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Well it's been about five months since I paid the forty odd bucks for Disco +. Whenever I get a large DVD to backup I always give it a try. Can't remember the last time it worked however. I get those "something went wrong and we have no idea why" prompts, or mpeg files that won't open in anything. I have seen it actually work a couple of times on a couple of titles but for the most part it SERIOUSLY wastes alot of my time. I usually end up going back to OS extractor, resynching the audio and settling for a stereo soundtrack on the 2nd disc. So whats up? I've been quiet on the subject long enough I think.
jazzman
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Yes, we all appreciated your silence . . . j/k. I also bought disco+, and have been disappointed with its success rate. Often, it won't work at all. Other times, chaptering won't work, or it will only work on the first part. Apart from that, subtitles often come out the wrong color, sometimes making them unreadable. It's a nice tool to have when it works, but it often doesn't. I've gone back to splitting dvds manually using OSEx (and sometimes even DVD Extractor) and DVDSP when I don't need subs, and DVD2OneX when I do. It would be nice if disco could do multiple title dvds, like multi-episode ones, or ones with desired bonus features, along with descriptive menus. I guess I want something to clone a dvd, and I doubt d+ will ever be that, so I'd be happy with some bug fixes
I like systems, their application excepted. (George Sand, translated from French), "J'aime beaucoup les systèmes, le cas d'application excepté."
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I agree with all of the above. Bugfixes would be very much appreciated.
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Heeding the advice to communicate directly with the dev way back I got a return comment that it would be too much work. Something in the vein of "we sort of initially went the wrong direction with it and it would have to be entirely re-written". On the other hand the DVD2ONE folks have a program that has never failed me once (except of course when I try to cram too large a DVD into it), and they put it together for us in record time! So I am tired of putting K & co on a pedestal, they have flat abandoned Disco+ purchasers. Where do we apply for the refund? This was an obvious beta put out early to bring in some cash! Sucks big time.
(I know it's only 40 bucks)
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You're just right. Kai quite simply abandoned Disco+ users (= people who would like to use Diso+ if it worked properly/regularly).
Maybe we should start to show makers of a PC programm that does indeed master the DVD-splitting trick (DVD X Copy perhaps) that there is a market in the Mac world as well, just like we did with the makers of DVD2one. They should understand that they would OWN the complete Mac market just like DVD2oneX does while in the PC world there is and always will be a lot of competition. The makers of DVD2oneX are really satisfied with the number of copys they sold to mac users, actually.
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Abandoned?
Not so much. We work in cycles; the D+ dev cycle will pick up again in about a month, due to *serious* time constraints.
We actually were going to release an interim update to it that would speed it up (new thread code) but decided to hold off because A) It wouldn't be "enough" (and judging from these posts, looks like it was the right call) and B) we have a couple of things to add.
But its hardly been forgotten.
-K
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And there was much rejoicing (yaaaaaay)! Now you've got me interested. I can't wait to see what new features get added. We always knew you could do it! */me heads down to the bookie's to change my bet*
I like systems, their application excepted. (George Sand, translated from French), "J'aime beaucoup les systèmes, le cas d'application excepté."
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Just get it to work then worry about enhancements. There are already enough buttons to cost a guy an entire day of frustration.
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Screw youOriginally Posted by jazzman
I've had ENOUGH of this goddamned abuse...seriously.
Try http://321studios.com Start begging, perhaps they, with n number of hours and coders more than we will magically solve your needs overnight.
We don't make anything that isn't either free, or that you can't at least somewhat try out first. If it wasn't the vision you had, jazz, then you should not have paid for it. Pissing and moaning here will absolutly, positively, 100 percent get you nothing.
I am SO TIRED of this put-upon, "poor Mac Users can't get good coders" crap.
Go to COLLEGE, pick up some BOOKS ON PROGRAMMING and DO IT YOURSELF...or use some of that G5 money to start your own little outfit.
WHEN we have the TIME and RESOURCES to put out a WORTHWHILE (to us) update, one will come.
Feel free to get as abusive as you want or need, 'cus I got enough for ya'.
Pedestal?
Ef' you dude, right in the goddamned ear! You should SEE the grief from this side of the keyboard!
HOURS and HOURS a day lost on Tech Support, far beyond the cost of purchase on folks who REFUSE to read docs, or meet prerequisites, then HOURS MORE of coding to try to mitigate this...fighting people that pirate a piece of software that cost less than a dvd...etc.
This bullshit is EXACTLY why the hell we let forty-two twist in the wind for as long as it did, because it ISN'T WORTH THE GRIEF or THE "COST" to support users like this.
You paid $30-$40 for a program that had an ACTIVE upgrade cycle all spring up until and just past the inital release of DTOX...but you speak here as if you paid $300.
WE PAID outside coders to research ways to improve D+ *for our customers* but as usual with whiney Mac Users, we forgot the part about writing directly to the specs of every individual.
*Every* known issue was, and is CLEARLY DOCUMENTED, so I *really* take offense to the overall tone of this.
Well, I guess its off again for another 3mos or so to do something useful instead of raising my blood pressure here.
Perhaps Chris or Kev are still inclined to deal with this...I certainly am not.
I swear, I start to see it Haxial's way more and more every day...
-K
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Disco+ works fine on my end and has worked perfectly since the last update. Not all DVD's will work people, you have to do some trial and error as a user, DTOX has barfed on me as well, specifically with the Disturbed (The Band) DVD. Please go into more detail of the problems you have faced with Disco and at least post the DVD you had problems with, and where in the process the backup failed. Please be more resectful to KAI, he has brought a great service to macintosh users for the cost of 2 DVD's and I thank him and his team for what it has allowed me to do. 70% of the people you meet each day are plain old stupid, remembering that fact it is not suprising the amount of support Kai has given. Tip, Keep your paths simple, name your hard drive, Iamadumbass save it to the desktop, burn disk image or images with Toast.
Thanks for your time,
Mactrav
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Kai: first post = great news, second post = a bad way to treat your customers. I totally understand some of your frustrations, but you should try to understand some of ours, too. And we should all communicate in a more friendly way.
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If I made my customers wait 4 - 5 months on a service call I'd be on the local news. Please fix it, it's not the $40 believe me, it's my time and I refuse to be chumped again by it.
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We are all for staying constructive and doing the best we can even for non-customers. Its just that we do get some very threatening and mean emails which I always handle the best I can. If you need some help then email me and Ill do what I can and always log any bugs for future releases. We are doing what we can here guys and we do thank you for your support, really do. Please just write in your concerns, questions, comments and rants to me. Ill put them to good use and get them where they will be looked at properly. Im here to help so please just drop me a mail.
Chris Long
chrislong@gol.com
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Its not a service call, its software. Companies with 1000x the staff "make" you wait a YEAR or more for fixes...Originally Posted by jazzman
Hrm.
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You know, I think if people DID understand not only our frustrations, but the sheer complexity of writing Macintosh software, then our frustrations would be a LOT less.Originally Posted by the future
When I say "Macintosh Software" I mean not just a program that works, but one the work with the system the Mac Way and interacts with the user the way mac software is supposed to.
If *nothing else* I for have learned to appreciate the fact that anyone botheres, because while getting core functionality up and running is often trivial, depending on the problem you are trying to solve, "Mac'n it Up" is a whole other thing entirely.
Little things, like how much cpu will function X tie up, or do we trade speed for doing y to the ui, of if they click HERE, what happens...etc,etc
Every now and then, we get emails from folks that KNOW we go the extra mile for them, often on a personal level.
Generally, when we have a customer (this is important, the CUSTOMER part) with a problem chris can't handle, I will go as far as calling them up on our dime (my fav was a guy in Germany who's emails kept bouncing) to make it right.
But I will not ever tolerate or yield to idiotic thinly veiled threats or char assasinations. Its not my nature, and quite frankly its a bit misguided.
I could see if we said "Works on every DVD, every time, all subs are great, cleans your car and offers long life..."
But we didn't.
-K
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It's getting pretty heavy here again. Like WW said, he doesn't use it anymore. Like I said, it worked on one or two titles for me (one for sure). It should NEVER have been put out for sale. One time I was able to copy the mpeg files to another folder (which takes more time) before D+ was allowed to continue (f*%^ them up). I was able to save the thing in FCP and DSP. But last time I tried that they were unreadable. Does anyone know the the maximum time limit to disputing a credit card charge? (LOL)
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Why? because it didn't work to *your* satisfaction? Or DID it...read on.Originally Posted by jazzman
See...this is what I'm talking about. What of the others that have found it useful?
I'm not really sure what there is to dispute, as the software works as stated, within the limits published.Does anyone know the the maximum time limit to disputing a credit card charge? (LOL)
What is this some sort of personal vindictive smear campaign or something?
For the record people, I have 37 emails (almost 1 per dollar) back and forth to jazzman here. Us trying to be helpful, him making suggestions for *other software for us to author*, us working thru issues with him and him getting results...including specific DVD information.
So I'd REALLY like to know what this is about. It needs to stop.
-K
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Sounds like a good program, what does it do again? (I'm outta here?)
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Hey man, leave me off your side. I never said it wasn't worth the money I spent on it, or was misled as to its capabilities. In fact, for what it does, it's not bad; it's just that I had hoped it would evolve into something more, with certain key features (and my hope has been recently renewed), and I would be willing to pay for the new features in the form of another license for the next version when it comes out. The Mac community needs every piece of DVD related software we can get, and we should all do our parts to support independent developers like Kai (and all you developers). Being an @$$hole on a public forum (or via email) is certainly not going to help someone perfect his app, it's just going to piss him off, as exibited a few posts up from here. . . To Kai: I'm happy with my purchase of D+, and look forward to being able to buy the new Disco product. Whadda ya gonna call it? D++? D#? DPro? DFever?Originally Posted by jazzmanI like systems, their application excepted. (George Sand, translated from French), "J'aime beaucoup les systèmes, le cas d'application excepté."
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W2...
We're calling it DiscoPlusHappyRainbow Fun Gear
If we can get in what I discussed with you, probably v2.0.
We'll be starting around the time I told you a few days ago...and it will probably take 3 weeks or so.
-K
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Version 2.0 with a upgrade charge no doubt, unfricking believable! What a bunch of guppies!
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Where the hell did you see anything stated about an upgrade charge?
Are you trying intetionally to troll now, or what?
-K
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Sorry I keep getting emails whenever someone posts here and I can't resist reading it. If you release a version 2 w/o an upgrade charge and the program will at least split a 7+GB DVD title into two useable parts 95% of the time then you will have (desired or not) my praises. I don't even mind doing the chaptering in DVDSP, so an option to preserve the MPEG files would be nice (of course if the program works as advertised this is not needed). VersionTracker feedback looks like a re-write could help you out over there also. Ok, I apologize to forum, but if my rants brought this to the surface again and we can some day truely preserve our large DVD titles w/o compromise then it's a good thing.
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Indeed, Jazzman, cut it out. Let's all wait and see. It's just really good to hear that development on Disco+ will be continued.
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Member
- Feb 2003
- Bloomington-Normal
i have been following this thread as well...
JazzMan, Kai wants to help you. He wants to make this software worth your while as he does everyone else. I am not a reg'd user of this program, and i do not use this program so i honestly cannot say that it is "issue" free and bug free but you must understand that you get personalized technical support when dealing with this guy. I have had some general and technical questions regarding DVD-VX and they were always addressed and resolved with a quickness.
Trolling on a public forum not only shows your maturity level about your problems with this software, but it also shows your stubborness and lack of willingness to accept the fact that we are ALL here to help you in anyway we can.
I am not taking anyone's side, because maybe the software isnt working for you as advertised. Maybe you didnt follow the instructions. Maybe your copy of OS X needs re-installed. Maybe Kai should keep his personal rants and raves in a Blog on not on a public forum.
Ask for help and you will get help. Post your problem and we will try to offer a solution.
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Originally Posted by ZeroSix
YES, this is the voice of reason!
thanks,
Bernie
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I appreciate your voices of moderation and I agree with you to a point.
Part of my business is service also and sometimes a few loud voices is what it takes to channel resources to where they should be going rather than where you would like them to be going. Sad but true I am guilty of it myself and a little abuse is good for me.
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Well, congratu#$%%#(*^$#@&%^lations, you've managed to piss off the dev and make yourself look like a jerk, but it I'm thankful it was all in the name of 'proper' resource allocation. In case you haven't noticed, Ronin no sakurakai Softronics is stretched pretty thin as far as products vs. number of devs. DVD pirates are not the best market to make money off of, and so they must produce other programs, that cater to different, more profitable markets to help sustain the DVD products we all know and love. Bitching is not going to change the fact that no one is living comfortably off of Disco+ licenses, and so it's not a full time occupation. Kai isn't running a multimillion dollar corporate software company, but a small independent garage software company, and so obviously he, Chris and Bile (if you're still involved at this point) don't have a lot of resources to spread around programming, providing tech support, talking on message boards, answering stupid and hostile email, marketing and PR, and so as a customer, you can't expect to have a perfect app, or even a complete one, ever. The best you can hope for is for it to do the job you need, and get your money's worth out of it. I consider Forty-Two and Disco+ to be essential tools in my DVD toolset, and have been happy to pay for both. </rant> Now, how about a thread lock?
I like systems, their application excepted. (George Sand, translated from French), "J'aime beaucoup les systèmes, le cas d'application excepté."
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Hahaha.
C'mon guys...can't we all be friends?
Kai, I just wanted to say I TOTALLY understand what you mean by "macin' it up" in terms of programming. The mac environment is the friendliest user interface of any platform, but while this makes things easier for the user, things are more difficult for the developer.
Taking that extra mile to make things as approachable as possible can be an extraordinary amount of work.
Writing software is complex and unpredictable. I've never used any of Kai's software, but I'll give respect just for the contributions made. Knowing that the mac is lucky to have a few really good programs for DVD backups, it upsets me to see squabbles like this.
Kai dude, keep coding! Just understand that you can never accomodate to all users tastes, and that there will always be glitches. As long as you're giving an honest effort, it's all good.
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Last word (something about my shorts)
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