[{8}]five Release and Release program.
In many ways DE8.5 could have been released over a year ago as there was more than enough new features this time last year to defend such a decision, but we decided not to.
Simple reason was that DE8.2 was perfectly good backstop for DataEase production and with 8.5 we wanted to go above and beyond.
The concept of Beta software doesn't dictate much. A lot of "us" think that it is the last stage before release, but in fact it only mean software shared and tested outside the company and that is what we have been doing over the last 14 months.
Developed it in real time together with you.
Most software company keep their cards close to their chest, but we don't see the point. DataEase itself is a product which is best utilised if you do "evolutionary" development and is basically designed to support this method simply by the short distance between design time and runtime.
If our product is designed for this, shouldn't we develop it the same way?
We think so and this is what we have been doing and what we will keep on doing.
It is much more fun for us to share new features and functions with you immediately rather than let it drown in all the noise of a big release, and to us it is MUCH better to get immediate feedback so we can take your feedback into consideration as the product move forward.
The release today is without fanfare and strictly speaking wasn't today...
We have released production versions of DataEase 8.5 almost every month since last year because a lot our users have been using the beta in production and simply couldn't see any reason why not too - neither did we!
It it works for you we can't see why you shouldn't use it. The intention behind every new version is to improve your experience and expand what you can do with the product.
But most of these versions was never really published, but still today is not the real release date.
The first official production release was 15th January, but a release too is a Beta even so today we feel that the product is stable enough and functional enough to release and recommend for all of your to start using it.
So is it finsihed?
NO! Not at all, but that is like asking if DataEase itself is finished.
The only difference today is that we recommend that you scrap all other versions of DataEase 8.x and move to 8.5.
There is still plenty of functionality that we plan to cram into DE85 before we move on to the next main release number (it will be the last 8.x)
But as 8.5 is a big release it will need celebration but that we will put of for a while yet.
1. Today - Production Release.
This is the release for all of you that has patiently been following our 8.5 Beta program and already use DE8. You are now officially 8.5 users and you can celebrate your achievement.
We congratulate you!
2. Official Release
This is yet some time off as now we focus on finalizing Player, Templates, Styles and the Accoutrements of the product. All the nice bling stuff that comes with a new product.
So when this is finished and the product is bedded in properly we will announce and celebrate this event, and this is when we expect all the 7.x, 6.x and 5.x "stragglers" to start joining us.
3. Full Relase
DataEase 8.5 is the end of the old and the beginning of the future. With 2. above we are finished celebrating the past and we start looking forward and this release is not for the old users but for the new users we don't yet have.
Full release of 8.5 is the first real step for DataEase back into the software publisher arena where the focus will be not only to make the old users happy any more but to recruit the partners, never developer and new users.