A Recommendation to PTC about Pro/Engineer Wildfire




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A Recommendation to PTC
An opinion by Eldon Goates, May 2003

In the category of "Why don't they spend time fixing the things that will really make the user experience more enjoyable" there are a couple of things that strike me:

Every user reading this probably has a list of enhancements they've been asking for. What about listening to the customer and including some of those things instead of rebuilding everything to look more like the low-end competitor? I know PTC has been touting this as a change demanded by customers, so I have to wonder if they really thought the customer wanted another I^2? That's a business plan that doesn't make sense! As far as I'm concerned, PTC does not recognize or understand their limitations, and their imagination far exceeds their ability to implement. With that said, their business plan should incorporate only the changes that can be contained and qualified. Now they said they did this, but with the product a year late (according to their schedule) it still couldn't be contained.

Why does PTC have to further alienate the good users with every new release? Is it so hard to see that the new users will become the skilled users? (Assuming, of course, they are given adequate tools.) There has to be ways of making the software both easier to learn and easy to make really fast. PTC keeps claiming that the 2 are opposite in direction. I think they just haven't tried to find the elegant solution -- Laziness! Because none of them are skilled users and therefor do not understand the benefits. (PTC, Do you disagree? Prove I'm wrong by publishing the notes showing there were meetings (more than a few) on just the subject of how to surprise and delight your high-end users by making Pro/E go really fast -- and I don't mean mouse picks because the mouse by nature is not fast. What about the Mouse. I don't believe it's been discussed more than just in passing -- a terrible disservice to your customers.)

The default viewing size related to a first feature has always been sort of goofy. Yes, it assumes a size at first and that's fine, but why is the extrude depth assumed to be the same obnoxious sizing when all the sketch dimensions are small? With wildfire they tout the benefits of dragging to the right size, but how can you drag the length when the sketch size is 0.5 and the length now shown on the screen is 216? It would be so simple to make the assumed depth something that is in the ballpark of the sketch dims. Duh. That's been a problem for years -- but of course they didn't think about the fact that it's even more important with the new paradigm.

How about pipe threads? We've been asking for them for years! Probably since V.17.

Where is the switch to turn off the automatic sketcher references? I've been asking for that since i^2.

Why is there a browser in Wildfire? OK, it's not fundamentally a problem, but does PTC think its users will have trouble finding a browser? Yes, to me, with all the other issues, this is definitely a "Why don't they spend time fixing the things that will really make a difference" item.

Where are the productivity improvements promised? Some of the new functionality is really great, but it is so lost in the flaws, it is hard to appreciate. Too bad time wasn't spent improving the product by implementing the new and cool functionality without all the senseless mistakes and useless crap.

The list goes on and on -- and although each user will have variations of their own, I believe PTC could have pleased more users by addressing the customer needs rather than changing things for their own ego. I believe PTC knew very early in development they were not making the best choices for their customer and they would not succeed at their stated goal. I believe they proceeded on in their own arrogance for the sake of their own ego.

For additional reading:

If you're surprised by the recommendations or just want to read more of our view on Pro/Engineer Wildfire, please try the following subsections of this article:

A New Outlook on Wildfire

The Long Detailed List of Issues

Alternatives to taking the Wildfire Poison Pill

A Recommendation to PTC

Our Disclaimer

If you're interested in our first look at Wildfire, please read What About This Wildfire Thing??

A Recommendation to PTC An opinion by Eldon Goates, May 2003
	In the category of "Why don't they spend time fixing the things that will really make the user experience more enjoyable" there are a couple of things that strike me: Every user reading this probably has a list of enhancements they've been asking for. What about listening to the customer and including some of those things instead of rebuilding everything to look more like the low-end competitor? I know PTC has been touting this as a change demanded by customers, so I have to wonder if they really thought the customer wanted another I^2? That's a business plan that doesn't make sense! As far as I'm concerned, PTC does not recognize or understand their limitations, and their imagination far exceeds their ability to implement. With that said, their business plan should incorporate only the changes that can be contained and qualified. Now they said they did this, but with the product a year late (according to their schedule) it still couldn't be contained. Why does PTC have to further alienate the good users with every new release? Is it so hard to see that the new users will become the skilled users? (Assuming, of course, they are given adequate tools.) There has to be ways of making the software both easier to learn and easy to make really fast. PTC keeps claiming that the 2 are opposite in direction. I think they just haven't tried to find the elegant solution -- Laziness! Because none of them are skilled users and therefor do not understand the benefits. (PTC, Do you disagree? Prove I'm wrong by publishing the notes showing there were meetings (more than a few) on just the subject of how to surprise and delight your high-end users by making Pro/E go really fast -- and I don't mean mouse picks because the mouse by nature is not fast. What about the Mouse. I don't believe it's been discussed more than just in passing -- a terrible disservice to your customers.) The default viewing size related to a first feature has always been sort of goofy. Yes, it assumes a size at first and that's fine, but why is the extrude depth assumed to be the same obnoxious sizing when all the sketch dimensions are small? With wildfire they tout the benefits of dragging to the right size, but how can you drag the length when the sketch size is 0.5 and the length now shown on the screen is 216? It would be so simple to make the assumed depth something that is in the ballpark of the sketch dims. Duh. That's been a problem for years -- but of course they didn't think about the fact that it's even more important with the new paradigm. How about pipe threads? We've been asking for them for years! Probably since V.17. Where is the switch to turn off the automatic sketcher references? I've been asking for that since i^2. Why is there a browser in Wildfire? OK, it's not fundamentally a problem, but does PTC think its users will have trouble finding a browser? Yes, to me, with all the other issues, this is definitely a "Why don't they spend time fixing the things that will really make a difference" item. Where are the productivity improvements promised? Some of the new functionality is really great, but it is so lost in the flaws, it is hard to appreciate. Too bad time wasn't spent improving the product by implementing the new and cool functionality without all the senseless mistakes and useless crap. The list goes on and on -- and although each user will have variations of their own, I believe PTC could have pleased more users by addressing the customer needs rather than changing things for their own ego. I believe PTC knew very early in development they were not making the best choices for their customer and they would not succeed at their stated goal. I believe they proceeded on in their own arrogance for the sake of their own ego.

For additional reading:
	If you're surprised by the recommendations or just want to read more of our view on Pro/Engineer Wildfire, please try the following subsections of this article: A New Outlook on Wildfire The Long Detailed List of Issues Alternatives to taking the Wildfire Poison Pill A Recommendation to PTC Our Disclaimer If you're interested in our first look at Wildfire, please read What About This Wildfire Thing??