I’ve now had use of a Pro+ license for nearly a year.
When this license type was introduced Xojo told us that the Pro+ included
Top Priority Support is just as defined on that page, we’ll bump your support questions to the top of the queue and we’ll review your Feedback cases first. And of course you can set up a call with us anytime too.
https://forum.xojo.com/conversation/post/429116
Fast Fixes is as defined on that page as well. Because of the difference between bugs and what may be involved in fixing one, we can’t promise that we will fix “X” bugs for you. But we can promise to help you track down an issue in your code, get a bug you’ve discovered fixed more quickly or help you find a workaround.
And yes, we did previously offer a meeting with Geoff but people did not seem to want or use this so we dropped it. Geoff is always interested in hearing from customers, if you want to reach out to him on the forum you can anytime. Or email hello@xojo.com to set up a call.
So far my experience is that this is a nice statement but the reality is different. As I write this I still have several cases awaiting review – some for several months
I’ve actually had to ask about getting these reviewed more than once yet there they still sit.
What Top priority support meant wasn’t clear to me what that meant so I sent an email asking
On the page for Pro+, which I now am a holder of (designated), it says Top Priority Support.
https://forum.xojo.com/conversation/post/429116
We understand that some Xojo users need support issues resolved ASAP. With Xojo Pro Plus, you’ll get support questions answered first and bug reports will be verified first.
Is that for all reports I submit while I hold the license ? Or just ones I specifically bring to your attention ? Thanks
And the reply was
Hi Norman,
Pro Plus users cases are automatically flagged in Feedback, so you don’t have to do anything. A case is also flagged if you add your name to it, so you don’t have to be the creator. To be clear, it does not mean we will fix it right away, but it will receive a higher priority. If you encounter anything show-stopping please reach out and bring that to our attention so we can look into it.
I pointed out that I had several cases that had been sitting and I also wrote back saying
I’m not expecting that it will be fixed right away
I just have a number of cases that are still in the Needs Review state and have been for a couple of weeks at least
And got a reply saying
Ok, we’ll take a look.
That was in August and most of these cases have remained in the Needs Review state since then.
In Nov I again asked about the reports still in the Needs Review status and was informed that they would endeavour to get caught up. To date they are not. Some are marked reproducible, some reviewed and some still needs review.
The other thing mentioned in the post is “Fast Fixes” but it was unclear on how many are included with a Pro+ license. So I posed that question and was told
There’s no set number that is listed but 2 per year is what I would work off of.
I haven’t asked to use any of the ones included with the license I’ve been assigned but not having a number stated as part of the license is bothersome to me. Is it more for some customers and fewer for others? Does it depend on the nature of the Fast Fix itself? And what are the criteria for what is and isn’t a Fast Fix?
I certainly can’t answer that. Xojo also wasnt cleear on what might qualify as a Fast fix.
The last item in the list is being able to schedule a call with Geoff. As of today I have an outstanding request to schedule a call with Geoff. So far that has not been scheduled nor have I had any indication that it will be. The email reply I got back made no mention of scheduling a call and focused entirely on other issues unrelated to my request for a call with Geoff.
In my opinion I’m not seeing that holding a Pro+ license actually makes any difference in how fast the reports I file get reviewed or fixed, or that it has any influence on any of the other aspects it claims to have influence over. (1) As of this writing ~60% of my cases are “Open” – either needs review (29 of 396), reproducible (88 of 396), reviewed (92 of 396), or verified (15 of 396).
If I were making a purchasing decision today I would opt for a Pro license. I might get 2 of them if I really needed twice as many installs (Pro+ includes 2x installs). I would save the extra $600. Xojo could alter the Pro+ to permit 3x activations and remove this as a consideration for opting for multiple Pro licenses instead.
Things don’t actually seem to move along any faster because its a Pro+ user reporting it or not.
YMMV. Anyone else have a Pro+/Enterprise license and have anything different to report ?
(1) Note this could be simply because I am who I am and Xojo does seem to treat me differently than other customers. I cannot say why they do this. It just seems to occur and others have mentioned they notice this difference to me.
Well, Xojo have history in treating customers differently. When it was still called REAL.studio I took advantage of a special offer and extended my Pro license for four years. Then they renamed to Xojo. When they redid their licensing and offered discounted upgrades from the old Pro (without Web) to the new Pro (incl Web) I was told that I could not upgrade as I „had not paid enough“ – though people who bought Xojo for $2 as part of a bundle were able to upgrade without a problem. Some way to treat long-term customers (actually I‘m very sure that was illegal), and a big reason for me falling out of love with Xojo and no longer upgrading. Btw that was done by Geoff himself, not exactly the „Mr Nice Guy“ image that he likes to cultivate.
I recall that
I have observed in recent years that feedback cases are closed prematurely, even though they are verified and fixed after a new case with the same problem is opened.
In my experience, bugs in the framework are fixed by e-mail, even if sometimes with a follow-up. The situation is different with the Report Editor. Even after Geoff pointed out to create cases during a personal meeting, years have passed and nothing, just nothing, happens. As a former Xojo developer I would be interested in your knowledge about the Report Editor.
Feature requests are usually “reviewed” and even then nothing happens in most cases.
What do I conclude from this? Xojo is hopelessly understaffed.
The reality is that the report editor & reporting in general are not used by Xojo. While they use the IDE all the time there are aspects of the frameworks that just do not get any use by Xojo themselves so they are not dog fooding the entire product.
Staffing is, and has always been, an issue. They would use many times the number of engineering staff they have. And I’m sure if they got that many they could use more. I’d guess the trick is balancing the sales and revenues vs the size of the engineering team. During my tenure there I saw it shrink dramatically and then grow. And shrink again.
But sheer numbers alone isnt a panacea. Having the right mix of skills is just as important as having many engineers.
it’s pretty plain you got on the bad side for some reason with either someone who had a lot of influence with Geoff or Geoff himself…
I almost got fired once because someone was waging a campaign with the CEO to get me fired (he actually told someone he was who then told me!) because he felt i was encroaching on his territory even though I was just doing what i was hired to do…
He keeps telling upper management I was impossible to get along with etc etc… Luckily a VP there when round and talked t people in all teh departments I interacted with… Turns out only 2 people held that option… that guy and his boss (whom I did not interact with and was his friend and was just going by what he told them).
I can’t imagine how things like that could get resolved in a virtual workplace where one likely would not know it was even going on until too late!
Anyway given what I know about Xojo inc’s engineering staffing, and everything on their plate, I would expect what one got out of Pro Plus would be both inconsistent, and relationship dependent (the latter is just human nature, and tends to get amplified in small organizations)