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Microsoft got it right!
I was using FrontPage for website development even before Microsoft bought them out. Warts and all, I continued using this until it was announced that it was being discontinued. I had three choices, of which two were in the Microsoft camp. They produced an intermediate software, whose name I forget, and a professional one called Expression Web. I opted for the latter in version 1 and was pleased to find that it was compatible with my FrontPage websites with many other possibilities added. However, being version 1, it was not without its bugs. If I remember correctly, I bought it for about $70 and then got a free upgrade to version 2 which I liked very much.
At this stage, 95% of my websites were still legacy FrontPage with the structure in the form of tables, which was quite clumsy by modern standards. About a year ago, Microsoft issued version 3 of Expression Web and since then there have been two service packs, but the software was a real lemon, full of the most horrific problems, especially those using ASP.net. The number of complaints were legion.
Microsoft pulled all stops out to write a version 4 of Expression Web and offered a free upgrade to all users with version 3. Being eligible, I had the volume user version of 3 and I thought, "great!". Version 4 was released about a week ago and I tried to upgrade but could not, although other users of version 3 did. There was a hue and cry on the forums, partially led by myself, and it appeared that Microsoft had retroactively decided to offer the free upgrade only to those who had bought the full retail version 3 and not to volume users or any other discounted version.
I complained bitterly about this unfair treatment whereby volume users would have to pay for any upgrade, even though this had not been previously announced. It seemed that they had moved the goalposts on a sloping playing field after their initial announcement of free upgrades.
This bore fruit and I received last night an e-mail from the divisional marketing manager stating that he agreed with me that it was unfair. He has taken the necessary steps to ensure that all users of the buggy Expression Web 3 would be entitled to the free upgrade to version 4.
It seems that Microsoft does occasionally get things right, after a mistake has been made. I say this unreservedly, in this case, because they do get a lot of flak from users when it is not always their fault. I hope this message will put the church back into the centre of the village.
At this stage, 95% of my websites were still legacy FrontPage with the structure in the form of tables, which was quite clumsy by modern standards. About a year ago, Microsoft issued version 3 of Expression Web and since then there have been two service packs, but the software was a real lemon, full of the most horrific problems, especially those using ASP.net. The number of complaints were legion.
Microsoft pulled all stops out to write a version 4 of Expression Web and offered a free upgrade to all users with version 3. Being eligible, I had the volume user version of 3 and I thought, "great!". Version 4 was released about a week ago and I tried to upgrade but could not, although other users of version 3 did. There was a hue and cry on the forums, partially led by myself, and it appeared that Microsoft had retroactively decided to offer the free upgrade only to those who had bought the full retail version 3 and not to volume users or any other discounted version.
I complained bitterly about this unfair treatment whereby volume users would have to pay for any upgrade, even though this had not been previously announced. It seemed that they had moved the goalposts on a sloping playing field after their initial announcement of free upgrades.
This bore fruit and I received last night an e-mail from the divisional marketing manager stating that he agreed with me that it was unfair. He has taken the necessary steps to ensure that all users of the buggy Expression Web 3 would be entitled to the free upgrade to version 4.
It seems that Microsoft does occasionally get things right, after a mistake has been made. I say this unreservedly, in this case, because they do get a lot of flak from users when it is not always their fault. I hope this message will put the church back into the centre of the village.
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