Cultured Code Makes a Critical Error with “Things”
May 18th, 2008 Oliver StarrCategories | Getting Things Done | Software
Users of Cultured Code’s “Things” GTD application were greeted to a rude surprise on Friday when they went to open their software. Instead of the usual interface which opens to display your current task list they (and I should say “I” since I’ve been using “Things” myself for the last couple of months) instead received a message telling them that their software had expired and that they needed to visit Cultured Code’s website.
If you’ve been keeping your tasks in their program, making it in effect a very significant part of your “trusted system”, the last thing you want to see when you go to look at what you need to do is a warning. Your mind races - what if everything there is lost, you wonder. What if there’s no upgrade available? Or if there is, that it overwrites my data and I lose all my tasks? Or what if it turns out to be too expensive and I can’t get my data out?
All of these are valid concerns, though fortunately for “Things” users, none of them turned out to be true. Upon clicking the link you were directed to the Cultured Code website where, after some poking around, since it was not readily apparent what to do about the software, you could simply download “Things” again and you’d be able to restore your task list to its original status. Whew..
Now, I’m not sure why Cultured Code handled the transition this way, and I’m not sure what is different about the new version that I was forced to install on my computer since it isn’t readily apparent and they didn’t bother to have any kind of an explanation in the “expired” warning, nor on their site either.
What I am sure about, absolutely certain, even, is that this was a terrible mistake and one that is likely to cost them big time in the GTD community. When people are relying upon your software as their “trusted system” and everything that they’ve thought about, their goals, tasks, projects, next actions, someday maybes…literally everything is there and nowhere else, you do not, I repeat, do not want to do anything that will make them or us, actually, have any cause to wonder one iota if they can really trust that system.
GTD only functions if you have a truly trustworthy - dare I say a foolproof - trustworthy system. In one fell swoop you’ve just made me certain that I cannot trust your system since you can cause it to become disabled with no prior warning, no explanation, and no clear next action to either get my data out or get the software to operate again. This is an enormous and consequential error. In fact, it may be a business destroying error as you’ve just completely demolished any trust that I have in my own system.
This is an untenable situation for me and I am sure for many others. One that Cultured Code could have easily avoided by doing something as simple as sending out an advance notice of what was about to happen and giving people both direction as to what to do as well as reassurance that their data was intact. Further you could have done a much better job directing people on what they needed to do next to get things up and running again. We’re talking about spending a few minutes thinking ahead in the interest of preserving your most crucial asset - the people who are actually using your software and who are most likely to actually buy it when you put it on sale.
But now, those very people, the ones that made up your most valuable house list are - I can virtually assure you - to a one looking for another solution. No one wants to feel like their most critical personal planning tool is at the mercy of someone else, particularly someone else that is so insensitive to the pain that an action like the one Cultured Code took as to actually have done that to people using their product.
For GTDtimes readers, this is both good news and bad news. Many of us are going to suffer some as we figure out what new system we are going to employ and then suffer some more as we migrate our data and get comfortable with the new tools. The good news is that you ought to get a few extra detailed reviews in the process as I’ll certainly evaluate several tools for my new trusted system and I’ll write about it each time I make such an evaluation.
The big loser here is ultimately Cultured Code. They’ve done a nice job with their software and it’s sad that in a moment that I can only describe as moronic they turned a trusted system into a potential disaster and thus did a substantial amount of damage to their credibility and ultimately their business…
Come on, you are using BETA software and errors like this can happen. Furthermore Culturedcode repaired this issue within a couple of hours.
If this was a finished and ‘paid for’ product you would have a point here, but not now.
Using beta software means you can get into errors, that is the purpose of beta testing software. If you are not prepared to run into issues, please do not use beta software. And in this case: not Culturedcode is the loser here. They would have been if it took then more than a few hours tot repair this.
- It’s BETA software
- It was fixed within a few hours
- It was a mistake (CC forgetting to update the expiration date in the Beta software - and on a related note, I can’t imagine this “expiration code” will be part of the final 1.0 release, so it’s not likely to ever happen again.)
- Anyone using Beta software for mission-critical applications (and doesn’t expect hiccups) probably needs a reality check.
- This article is a P.O.S., and embodies drama-for-page views whoredom.
This is why backing up one own’s data, once, if not several times, a day, is so crucial. This is easy to do, as Things uses an open XML file format to store data.
I really like Things, which I see with Nozbe as the two outstanding offers, at the moment. Having to use a Windoze machine at work, I have opted for Nozbe.
YOU lose. Do you know the difference between “Beta” und “Final”?
Hm.
I got the same thing, and while I don’t want to encourage CC’s actions, I also think you’re overreacting.
I was irritated.
It was a nuisance.
I went ahead and downloaded the new version, looked briefly for the missing release notes, and went on with Things.
Should it happen *regularly* or *repeatedly*, I certainly will be looking for something else, but one faux pas does not (yet) overcome the real usefulness I’ve found in Things.
Dude. I think your post is a little overkill. You got your info back, and as Pascal said if youre backing up your info you would be fine. It just said it expired, not that your computer was destroyed.
While CC did screw up, I think it would make me think twice about using a system that would destroy your life if it disappeared.
You write this article is if Things was paid-for software. Things is currently in free beta testing and these kind of problems are exactly what beta testing is supposed to find.
While I was shocked to not be able to use Things when I tried, a work around was posted on the forums very quickly, and a fix was issued soon thereafter.
I am not one that is looking for “another solution”, as you claim we all are. In fact, I’m anxiously waiting for the next beta version of the software to try out, and for the final release.
For me, a crucial part of a trusted system is having an exit strategy: whenever something happens to my trusted system, I should be able to continue on another system with the minimum amount of effort.
In the past I used Microsoft Outlook together with my Palm, and I knew that I could continue to work whenever one of those two parts fail. Nowadays, I use Omnifocs, which I keep synchronized with iCal.
Personally i don’t see the problem. So you used a beta version and something unexpectantly went wrong. Keywords are Beta and Unexpectantly.
You can’t rely on a beta version. It’s there for testing. I use Inbox2 as well. Also a test version. It crashes too. Stuff like that happens. Golden code rarely happens. I’d rather have a mistyped date than a version that deletes a system critical file.
Second, seeing as this was something that was not spotted, Cultured Code didn’t know of this far in advance. They fixed it quickly.
Slating a beta program for having a simple error that’s quickly fixed is…[no words]
Your perspective is absolutely valid, but I’d suggest treating any beta software as a “tested system” until it’s released. It’s in beta so there will be mistakes, which I’m sure is what this was.
I’ve made similar mistakes - it’s hard to do NASA-level quality in a beta app.
I disagree with the extremely harsh attack on Cultured Code’s best of class Things software. Calling a tiny insignificant inconvenience on a Beta version of software used by thousands and that has not collected a cent from it’s grateful users, a “Critical Error” is what I would clasify as a “Critical Error” by the writer of this blog. Am I being to harsh here? I guess if this comment is deleted, I will know exactly where the mindset of GTDtimes.com lies.
Positive word of mouth, travels slow. Negative word of mouth is supersonic. People will get wind of these things. My paid for copy of a great software called OmniFocus has crashed on me in version 1.0. My free copy of Things since the Alpha days has never crashed, and the expiration date error, simply instructed me to download another free copy of the software and every single bit of data was preserved. Hardly a “Critical Error” from a company that “Gets” what the Mac is about.
I find it very important that readers of the article above understand that very few of the users of Things would remotely agree with the jest of the message conveyed above. It would be a shame that they would miss out on trying what is shaping to be one of the best GTD applications available at any price.
I am not a Things user but I do like technology and have used a lot as part of my GTD system. Lately though I’ve been feeling the pull of good old pen and paper (at least for my NA lists) and so wrote a post about it. Shunning digital a little and moving to analogue would certainly mitigate the risk you describe here. Doesn’t remove it because of course you could still lose your notebook but at least that’s within your control
.
Simon
This was indeed a bummer of a morning for some of us-
The problem seemed to be (after poking around on the CC forum), that there was an expiration date in the code that automatically expired us all. Perhaps CC thought the final version would be out by then?
Fixes were offered almost immediately in the forum in the form of Hex Fix, but CC put out the fixed version (no change other than this expiration date).
Overall, it was unfortunate, but well handled I thought- though them might want to comp those of us who are sticking with them through the beta! (hint hint!)
I am Jürgen the president of Cultured Code. I would like to tell the story from our perspective.
It is true that when users opened Things last Friday the application presented them with an expiration dialog. This happened however completely unintentional on our part and was due to a false expiration date that was accidentally left in the application’s code. Many users hurried to make us aware of the situation and we posted an updated version in less than an hour. The updated version is identical to the previous one except for the wrong expiration date being removed.
As soon as we became aware of the situation, we posted messages on our Twitter feed, the Things blog (Daily Tweets), and our forums. We also kept users informed about our progress in fixing the issue. We sent hundreds of personal emails in response to users asking us about what happened.
I should probably also add that expiration dates are a common tool found in most beta software. Their primary use is to make sure that old beta versions eventually get replaced by improved newer ones. If a serious software developer puts out beta versions it is his responsibility to make sure that potentially buggy versions don’t stay in the wild forever. That the most recent beta version of Things triggered an expiration dialog was of course our mistake and we are very very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused to our users.
It is our firm believe that all data belongs to the user. Contrary to what Mr. Starr’s article suggest, we have not the slightest interest in locking users out of their data. The opposite is true. Many applications have export functionality. We want to go a step further. With the release version of Things it will not even be necessary to export the data at all. We will be using an open and well documented XML/HTML based file format that can be viewed anytime just using a web browser. This XML file format is primarily intended for third parties that want to interoperate with the Things database. Any third party developer will be able to read and write to the Things database at will without our consent or even knowledge. Needless to say that we will also provide convenient export options.
We love software, we love to create software, and we have a deep respect for our users. Things has already gathered a great community and we simply love to be in touch with our users. We want to attract users with ease of use, beauty, and powerful features. And only that!
Tempest in a teapot… Things is currently beta software so its a mistake to rely on it without taking precautions - information management 101. Cultured code addressed the problem within a few hours which speaks well of them and I found updating my copy of Things to be a trivial effort.
As far as this article is concerned? Its a bit like the overblown teasers for the 11 o’clock news: “Earthquake rumbles through the Southland.” Then one finds that it was barely noticeable. I’m sure you have better things to write about than slamming a good company over a very minor incident and I would encourage you to practice better journalism.
Yes well, even if it’s just a beta system, this does shatter a lot of trust that users have put into the system. I can imagine the scenario. The panic you would have to have lost everything.
Yes, making backups is essential, and maybe that’s enough assurance for oneself to keep using the program. But how often should you make backups of that? I suppose you can’t automate. And turning it into a daily routine doesn’t seem worth it.
I’m glad I make backups by the way. But when my task list would disappear and I would recover a backup of a week-and-a-half ago… Pfft. I’d be really sad about all the tasks that I’d see I’d already did - and I’ll be wondering again about what the tasks are I’m forgetting…
Exactly what you want GTD to prevent you from worrying about.
So, backups are necessary, but they aren’t the universal solution. So I tend to agree with Oliver, trust in your GTD application is essential.
I have used Things for a while, I have become very dependent upon it given that it is at the end of the day it is Beta software. I was a little alarmed when I tried to access it on Friday morning, especially as that was before the fix. However, I really think most people will remember that it is Beta, and look forward to the day that they can purchase a license for 1.0. In the meantime kudos to Cultured Code for having such a quality Beta app, and responding so fast to the issue.
I recommend you switch to post-it notes as your trusted system - that way there will be no migration cost, and it won’t let you down.
First, I’m certainly not a troll. If you read the site in general you’ll see that I have written very favorably about Cultured Code’s efforts - the fact that I was using the software given the plethora of choices available is testimony to the excellent work that I believe Cultured Code has done to date.
Secondly, it is laudable that they did respond quickly and get a fix up in a very short period of time.
Third, it is a good point that this is beta software and that a bug could have resulted in data loss at any time in which case the inability to retrieve my data would have unquestionably been my own fault for trusting a beta product when I should have known better.
That said, when the issue that causes consternation (and look at the board if you think that I’m the only one who found this disconcerting) is based upon nothing more than the fact that the authors of the software didn’t think ahead far enough to warn the people using that software, this speaks volumes about their understanding (or lack thereof) of the psychology of having a trusted and reliable system.
To simply have it open to an expiration dialog with no warning and no clear path to extracting one’s data or restoring the program to a functioning product is a truly poor decision in that it proves to the user that there are situations that could arise not through an act of God or bad luck or even bad programming, but because the company that created the software either doesn’t understand how crucial actually TRUSTING the system you are using is or how upsetting it could be to people if they really are locked out of their data and can’t get back in under any circumstances.
I think a lot of people who think that perhaps I am being too hard on Cultured Code for this would feel completely differently if right now they were still unable to access their data.
Also, I did post twice on this topic, however I did not make identical posts nor was my intention to SPAM anyone. I felt that this was an important issue and I wanted to be sure that the people at Cultured Code themselves saw the post - I would welcome their response and would gladly publish it.
I would genuinely like to know what motivated their decision to take the steps they did and to hear how they would handle such an issue differently in the future (assuming that they would actually handle it differently).
I’m certainly sorry if I offended anyone with my commentary but I’ve been involved in software development for a long time and I have never, ever, seen software that simply stopped working with an expiration dialog that came without warning and without any clear steps made available to users that had received such a message.
Since this system is designed to be the critical part of what David Allen calls your “trusted system” I thought it was important to point out how this action damaged the user’s ability to trust the software - and like it or not, the messages that were posted to this forum and on other websites made it pretty clear that this trust was damaged by Cultured Code’s action.
Oliver Starr, Editor
GTDtimes
Your points are still not valid, given that Things is still in BETA!
Yes CC made the mistake of not updating the expiration date, therefore people got locked out unexpectedly.
CC fixed it as soon as possible.
Given that CC didn’t know they had made a mistake it’s pretty hard for them to contact anyone to give them advance notice!
None of your comments regarding “trusted systmes” are valid. If this had happened with a paid 1.0+ release then you might have a point. You’re using BETA software, deal with any bugs that may arise.
(However the code that caused this bug is unlikely to be present in the 1.0+ releases. I’m assuming that you’ll be a licensed user, or not, with no need for the timed expiration code unless you are using the demo?)
I think from the tone of the comments here you have very little support, and very few people agree with your points.
To everyone else, I apologise for feeding the trolls.
While it is formally true that Things is beta, an open beta that lasts months or even years is not really a beta test, just a phased roll-out. Google Calendar says it’s beta too. If Google took it down tomorrow, would people shrug, and say, oh well, it never made it out of beta? Still, the original post was a bit of an over-reaction.
Oliver, I do commend you for publishing the comments that do not agree with your point of view on the Things issue.
I still cannot reconcile the use of the words “Trusted” and “Beta” together. By the mere definition of “Beta”, “Trusted” does not fit. Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:
“Beta version software is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release. ”
Unstable means it can’t be trusted…, even if it is a GTD application.
Alex, I’ve already acknowledged that it is a good point that this is a beta and if my data was lost due to an actual software bug that it would have been totally and utterly my own fault. In that case I would not have posted the commentary that I did.
This was an issue that was purely the fault of Cultured Code and while they say that it was an oversight (and I tend to believe them) that doesn’t change the fact that this wasn’t a bug and the software stopped working exactly as they intended it to from the code they wrote.
This made me realize how simple it would be for them to shut it off any time they wished with no warning which is what concerned me enough to write the post.
Once again I’ll point to the large number of panicked and upset comments that were posted to the forum prior to my post and prior to the quick fix that Cultured Code posted as evidence that I’m not alone in my sentiments.
The truth is that I have an excellent memory and even though I try to get all this sort of task information out of my head and into a system I could have reconstructed my lists just fine. However it seemed to me after reading the other comments that there were enough people in a difficult situation that it merited calling this issue to the attention of the community which is what I chose to do.
It seems that lots of people are choosing to attack me for taking this stance. That’s fine, I can take it. If people don’t agree with me that is fine too. I don’t have an axe to grind one way or the other.
I saw what I felt was a serious flaw in the way that something was handled and I pointed it out. As a result I will make some changes in my own system; if others choose to do so as well or not makes no difference to me one way or another.
I posted my opinion and stand by it. I’ve certainly let anyone that felt differently have at me even when such comments have been less than mature, less than professional and even less than fair.
As I said, that’s ok. I’ve been writing on blogs and in forums for a long time and I know that when you open up a platform to give everyone equal chance to be heard some people will take the opportunity to treat others in a way that I wouldn’t describe as civil.
I’m happy to stand on my own record and let the remarks of others reflect upon them as well or as poorly as they do.
I try hard to provide information that is of value to the GTD community. If something I do or say appears to be at odds with that goal it isn’t intentional. Overall, when you consider that no one pays a dime for the content that I and the other GTDtimes contributors provide, referring to this site in derogatory terms because someone doesn’t agree with a post I authored appears far more extreme and far more “trollish” than anything I believe I have ever written in any forum.
Oliver Starr
Again you are missing the crucial point: If ever Things was about to cease operation or CulturedCode stop developing software, your data is safe. Things uses an open data format an not a proprietary one. So you will NEVER lose your data, whatever will happen to Things.
So Things is a very trusted environment. In fact it is more trusted than a notebook: when you loose a notebook you are out: all your data is gone. When you loose Things you will still have (a backup of) your data which can be opened in any webbrowser.
I think this would be the infromation the GTD community is about to expect of a serious blogger/webeditor.
Just because the trusted format of Things (and its beautiful simplicity and usability) I personally have switched with my small company from Omnifocus to Things, even be it that Things is still beta: and guess what? Things, however still in beta has given us less problems and headaches (and never a crash!) than the final release of Omnifocus.
Like every other comment here, I have to voice my opinion that this article is written with a much too negative tone. CC has been GREAT in their support and interaction with the community of users their product has produced.
Statements like this, “But now, those very people, the ones that made up your most valuable house list are - I can virtually assure you - to a one looking for another solution.” are so unnecessary. Not only that, but judging from the responses here, you are just plain wrong.
Under the circumstances I think you should ask for a full refund.
Quote: “The big loser here is ultimately Cultured Code.”
Well, as a Things beta user, I have been more than happy with everything they have offered so far. The only loser here seems to be the writer of this highly inflammatory, awfully inaccurate post, Oliver Starr. Call it “your opinion” all you like, but if it smells like a troll…
Raimo,
While I’ve already acknowledged that I may have been too hard on the developers of “Things”, I have to ask you what it is that I wrote that was “awfully inaccurate”?
I can see where you might think what I wrote was inflammatory, but inaccurate? Show me what exactly I wrote that was inaccurate. Moreover, maybe you should look up the definition of troll - I don’t think you’ll find many trolls that print every comment, no matter how unpleasant, nor any trolls that post under their own given name.
What’s more, you’re commenting on a post that is now preceded by two other posts on the topic, one of which is from Cultured Code themselves. Under these circumstances, it seems fair to ask who’s really being the troll here?
Oliver Starr
Did Cultured Code make “A terrible mistake” as you claim?
I think a more terrible mistake is sensationalizing on a FOX NEWS scale. We all know THINGS is beta software. That’s no secret. And we all know it’s been FREE for months and months. And we all know how open and communicative the developer has been about every step of its development and we all know it’s been the BEST GTD software on the Mac platform.
So wouldn’t a TRULY Terrible Mistake be to blow a beta hiccup out of all proportion and unjustly malign a shining example of mac software development done right?
If you stand behind your post, does this mean you’ll never, ever use THINGS again?
That would be TWO terrible mistakes.
Dean, would it not be reasonable to suggest that your comment above, when made on the first of what are now three posts on this issue might not also be considered to be a mistake?
Oliver
Oh, get over it. It’s a pre-release.
Oliver (Starr), I have been using Things for well before the May issue you’ve noted and though others have stated it, this is a) beta software and b) as the file format used is XML, is accessible via any web browser. Also, the reaction you had (I would suggest) is inline with one who didn’t understand that beta software is not meant to be used as your sole solution or if it is, you do run risks.
That said, I have had a great experience with the application, found it much better, intuitive and more feature appropriate than other Mac OS X GTD applications (prior to Things, I had used iGTD) and find Things more amenable to David Allan’s intent (though each to their own in the end, what I might like, others might not).
I do plan on purchasing Things once it becomes available and have already purchased the App Store iPhone version (I am awaiting the sync feature with the desktop version of the application, which is coming soon).
That said, I hope you give Things a really fair shake again and see just how powerful and useful it is.
Wow! You did get blasted for writing this. While I agree with most of what was in the comments, I for one am glad to see it didn’t send you out of the blog game.
And I admire your willingness to even link back to this post.