Release Date (ATTN: Papyrus guys)

With all of the complaints seen in the past ("Where's the NCR2 demo?" "Has GP2 been released yet?", etc.), why don't the programmers over estimate the release dates of their software? As engineers know, you should always have a "safety factor" in case something goes wrong. So why not just add 2 weeks to your estimated release date. That way, when the product is not complete by the estimated date, there won't be as many complaints. The programmers will not be in such a rush to complete the product and some of the bugs might get themselves worked out. If the programmers actually finish on time, then great! Release it early. Just my opinion Randy Johnson

Hmmm, Not a bad idea, however in some cases (win95 springs to mind) the overestimate would have needed to be about a year :) After all, as I heard it it was originaly going to be Windows94 <G> Ron R II *********************************************** ** Keep the shiny side up & the hammer down ** *** Ron "Cougar" Riekens II *** **** Owner - Driver **** **** Medallion Motorsports/*** Photography **** *** NASS ARCA Series #96 Pontiac *** ***********************************************

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> With all of the complaints seen in the past ("Where's the NCR2 demo?" > "Has GP2 been released yet?", etc.), why don't the programmers over > estimate the release dates of their software? As engineers know, you > should always have a "safety factor" in case something goes wrong. So > why not just add 2 weeks to your estimated release date. That way, when > the product is not complete by the estimated date, there won't be as many > complaints. The programmers will not be in such a rush to complete the > product and some of the bugs might get themselves worked out. If the > programmers actually finish on time, then great! Release it early.

In theory that makes the most sense - but in practice the release dates are typically done by the marketing guys, who in turn have to answer ultimately to the shareholders. As a result it's pretty bad to tell a major shareholder (or parent company executive) that the company won't have a particular product ready until a certain date and leave in a big safety margin, then release early. It's actually better to cut it as close as possible, and go over if necessary. Overruns are expected, not big safety margins. safety margins.