Maybe you can stop emailing every update?

[Bill Rini]

gmail was in beta for years, and not feature complete....

On the subject at hand. We'll pass your feedback on, but I suspect that the only way we'll get less email is if we have less releases.

Actually Gmail was pretty feature complete when it went beta. It performed all the functions of an email client. They did evolve the product while it was still in beta but it was fully functional and I used it as my primary email client from almost the first day. And many of the features that they added were originally Google Labs additional functionality which matured enough to be included into the product.

[Zachery]

So that means gmail was not feature complete at the point of the beta release, and additional features were added over time.

[Bill Rini]

Instead of waste your time to write all this, just delete the mail by one click (about 2 seconds)

Sorry, but this "my" opinion

Even less time consuming is choosing a software vendor that doesn't resort to spamming it's customers. Since I have to do a major upgrade with VB5 is released anyway, I might as well look around at the alternatives. VB's disregard for their customers' communication preferences will weigh heavily on that decision.

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So that means gmail was not feature complete at the point of the beta release, and additional features were added over time.

Do you really want to make comparisons between VB and Gmail? I really don't think it's in VB's best interest.

Gmail was a fully functional email client when it was released as a beta. It had pretty much all of the features and functionality as most of its competitors. In fact, I actually felt they were better than their competition even in beta.

Your point of confusion on this seems to be Google Labs which was sort of an idea incubator. Engineers wrote extensions to the Gmail product that users were free to try out but were never guaranteed to make it into the final product. Some of those features were eventually rolled into Gmail but they weren't missing from the beta release because they were never promised in the final product.

VB has a feature list which they say will be in the final product. Today's beta does not include all of those features. Thus, it is not feature complete and what is going on right now is, technically, not a beta.

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Bill, I was voicing my opinion, as a customer as well as a support rep. One email a week isn't overkill.

I get more emails from amazon, youtube, etc, in a single week than I do vBulletin.

But the difference is what you signed up for.

I signed up for, in VB's own words,

Your Subscription to this list allows you to receive the most up-to-date information and tips on maximizing your vBulletin community experience.

Weekly announcements about a product I don't own and don't plan on owning until it's actually complete and has all the functionality as the product I'm currently using are not what I would define as "information and tips on maximizing your vBulletin community." And up unti VB5, that was pretty much what I got. I don't remember exactly but I usually got security notices and perhaps a nice newsletter with general information. And, that information was relevant (especially security notices) and generally helpful. This isn't. And it's more frequent.

I mean, at least offer the option for only VB3 and VB4 users. I would gladly subscribe to just that. But if you're going to tell me that the only way I can continue to receive the communications I agreed to is by accepting a bunch of spam about a product that I don't care about, well, I guess I have to consider if that's the type of relationship I wish to have with my software vendor.

Meanwhile, when I ask YouTube to send me an email every time someone I subscribe to posts a new video, I expect frequent contact. When I tell Amazon I would like them to email me the weekly DVD releases, I expect to get an email once a week. But, if YouTube starts emailing me 10x a day with stuff that isn't about my subscriptions then they've sort of broken our agreement, haven't they? Or if Amazon starts sending me information about a sale on kitchen utensils instead of the DVD releases they promised to send, they're not really honoring our agreement.

To me, that says a lot about a company. I would drop Amazon like a hot potato if they did violate our agreement.

[Lizard King]

I also don't like to receive constant updates about vBulletin 5. I am not interested with vBulletin 5 at all but i only want to receive updates , e-mails about the products i purchased vBulletin 3 and 4 series.

[hornstar6969]

I'm happy to keep getting them. I test the demo site after getting them and see the progress. I like seeing the progress.

[Ramsesx]

I get hundreds of emails every day, one less or more isn't really essential.
But I can understand if a few people are upset, it shouldn't be hard to give them a solution.

[Trevor Hannant]

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php/410179-Maybe-you-can-stop-emailing-every-update?p=2355576&viewfull=1#post2355576

[soniceffect]

Since I have to do a major upgrade with VB5 is released anyway, I might as well look around at the alternatives.

Really? You have to do a major upgrade when its released? Didnt realise we were being forced to upgrade to vb5, please could you let me know where this was stated as I would like to complain!

[Bill Rini]

Really? You have to do a major upgrade when its released? Didnt realise we were being forced to upgrade to vb5, please could you let me know where this was stated as I would like to complain!

Well, to a degree, that would be a correct. VB4 is a decent product but half of what's in VB5 should have been in VB4 years ago. When VB5 is released that's pretty much the end of the development path for VB4 other than general security releases. So, I can either stay on a static system that's already looking a little tired (as compared to other products like even WordPress) or upgrade.

Before the VB5 announcement I was already looking around at other options but I decided to reserve a decision until VB5 is released. So, when VB5 is released, I already have to open my wallet because one way or the other I will be migrating off of VB4. That may be VB5 if it seems like a viable option going forward or it may be a competing product that has a product vision in-line with what my needs are.

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I'm happy to keep getting them. I test the demo site after getting them and see the progress. I like seeing the progress.

And that's certainly reasonable. They could offer an option for people who do want the information about the beta releases and an option for people who would only like to hear about updates, etc on the current software. That's all I'm saying. Because, according to VB, the current options are:

General VB Updates but we're going to send you the VB5 updates anyway
VB5 Updates

They've created a situation where the only option if you do not want to hear about every VB5 twist and turn is to completely unsubscribe altogether. All I asked for in the OP was to quit using the general list for VB5 beta updates. Post major announcements about VB5, fine. But every beta release?

When you registered Windows 7, did you get an email every time Microsoft did a Windows 8 beta release? Of course not. They had a beta tester list that they sent beta announcements to. I really can't think of any other product that forces every purchaser to decide between no longer receiving updates on the products they've purchased or have to receive beta release announcements on a product they didn't purchase.

[soniceffect]

Well, to a degree, that would be a correct. VB4 is a decent product but half of what's in VB5 should have been in VB4 years ago. When VB5 is released that's pretty much the end of the development path for VB4 other than general security releases.

Ah I see. Please could you point me to the topic were VB4 has been announced as EOL and only releasing general security patches then? Obviously people need to say something about this, however I seem unable to find the statement.

[Bill Rini]

Ah I see. Please could you point me to the topic were VB4 has been announced as EOL and only releasing general security patches then? Obviously people need to say something about this, however I seem unable to find the statement.

I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to see that VB4 lacks many of the features and functionality that are commonly available today in even a product like WordPress. I mean, even when VB4 launched it was at the bottom of the scale in terms of blogging software so as time has moved on it's only getting farther behind the times.

By end of the development path, I mean in terms of advancements. I'm sure they'll be functional updates but that's pretty much the end of the feature development lifecycle for VB4. It's not going to get any better. It's simply going to be kept maintained so existing users can still use it.

[rudedog1968]

Well said Bill and I agree with you. How hard would it be to have a separate vB5 mailing list? I would suggest using that with the people who create accounts on the beta and the new "email required" vB5 test site.

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Well said Bill and I agree with you. How hard would it be to have a separate vB5 mailing list? I would suggest using that with the people who create accounts on the beta and the new "email required" vB5 test site.

[soniceffect]

I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to see that VB4 lacks many of the features and functionality that are commonly available today in even a product like WordPress. I mean, even when VB4 launched it was at the bottom of the scale in terms of blogging software so as time has moved on it's only getting farther behind the times.

By end of the development path, I mean in terms of advancements. I'm sure they'll be functional updates but that's pretty much the end of the feature development lifecycle for VB4. It's not going to get any better. It's simply going to be kept maintained so existing users can still use it.

Hey im not gonna start complaining on guessing games here. I thought vb4 was in active development and since you stated it was end of life and only having bug fixes was simply asking where this had been stated. I asked over and over so i could complain about that fact. However it would seem its not a fact at all. There are plenty of valid concerns you could have for things that are indeed factual however you chose to pick one that isnt. What answer do you really think you are going to get?

[Deimos]

I think there should be a beta release/update email list, seperate from the normal email listing, that would solve a few issues in itself.

Or even a list per version of software.

[In Omnibus]

By end of the development path, I mean in terms of advancements. I'm sure they'll be functional updates but that's pretty much the end of the feature development lifecycle for VB4. It's not going to get any better. It's simply going to be kept maintained so existing users can still use it.

If that is the case, and you have no interest in vB5 updates, why not simply opt out of the e-mails? You can learn when it has gone Gold here at vBulletin.com.