[Adium-devl] 10.5

[Ofri]

On 10/08/2008, at 09:12, Dan wrote:

> At 9:10 PM -0400 8/9/2008, Ryan Govostes wrote:
>>> 4) Just drop Tiger in 1.4 and proceed as normal.
>>> 	Upsides: Easy
>>> 	Downsides: Leaves a good chunk (maybe 20% at release?) of our
>>> userbase unable to upgrade to the latest version
>
> Per the current Sparkle page, Tiger currently accounts for ~35%, aro
> 136K Adium users.  I realize you're trying to estimate the use in n
> months,,, but I think it's important to not lose sight of the sheer
> number of users involved, regardless of the percentage.
>
>> The users who don't upgrade their OS have no leg to stand on if they
>> complain about being unable to upgrade their IM client. They've
>> already established they're willing to use outdated software.
>
> Upgrading to Leopard ain't a simple $125.  It often costs thousands,
> after you count all the other software and hardware updates needed.
> Some people's immediate preference is to be able to continue to use
> certain peripherals that don't work in Leopard.  Or they have that
> odd desire to buy necessary medicines and pay rent/mortgage each
> month, instead of buying a new ... heh.

Can't argue with that much, but people should be aware that technology  
evolves really fast and if you can't afford the latest new technology  
you're going to be using an old one. There's nothing wrong in using an  
old technology if it works for you.
>
>
> It sounds like a lot of good excuses, er a reasons, to drop Tiger
> have been outlined in this thread - all in the name of making
> development easier.  But what about the product itself?  Are there
> that many features you want to implement that can ONLY be done in
> Leopard?  You're talking about dumping of over a HUNDRED THOUSAND
> users.  Doesn't seem to me like "easy" is a very good justification
> for that.
>
> Most apps now are dropping Panther support, while improving Tiger and
> Leopard support.  IMO, you'all are preparing to jump ship waaaay too
> early.  There are a number of features already in Adium that could
> use some revamp and polishing in its current environment.  And more
> importantly there are features in other IM apps that work quite well
> in Tiger that Adium still needs!

Most apps are not made by a group of volunteers spending their free  
time on coding. When you code purely for fun you there's absolutely no  
reason for you to work harder. Adium is merely a hobby and you should  
take that into account before accusing its developers.

Personally, I'd go with option 4 and just drop Tiger in 10.4. This is  
an OSS project and there's absolutely no reason to support old OS  
versions if it takes extra resources from the developers.

- Ofri