The sheer complexity of most recent top-end instruments makes it very difficult for manufacturers to come up with totally bug free units on initial release day, without protracting the launch date beyond what may be commercially realistic. Within reason, I can live with this, provided that:

- Any bugs are minor and of a fairly obscure nature, not affecting the main operational functionality or stopping the unit from being used in an everyday sense.

- The manufacturer has good lines of communication with his customers and is prompt in dealing with reported bugs

- Bugs are sorted first, and free of charge, before any major enhancements are made to the OS.

- Minor free of charge enhancements are included on the back of what is essentially a bug fixing OS release, particularly where they improve flexibility or convenience

Essentially, you should be able to trust the instrument on a gig from day one, even if the odd bug is encountered when doing at-home preparation work whilst setting up the various user presets you intend to use.

One thing I have never really understood is why many manufacturers seem to make their own, and their customers, lives more difficult by "uninventing" OS features and functions that they had already perfected on a previous model. This practice causes grief to the user, who has got used to a certain facility being present and working well. From the manufacturers point of view, it increases the potential for bugs to be introduced into the redesign and also must lead to more expensive testing being required. Everyone loses. To my mind (as a software developer) it makes more sense to build on what went before, whilst refining, improving and enhancing. You would normally only scrap what you already had if there was something seriously and incurably wrong with it functionally from day one.



[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 12-07-2005).]