Directory Assistant Status - Page 6

morrie · 10/20/2007, 03:45 PM

i donate after every upgrade. rick and his program are the best!

iBug · 10/21/2007, 01:33 AM

Keep up the great work Rick.

You are worth any wait and the most accommodating developer I have known.

MJSgl · 10/21/2007, 10:12 PM

"For crying out loud, give us a public beta. Give us the old version with no new features except it works. Give us something. Right now you have a large customer base that has been completely stranded by this lack of support." -- Diamondsw at 09:59 AM 10/19/2007

1.Clearly Diamondsw is one of the few uninformed posters in this thread. He is obviously unaware, or was when he wrote that, that the "old version" doesn't work with the service it had previously used, and that it is not so easy to just "switch" to a new 411-type service. Rick clearly cannot do what you want him to, and this is, in fact, the reason the "old version" has stopped working.

2. Also, we are not customers of his, as we have not paid him anything contractually.

3. Being rude is one thing. I wouldn't recommend it generally, but hey, maybe you find vinegar works better than honey. But, being rude when it is not warranted and when not appropriate is another thing all together. For your own sake, I hope you hadn't read the whole thread before your post, as you would have realized how completely out of line you were in your post. Giving you the benefit of the doubt (that you hadnt read the rest of the posts), some advice for future times when you feel like posting, being a jerk, or being rude in general: don't speak on things you're not aware of. In other words, READ THE THREAD.

MJSgl · 10/21/2007, 10:46 PM

Having said the above...

Thank you so much for you program. I have not paid/donated for previous versions, but I would certainly do so if necessary, and will do so if/when a new version comes out, freeware or not...the program is simply too valuable, I would enjoy the opportunity to demonstrate my appreciation.

One small suggestion: perhaps update a little more frequently, Rick. Even if it's to say you haven't had a chance to work on it lately for whatever reason (as stated above by another poster, you probably do have a life outside of providing freeware to treo users :-), it would be greatly appreciated. That said, your previous communication that you were still working on it and expect to release something soon was GREATLY appreciated.

Again, thank you for your past work on the program and for your continuing work as you undoubtedly maintain a busy schedule in other matters.

TurboTiger · 10/21/2007, 11:17 PM

Rick has always come through in the past and each time with some improvements.

I have no reason to believe that whenever Rick introduces his new app, it would have been welll worth the wait.

Good Luck

rlwhitt · 10/23/2007, 11:26 AM

Loyal DA Users,

Yes, I know I promised "real soon" too soon. Let me explain some of what's going on.

Firstly, posters who surmise that I've not gotten a lot of $$ out of this are correct. An astonishingly small minority of users have ever donated. Not that I really care, as up to now I've only done this as a hobby and people kept bugging me to put up a Paypal button. But rest assured I've not grown rich doing this and up till recently it was just a part time hobby.

Recently I've joined with some folks to find a way to monetize this effort. The app will alway be free. We do need to be able to offer a verifiable user base to allow us to be able to offer some (small amount) of targeted listing information, based on search criteria. All this is not yet completely defined, but the one thing we do know is we've got to have a very reliable way to ensure that we can reliably count unique, real users; something I've never had to do before. So, some of the recent delay has been involved in creating a solid registration process, which is harder on this sort of application than it might sound. Plus, there is a lot of Web site and back end work that is needed for a roll out.

We are in the home stretch toward offering a public beta. We do plan a WinMOB (as well as BlackBerry and others) version, but it in no way has taken development away from the initial Palm version - it's just there on the web page as an indicator of things to come.

"Coming Soon"

Rick

TurboTiger · 10/23/2007, 12:13 PM

Tks for the update Rick.

jaharr · 10/23/2007, 04:27 PM

Yes, thanks Rick. You absolutely deserve to be compensated.

Now, to everyone else, any ideas on how the app will remain free but Rick will still be able make a buck? I hope it's not subscription based, or I'm out. I also hope it's not per-region or per-search based. Heck, the reason I started using DA in the first place was to avoid those repeating fees of dialing 411.

I guess what I'm saying is I would be happy to pay a one-time fee ($10-$20), and will do so, but only if it includes complete, unrestricted use. Of course, once we all start paying, our expectations go up as well concerning updates, bug-fixes, etc (not that this has ever been a problem in the past with Rick). Just my thoughts.

Bill Gamble · 10/23/2007, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaharr

Yes, thanks Rick. You absolutely deserve to be compensated.

Now, to everyone else, any ideas on how the app will remain free but Rick will still be able make a buck? I hope it's not subscription based, or I'm out. I also hope it's not per-region or per-search based. Heck, the reason I started using DA in the first place was to avoid those repeating fees of dialing 411.

I guess what I'm saying is I would be happy to pay a one-time fee ($10-$20), and will do so, but only if it includes complete, unrestricted use. Of course, once we all start paying, our expectations go up as well concerning updates, bug-fixes, etc (not that this has ever been a problem in the past with Rick). Just my thoughts.

Re-read what Rick posted. It sounds like he's thinking along the lines of an Ad-based revenue model:

"The app will alway be free. We do need to be able to offer a verifiable user base to allow us to be able to offer some (small amount) of targeted listing information, based on search criteria. All this is not yet completely defined, but the one thing we do know is we've got to have a very reliable way to ensure that we can reliably count unique, real users..."

Wilsonb · 10/23/2007, 05:21 PM

Sorry if this is a stupid qustion...
Where can I find the LATEST working , version for a 755?
Im using Ver. 0.9 b20

thanks

Bill Gamble · 10/23/2007, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilsonb

Sorry if this is a stupid qustion...
Where can I find the LATEST working , version for a 755?

thanks

There is none. That's what the thread is all about.

Wilsonb · 10/23/2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Gamble

There is none. That's what the thread is all about.

Well, I just tried 0.9 b20
and it so far works on my treo755
i just wanted the latest and greatest.

This is a long thread...
Not sure if this is new news..

Bill Gamble · 10/23/2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wilsonb

Well, I just tried 0.9 b20...

Are you sure that you posted in the right thread? That's not a known version number for Directory Assistant. Are you perhaps talking about KeyCaps600?

PatrickS · 10/24/2007, 12:27 AM

I wish you well, Rick, but I very much lament the prospect of an ad-supported DA. I would gladly pay a registration fee but would definitely think twice before loading any ad-ware. I doubt I would.

TurboTiger · 10/24/2007, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatrickS

I wish you well, Rick, but I very much lament the prospect of an ad-supported DA. I would gladly pay a registration fee but would definitely think twice before loading any ad-ware. I doubt I would.

Yeah I'd rather pay $10-$20 for the app and not have ads.
just my 2 cents

RickMG · 10/24/2007, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatrickS

I wish you well, Rick, but I very much lament the prospect of an ad-supported DA. I would gladly pay a registration fee but would definitely think twice before loading any ad-ware. I doubt I would.

I didn't get that he was going to have advertising on the program. I think what he's talking about is, when you search for a type of business, some would come up first or some other way. Just as Google and all other search engines work. They would get paid from, say, Papa Johns, so when you search for a pizza place close to where you're at, Papa Johns would come up first, or bold, or something. As long as all results available still come up, it wouldn't matter at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlwhitt

We do need to be able to offer a verifiable user base to allow us to be able to offer some (small amount) of targeted listing information, based on search criteria.

pump142 · 10/24/2007, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboTiger

Yeah I'd rather pay $10-$20 for the app and not have ads.
just my 2 cents

ditto..perhaps the free version has ads and the paid registration doesnt?
Id pay

rlwhitt · 10/24/2007, 11:01 AM

There will be no charge for the service, and no subscription or paid option. All free.

Your guess about the revenue model is about what we expect to have. There will not be "ads" popping up, unrelated to what you are searching for. We are sensitive to the ill this would cause. There will also be infrastructure to allow a business to provide extra info like coupon offers and extra business info like hours and such. There are a lot of possibilities, and our goal is to make the extra listings and info USEFUL, not intrusive or annoying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickMG

I didn't get that he was going to have advertising on the program. I think what he's talking about is, when you search for a type of business, some would come up first or some other way. Just as Google and all other search engines work. They would get paid from, say, Papa Johns, so when you search for a pizza place close to where you're at, Papa Johns would come up first, or bold, or something. As long as all results available still come up, it wouldn't matter at all.

wareynolds · 10/24/2007, 12:41 PM

I for one am one of the majority who have never donated, though I have always thought about it.

Either way I am willing to donate now.

Is there a way to get a working copy up for now until you get the newer version ready to roll?

headgamer · 10/24/2007, 01:18 PM

Yeah, I anxiously await the update as well. I am headed out of town next weekend and will need contact/location/direction info for a few places for the trip. I was hoping a working version would have been out by then.... That's cool. Guess I will just have to do it the old fashioned way. Call them and WRITE THE DIRECTIONS DOWN. *shudder*

LOL

Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see the new version. Never knew I relied on DA so much until it stopped working...