself if you're living up to your responsibilities? Take the time to ask yourself if you're a good member of this community? These performance and stability problems are real. If they are preventing you from being productive and waiting for a promised fix isn't an option for you then unfortunately you may have some difficult choices to make. This is hardly new territory for anyone who has spent any amount of time working with IT and computer technologies. We're all disappointed with issues like these from time to time. They're an unavoiable part of the process. No one has unlimited development dollars, testing is hardly a perfect process and no one would be happy if developers endlessly sat on products chasing some unattainable perfection.
  
  It's a respected adage in IT that's it's best to avoid any 1st revision product in a production environment, whatever the product.
  
  I want to know if a developer is working in good faith. When I go through the new Dreamweaver I see a product that has a number of real improvements, new features and enhancements, that does a good job of matching the pace of the related technology and other indications that Macromedia is indeed working in good faith and I say to myself, it's too bad the performance is such an issue and I hope they can correct it and keep building toward a strong and important application (important to me and important to the platform).
  
  This ranting doesn't help anyone and certainly isn't making you anymore productive. Making note of the problems is helpful... but this thread stopped being helpful to anyone many posts ago.
  
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-25 03:14:34  Crag [View]
  
  
  "but this thread stopped being helpful to anyone many posts"
  
  Oh really? I think it's very helpful to the poor sap who thinking of buy DWMX2004 for the Mac. I think it's very helpful indeed.
  
  As for making notes of the problems.. many here, inculding me already have, numerous times at MM's own Tech Support Website and boards.
  
  These kinds of rants, and notice not many have been in support of MM, are helpful to both MM and any future customer. It tells MM they have troubles and this "version" has created a bad image problem for them in the Mac community and it tells any customers to look before you spend your dollars.
  
  
  
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-27 10:31:16  robreed [View]
  
  
  There are endless little dicussions like this all over the Internet about Dreamweaver MX and every other piece of technology you could think of, including ones that you love... ones that I think are great.
  
  It is a problem that they are fractured and scattered all of the place, in places Macromedia will never find. They've found this one which is good, O'Reilly.com is a 'well known place' obviously but still this is one random article. Even if you stuck to just major mainstream periodicals and publisher websites you would find dozens of Dreamweaver reviews and almost as many discussions.
  
  What's my point. If you have an issue with a Macromedia problem, the best place to take it is Macromedia. If everyone did that they would know exactly where they stand with Mac users and every other category of customer. Macromedia knows how many Dreamweaver licenses Macromedia has sold to what platforms, what version and when. If a significant # of users start complaining (to Macromedia) then they'll certainly know they have a problem - whether a technical problem, image problem or whatever.
  
  Macromedia has openly acknowledged this issue here x2. I'm not saying that the discussion isn't helpful... just the dog-pile style ranting. New comments have been added in since my post that are helpful in my opinion. They contribute new information about these performance issues. New "yeah Macromedia sucks bad..." comments aren't necessary, they've been made here already.
  
  Hey, I'm just saying that I've been involved in IT for a long time and it is rare for a company to openly fess up to performance issues in a shipping product. I'm thankful for that as a user. I don't think it makes sense to slap it away.
  
  I'm sure that the best way for you to complain to Macromedia about a product is to take the issue to Macromedia.
  
  In the interest of adding some helpful info... here is a link to Macromedia's support site that talks about "emerging issues" with Dreamweaver MX on Mac OS X including this one.
  
  http://www.macromedia.com/support/dreamweaver/ts/documents/emerging_issues.htm
  
  They've also posted a performance survey here. Everyone who has Macromedia Dreamweaver MX would do themselves nd everyone else using the product and Macromedia a favor by investng the time to take the survey
  
  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=5358277649%20
  (I think this will work if not then there is a link to the survey on the emerging issues page above).
  
  I'm in favor of Mac OS X being a strong platform. That requires great applications running great on Mac OS X. As users we should be concerned about doing everything we can to help developers build support and maintain great Mac applications.
  
  
  
• Performance Issues Are Problematic
  2004-01-28 08:12:17  jostevison [View]
  
  
  I think a great number of us have taken it to MM. My problem is not that there are so many bugs, but rather the fact that it is taking them ages to get us a patch.