Jeremy 2007-07-16 11:24
I love the Smart Taskbar feature of Ultramon. In fact, my small company has paid for 10 licenses and we use it on everyone's computer. However, since upgrading to Vista x64, Ultramon is the only app that hasn't kept up. Going months between beta's simply saying "adding it to the list" without ever providing a timeline makes it hard for me, as the person responsible for providing working software to my users, to give good information on when we'll have a working solution.
PLEASE get updates out quicker. Maybe you need a Digg like bug sections so you can get votes on what users see as the most important features/bug fixes to help you prioritize.
I don't like to be harsh, but there it is. We need some progress on Ultramon 3!
Thanks,
-Jeremy
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noetus 2007-07-17 03:50
i'm not sure it's the most slowly developed but it would certainly be nice if there were updates more frequently. i've reported about 4 fairly serious issues/bugs and the developer tells me he has no idea when the next update will be, not even the next beta release.
there are a couple of free alternatives to ultramon. multimon is one, and nview if you have an nvidia display, but neither of these will work with Vista.
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noetus 2007-07-17 04:05
Afterthought: I just realized it has been 9 months since a release of an updated version of Ultramon. That does seem excessive, especially considering the cost of the app. The higher cost - discussed on other threads - would seem to indicate a higher level of support, but apparently not in this case.
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Kevin 2007-07-17 05:11
I agree. There was some discussion on the forum previously that Christian was charging the $40 because he needs to pay his bills and feed his family :)
While I agree with this, the level of time in development leads me to believe that he probably has another full-time job and he works on Ultramon in his spare time.
If this is indeed the case, then I feel that $40 probably is an excessive amount to be charging for the program when there aren't regular updates with more brief intervals between them.
--
Kevin
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Jason Stevenson 2007-07-17 05:20
You all think $40 is a lot to spend for a piece of software that doesn't have regular updates?
I am a software developer, I actually produce software / applications for a living. You may not know the number of hours that go into developing quality software.
Imagine that it took the developer 40 hours to develop this software, that would mean he is making $1 / hour for his effort, assuming someone bought the product.
The reality is probably that he has devoted hundreds of hours to create the product, and he is making pennies per hour.
If you felt $40 was not too steep to buy the product at the time of your purchase, you shouldn't be complaining now.
It is very difficult to keep up with all of the bugs / security features / etc introduced by the millions of PC software vendors, let alone the hardware driver developers.
I think this software is awesome, and although $40 / license sounds like a lot to spend for an enterprise of PCs, the cost to an individual to compensate the developer a few cents for each hour spent in development is minimal and very justified.
Keep up the good work!
Jason Stevenson
Software Architect
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AlanC 2007-07-17 08:29
Jason, your logic is somewhat flawed. If he ever thought that just one person was going to purchase it, he wouldn't have bothered.
I'm sure that Christian does work on this in his spare time. If it is his full-time job then he's highly ineficient and I simply don't believe this is the case. The problem is that beta releases of Vista have been out for well over a year and it's been 3.5 months since the last beta release of UltraMon and people (me included) are getting irritated. What people want is the working fuctionality of previous versions first and additional features second. The fact that the Window Title Bar buttons don't work/appear relaibly in Vista is, in my opinion, unforgivable after all this time as that is a core feature.
I still find it a great piece of software but I am frustrated by the lack of progress. The problem is that there is little/no competition so it doesn't really affect him. If there ver is a credible alternative then he'll either improve the service or cease developing the product.
Anyway, I doubt Christian will reply to this thread but what it will do is disuade people from buying the product as most will take the time to read the Forums before buyinig.
Regards
AlanC
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stuartr 2007-07-20 05:14
Sadly, I have to agree with the initial post here. We're overdue for another release of this product.
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root 2007-07-20 06:15
I have to agree. i'm a software developer too and this is bs...slow progress..maybe the are compiling on a 486 machine.
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Bradley 2007-07-26 12:16
We can only imagine the problems he's running into getting UltraMon to work on Vista. I'm a programmer and I can't even figure out how he got it to work on XP!
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AlanC 2007-07-27 00:05
And while Christian hasn't replied to this thread, he replies to others reporting errors (many of which were reported on these forums within days of the latest release) stating,
"I'm going to look into this for the next release, thanks for the bug report."
This implies that he hasn't yet started looking at the problem which does not bode well for the timely release of further releases.
AlanC
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Doug 2007-07-29 08:39
If development is dead then someone is going to have serious legal issues.
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Rasnsasnberry 2007-08-03 02:13
Why does everyone assume that software MUST be updated. when I purchased this product it stated widows xp support, not windows xp support and , oh yea, any other dumb os release Microsoft dangles in front of its users. ultramon works on xp, so if you like Ultramon, DON'T GET VISTA. I swear, some people don't understand software development at all. In my opinion if software isn't updated frequently it means it was written correctly the first time. is software written so bad now-a-days that we don't know what to do if software is released with no bugs...
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Skier 2007-08-04 02:38
"Why does everyone assume that software MUST be updated. when I purchased this product it stated widows xp support, not windows xp support and , oh yea, any other dumb os release Microsoft dangles in front of its users. ultramon works on xp, so if you like Ultramon, DON'T GET VISTA. I swear, some people don't understand software development at all. In my opinion if software isn't updated frequently it means it was written correctly the first time. is software written so bad now-a-days that we don't know what to do if software is released with no bugs... "
Simple, because Christian stated that the next release would be compatible with Vista so those who moved to Vista and wanted to continue with Ultramon had a degree of confidence that the product would be deveoped to work with the new OS.
I take it that your willingness to accept no development means that you're happily running Windows 3.11? No, I guess not!
Can you tell me of a new Windows release that has not attracted critisism and then gone on to be widly used? No, me neither.
I usually refrain from personal critisism in postings but......Engage brain or do a little research before posting.
Skier
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Bill Gates 2007-08-08 08:25
Rasnsas or whatever your damn name is ... you are the biggest idiot on this whole site.
Keep your lame un-backed-up Vista insults to yourself. The rest of us that have higher IQ's than you are using it and we would like UltraMon to work right with it. That is the reason it need an update, and if you think software can be developed to never need updates ... you are even more of an idiot than I already thought.
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Anderson Imes 2007-08-09 07:55
I kind of agree with these comments. I'm using the beta version and it has been a while since the last release.
I happily paid the money for this utility and I don't think it's overpriced. The kind of people who have jobs where they can utilize 2 monitors are the kind that can fork over $40 for a good utility. However, I bought UltraMon 3.0 Beta 1 with the understanding that it would eventually *not* be beta, and I would like to see some progress.
I think that our problem is one of perception. I would be less inclined to complain if I saw progress being made, perhaps in a blog of some sort where he posted a blurb every once in a while saying what he's working on - maybe posting some details about some of the crazy workarounds he's surely had to do. This would satisfy me because I would know he's working on it. Maybe just update the "News" section with something every once in a while would show activity.
The other thing he could do that would satisfy even the non-technical among is is more frequent releases. A more "agile" or "iterative" approach to software development might help our perception of the health of the product.
Basically, just let us know what is going on Christian. A little more transparency would help a lot.
http://theimes.com
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DoubleJ 2007-08-17 04:07
I regret having bought UltraMon and I wont buy any updated until development is getting faster (Beta 3.0 was actually announced for 2004 or 2005... ahem). I'm not going to recommend it to other people, too.
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Charles Gregory 2007-10-02 11:46
I can see rasnsasnberry's point of view here. You (Jeremy) made the choice to upgrade to Vista only a few months after it was released. There is a reason that most corporate IT departments do not do this. Upgrading an entire network/company to a new operating system is a major project and shouldn't be done on a whim - if you didn't plan ahead and do proper change manangement, that is not the fault of the Ultramon author.
I also find the suggestion that people using Vista have high IQ's quite hilarious.
- Charles
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Jeremy 2007-10-04 03:26
Charles,
Did you even read what I posted? To know nothing about my decision to upgrade our firm to Vista x64 and say I did it on a whim is really insightful. Ultramon is the ONLY app we use that isn't fully functional in Vista. I knew the beta worked OK but expected some updates over the half a year that's gone by since its release. Isn't that the point of a beta? Release it, get user feedback, improve it, release another beta, rinse, repeat until final.
I thought with all the suggestions Chris has received, and all his "It will be in Ultramon 3" responses that he might be overwhelmed. Hence my suggestion on how to help prioritize features/improvements.
Why some of you expect so little improvement from a piece of software you paid $40 for I don't know. When you buy your next PC, be it next year or five years from now, and it comes with Vista will you still be happy that Ultramon works perfectly with XP?
Also, as 3.0 is a new version, I'm sure he could get another revenue stream going from upgrade pricing. Charge me another $10 bucks to upgrade to 3.0. I'd be happy to do so if it worked bug free in Vista.
That's it from me. You won't get another response no matter how ridiculous your come-back is.
:-P
Thanks for listening,
-Jeremy
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Aqualung 2007-10-04 04:40
So, what do you do when you have an x64 capable computer? What OS do you run? What choices do you have?
WinXp x86? Pay big bucks on x64 capable HW to run 32 bit applications/OS?
WinXP x64? That's the worst supported application/OS on the planet, even worse than Ultramon.
Some Linux flavor? Is there such a thing like a multiple-monitor management application for Linux? Does Ultramon work on Linux? Anyway, I can't run Linux as there are no applications written for it, at least none that interests me.
So, there you have it. No need to be mentally handicapped to run Vista x64. There's no choice. Ultramon has to support Vista x64, but, as far as I can see it, that'll happen 'round the next MS OS release. Forget it folks, look elsewhere. (Trouble is, not too many choices either. nVidia also seems to have dropped plans for its nView. Bastards! It looks to me that all these people (both Christian and nVidia seem to have issues with the Aero interface. I think that that's what holds 'em back.)
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Stalks 2007-10-10 00:02
Aqualung, I have been running Vista x64 and Ultramon quite happily for months. In fact I am yet to come accross an application that hasn't worked due to the OS.
You're spreading uneducated FUD, I suggest to troll elsewhere.
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Aqualung 2007-10-10 03:31
Not sure what you refer to when claiming I am spreading "uneducated FUD." If you're referring to the fact that Ultramon in its present guise doesn't work properly (and properly is a ) w/Vista (64 or otherwise), well, you'd better take your issue up with all the posters that complain of many many issues with this combination. Just take a quick look at the hundreds of postings in threads devoted to the interacion Vista/Ultramon. I do not need to make my case; others have done it copiously.
Now, if you are referring to the fact that Ultramon in its present guise does not *crash* Vista, that's probably true. It certainly didn't crash mine. That is, again, not something I was complaining about, however, this is hardly an adequate construal of the term "support": that it doesn't crash it doesn't mean it suppports it.
My complaint was meant to make two points: (a) there are no serious alternatives to Vista when it comes to a 64-bit OS, and (b) the actual development cycle of Ultramon vis-a-vis Vista is such that we'll very likely have a fully functional version of Ultramon around the time Vista is obsolete.
Hence my urging everyone to look elsewhere.
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NvdC 2007-10-10 09:06
I agree with the subject of the post. I'm still using a "free" version of UltraMon, because I wanted to evaluate the product before purchasing it. But only the BETA version supports Vista, but it doesn't work flowless. So I'm still waiting for a next official bugfree release, before I will spend my money on it.
Can someone else maybe take over development?
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Michael Holm Andersen 2007-10-18 03:01
I'm a buyer of the UltraMon software and truely love it (just wondering why Microsoft did not include this functionality into Vista, but that another story!).
However, I must say that I'm truely disapointed about the level of support for Vista!! - and can ONLY agree with the person calling this the slowest development process on the planet!
Vista has public available more than 18 months now (actually close to two years!) and since Marts there have not been a single release of UltraMon, which still often (several times a week) crashes and does other "funny" stuff on my Vista box (32-bit).
I don't mind paying more money (upgrade fee!) to get a fully working version of UltraMon for Vista - but this lack of releases etc. is really bad!!
MHA
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Ben Anderson 2007-10-18 09:09
I must say I agree. I originally thought that the developer worked on this as a side project and had another job, which was why the development was so slow.
However, the author in another thread posted that this is HIS MAIN JOB! Because of that, the slowness of developing this software is unacceptable and ridiculous. If this is all he works on, there is no way it should take this long for new versions to come out.
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Mark P 2007-10-19 05:58
I installed Vista at work last spring. I installed the Beta of Ultramon and as many of you know it had some bugs in it. I eventually went back to XP because of other issues. I installed my prior registered Ultramon Version.
When I came back and saw that the beta was still the same as released last March I was in shock! Seriously? NOTHING? Not even a reply from the programmer in this whole thread? I spent $40 long ago on a great piece of software. Many co-workers and friends are moving to dual monitor setups. I do not know if I could still recommend this right now just because of all the long, long delays and lack of communication from this company.
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Mark 2007-10-21 11:17
I agree, have kept a close eye on the forum for years now.
Christian, you said in one thread that this is your full time job, seriously???
I think you need to realise that there is a large market for this software and you could potentially make a small fortune for yourself if you managed to keep UltraMon up with the current OS environemnts. I have heard whispers of similar software being developed so if I were you I would think about getting a move on with this, perhaps bring in someone to help you, think the money would be well worth it in the long run. Get UM finished and fully vista complient then get working on your marketing.
You could become a very wealthy man, then again perhaps you already are hence the slow progress.
Just my 2 cents worth.
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anonymous 2007-10-22 14:19
upgrades or not, $40.00 or free I think an upgrade for vista is in order or a vista version made. But I can not give complaints 1 way or the other as I (mumble's) didn't pay for my copy and got it registered free. for every person that writes software their is a person that writes keygens or cracks.
anonymous
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Cong 2007-10-22 17:50
I'm just angry they haven't fixed the smart taskbar crashing error yet.
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Bonstio 2007-10-24 02:17
We love it but need faster development and bug fixes. Please.
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KingSky 2007-10-25 13:56
I hope somebody else comes out with a program like this, that would be great!
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MIkey2 2007-10-27 13:52
Sorry, I stopped reading halfway through the thread. However, I am quite surprised this is something "done on the side." This is one of the best add-ons to Windows I have ever seen and should be marketed to a higher status...I have shown this to countless people and practically all of them now use it all the time. (Most bought licenses too in case you are wondering...)
I did not know that "Realsoft" was a part-time one-person interprise (maybe it's not.) If so I hope Christian patented the technology...frankly I'm surprised Microsoft itself hasn't bought it out and made Christian (deservedly) rich.
I'm a software engineer that has worked for three small companies. The last (and current) one was by far the best and centered around a specific application. We were bought-out by a much bigger company for our technology (and personel) assets...this was 1.5 years ago and it has been extremely beneficial on many levels for both sides.
Anyway, I will happily pay more than $40 for an update that fixes that taskbnd problem.
Heck, I am an experienced C++ (ATL/MFC etc) developer: I'm dying to look at TaskBand.cpp line 633 to see if even a temporary fix can be made (even something as hackish as catching the error and toggling the smart taskbar...) Even if it's a threading issue I'd love to try wrapping a mutex around the code and serializing that section of code. (Of course I am just guessing and am talking about temp fixes; but I'm sure *something* can be done within another beta to make it at least a little better.)
PS - On my system I only get it when running iTunes. Maybe that will help to reproduce the problem?
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Jochem 2007-10-28 01:38
Well, I was visiting the site because of a problem with my windows taskbar in Vista, but it seems that I better not spend time describing the bug. In short: I have my taskbar at the left side of my right monitor, and when using 2 different wallpapers (an ultramon option) the wallpaper from the left monitor extends under the (half transparent) taskbar of my right monitor...
Oh well, hoping to see an update soon!
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John 2007-11-01 22:50
It seems that Christian will be releasing another BETA soon:
From another thread:
"Should be fixed in 3.0 Beta 2, which will be released later this year."
John
Tampa, FL
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stuartr 2007-11-08 00:19
Later this year? There are only about 8 weeks left in this year.
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Bill 2007-11-08 01:22
I am writing this because the reason I came to the website was to see about when we might be getting an update to this program. I too have been waiting patiently for an update to fix issues with Vista. And I too feel that Ultramon, while a good program, is the slowest to be updated program I have ever paid for! I think there is no excuse for this. If I pay for software, I expect support. This is NOT a free program and part of what we pay for in commercial software is support and updates. Enough said. Fix the damned thing, please.
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Aqualung 2007-11-12 19:32
"Should be fixed in 3.0 Beta 2, which will be released later this year [2007]."
Here's an idea: let's start placing bets. My bet is that that's not going to happen. Anyone?
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UrbanSage 2007-11-13 01:15
While I am sympathetic to what I am reading in this thread I also think the only result from this will be hastily developed code causing fuel for a new similar thread after Beta2.
Try the following practice; for every negative comment you have, post to positive comments.
This is great software and I haven't found anything that compares.
While the bugs are annoying I have been using it regardless because it is worth it!
Click me!
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AlanC 2007-11-14 01:49
Could you define 'hasty?'
I think everyone is agreed that Ultramon is an excellent product. However, there are known bugs with Vista and these are taking far too long to correct.
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UrbanSage 2007-11-14 03:57
Hasty.
excessively quick; "made a hasty exit"; "a headlong rush to sell"
Although a long time in development, a hasty completion might cause more grief.
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UrbanSage 2007-11-14 03:59
I'll throw in the definition of "sympathetic" for free ;)
compatible: having similar disposition and tastes; "a compatible married couple"; "with their many similar tastes, he found her a most sympathetic companion"
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Anon 2007-11-14 09:01
As others have said, $40 is way to much to pay for this application. I agree it has some nice features, most of which I don't use. I use maybe 3 or 4 of the total tools. The features I would like to see in the application, just aren't there or don't work well enough.
For instance, launch a full screen game, your entire desktop moves right. Hardly does any good to tile the windows on the right screen before joining a game.
I would consider supporting the cause at $20 if patches were faster to the market. I would support $40 if there were instant support, patches released in days and other resources available. Addons, extras, etc.
Simply for an application that MIGHT get updated every 2 years, is cause for open source or donations only. The coder simply doesn't invest enough time to justify the cost.
I would like to see a track record of updates and feature enhancements and he'll sure earn my money. He should make the software publicly avaialble for free and charge for support. We would get better support and faster updates as people are paying for the service, not the product. Again like other said, the more using it, the more he would earn.
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Diego 2007-12-12 05:04
Quote: "Simply for an application that MIGHT get updated every 2 years, is cause for open source or donations only. The coder simply doesn't invest enough time to justify the cost."
And you know what the big irony is? The company's name is Real Time Soft ... :-))
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Mark 2007-12-12 07:01
Yeah!
This is really a joke now!!!!
Christian, surely you can see how frustrated all these forum users are, how can you possibly expect people to pay for your product.
The next beta must be something special, after all, as you stated in another thread that this is your full time job and you have been developing it (beta 2) since April.
I guess we are all waiting with baited breath to see what appears before Christmas.
What odds do you think I will get on;
1. Nothing appearing.
2. Something appearing but not worth the download.
You really need to sort it out mate or get some help and get this software finished. At the moment your reputation is mud around the web, the longer you leave it the less chance you will will have to repair it.
I sincerely hope I end up eating my words.
Also M$ should have their own multi-monitor taskbar support out soon so you will probably be out of a job anyway.
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Jeremy 2007-12-13 08:36
"Also M$ should have their own multi-monitor taskbar support out soon so you will probably be out of a job anyway."
Is this true? I can't find mention of this fact anywhere but this forum. And even then it's mentioned as a feature for the next version of windows.
-Jeremy
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Mark 2007-12-13 09:41
Jeremy,
I cannot be 100% certain but I have it under good authority that Windows7 will have multi Taskbar support however I was also informed that this is being brought forward as an Ultimate Extra. Have no idea of time frames so cannot say but my source has been pretty reliable in the past.
I am only passing on information that I have been supplied. I cannot personally guarantee its accuracy but do have faith in the source.
Even if it takes them another 18mths to get something out it will still be quicker then UM. But I really think it will be relatively soon. For all we know Christian has been in negotiation with Microsoft, hence the lack of progress here. Will see if I can find out if their offering is a from the ground up project or if it connected to UM in some way.
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Jeremy 2007-12-14 03:02
That would be awesome. Thanks Mark.
-Jeremy
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zeromus 2008-04-09 15:52
Vista is an abomination and all honorable windows software developers have banded together to reject vista by refusing to support it. I imagine the ultramon author is one of us.
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Okeif 2008-04-12 02:39
zeromus,
Do you have to try, or is it just natural for you to sound incompetent?
This(me) software/web developer and designer has far fewer issues with Vista x64 --after nearly a year and a half-- and that mostly Nikon's lack of support for 64bit RAW(NEF) codecs. So, not Microsoft's fault. And yes, I had/have the annoying network file transfer sluggishness, but SP1 has solved that--mostly.
I've installed multiple version of Vista, and have yet to have problems with those boxes either. It's twice, if not more, stable and reliable than previous Windows versions. I also find it comforting that the friends and family I've installed Vista for(most requested it themselves) have disturbed me less and less with problems. Although, to be honest a few had out of date printers which caused some headaches, as well as some initall(like the first month or two) hiccups with sound and video drivers. Only 1 out of a half a dozen or so has infected their system with a virus--and that was contained and quarantined immediately. All of these folks used to be infested with malicious code, weekly, on previous Windows versions.
FWIW, I also have a box with XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Web Server 2008 and SuSE 10.2. I prefer to do my daily tasks, design and development on Vista. This coming from someone, not more than 2 years ago, whom was ready to swear-off all Microsoft products because of his disdain for XP after 5 years.
So, don't come to a forum intentionally for a specific software and spread your anti-Vista(anti-MS, anti-anyNewVersionOfWindows) FUD like you know something, anything.
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Barry Chertov 2008-04-29 14:57
Sure would love to see an update to this product. I was hoping one would appear after Vista SP1.
Please....
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ToeNail 2008-07-29 08:40
You people need a life. You paid your money now shut up.
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monica 2010-04-04 00:47
great software! whingers write the code yourself.
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