Nasty versiontracker reviews

[Durbrow]

Okay. A large company posts a mediocre update on versiontracker or macupdate and gets really nasty reviews (e.g. certain printer/scanner drivers, anything with Microsoft in it, etc). A very small company or one person post a free or low-cost application that does not work or does not work well. And they get really nasty reviews too.

Is this fair? Should we have a double-standard or should we be really nice for the "labor-of-love" no-so-good application? Your comments please.

[Natobasso]

I saw on versiontracker once that one company gave another a bad review (posing as an end user) just to try to besmirch that company's image. Things like this definitely happen!

Don't pay attention to the negative comments, but do pay attention to constructive ones. That's what I live by on versiontracker.com

[Ceroc Addict]

Originally Posted by Natobasso

I saw on versiontracker once that one company gave another a bad review (posing as an end user) just to try to besmirch that company's image. Things like this definitely happen!

Don't pay attention to the negative comments, but do pay attention to constructive ones. That's what I live by on versiontracker.com

Just as many companies, etc get employees/friends to post positive comments.

You just need to find a few people who have been reliable in the past and basically go with them.

Kap

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Hey, if a big company posts an update that doesn't work as advertised, I say complain like hell. They've got the money and resources to get it right before they release it, so they deserve the bad press. I don't buy inferior products, and if I buy a high-dollar program, I expect good service and prompt bug fixes. You wouldn't settle for damaged goods from a store, so why settle for damaged software online?

Independent developers who work their tails off making software are a different story. They need constructive criticism, not flaming. However -- I have seen my fair share of wanna-be programmers release a half-ass piece of software and charge waaaay to much for it. In this case, I say flame away. If you fund a lemonade stand and cut every corner you can and sell an inferior product for a ridiculously high price that doesn't taste like lemonade, would you expect constructive criticism, or a bunch of angry, ticked-off customers -- some of which may demand their money back as well as give you a good yelling at? That's not capitalism -- that's trying to cheat people out of their money so that your revenues are higher than they should be.

Some people can program. Others can't, but somehow got the idea that they can. Sometimes it takes a good slap-in-the-face to say, "Hey, you're just not cutting it. Either try harder, revamp/rewrite your product, or stop pushing damaged goods into circulation."