Brilliant hardware - terrible software and firmware

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

Over the last few months I've acquired an HP all-in-one, a JVC camcorder, a Canon camera and a Creative MP3 player.
All of them are really good devices. Every single one has come with essential software that is propriatory, difficult to manage and either useless, buggy or both. most of them have needed upgrading out of the box.
The HP software is full of bugs, bloated and complex. There were any number of essential downloads the first time that I used it. And I experienced crashes that almost rendered it unusable at first.
The JVC software relies on a non-standard file extension in the firmware ( disguising .mpg as .mod) and the software is very effective at making files unlocatable, without actually adding much functionality..
The Creative device needed a firmware update to stop it crashing but first it needed a software update to allow the firmware update to install. The software is highly non-intuitive, and the helpfile full of references to other functions, which are then not explained anywhere.
The Canon software is unlike anything I could possibly dream up, it's complicated to navigate and pretty much incomprehensible - but luckily isn't really needed.

Why are big multinational companies so unable to get software that matches the functionality of their machines??

Rolling Eyes

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

If a knowledgeable person like yourself has trouble with that buggy software, think what the total novice is going through. ???
Oh, the horrors of it all !!!

I'd like to address just the problems with the HP software.
I personally see no reason in the world, for anyone to HAVE to buy an HP printer.
Unless, they maybe live on the dark side of the moon. Wink

I can't begin to recount the number of times that a customer has called me and told me that their HP printer or AIO constantly wants to reinstall itself.
My fix for that problem is simply one word........."EPSON".

Besides being a factory trained Epson technician, I've been a dedicated Epson user for many years. The hardware is as good as any available by any name but the software is truly a breath of fresh air. It installs quickly and easily and Never needs to be fixed or reinstalled.

Whenever I need a new printer or scanner or whatever, I go right to the "Epson Store" on the internet and look for their Factory Refurbished products.
I've been able to buy everything I need at greatly reduced prices.
Most often, with FREE shipping.

I buy all my Epson inks from "LD Products" via the net and get excellent quality inks at greatly reduced prices. And I can even refill those carts with my own bulk ink, if I want to.
EDIT:
Due to a Law Suite, by Epson, against venders selling Epson compatible ink, LD products and some other companies are not currently supplying Epson Compatible inks.
I'm currently (summer of 2009) buying my Epson Compatible inks from Inksell.com

People are constantly giving me HP printers because they are sick of them and their buggy software. I accept them with a smile and a nod and then promptly give them away or just drop them in the nearest dumpster (garbage bin).

I currently have four Epson Printers, two of them AIO's, and one Epson Scanner to scan color slides. I never, ever, have problems with the software.

Cheers Mate,
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

The HP All-in-one I have is a really good machine - but it took me several weeks to get round the software bugs. And yes as a savvy user I was able to do it without HP's tech support - which was worse than useless. In fact, they caused most of the problems. But it meant a lot of Windows level work, including a lot of manual registry edtiting. So, well beyond the casual user. I've posted those details elsewhere on LG
Likewise The Creative MP3 player; To get it working properly I had to install a firmware update, but to install the update ( under Vista) I had to bypass the automatic update software, which wouldn't work properly because it needed to be updated itself first. And so I had to manually install them, starting with the update that made the update install programme work!!!!!!!! And yes, I needed a fair chunk of IT experience, first to figure that the error message that it gave me was nonsense. (Something like "Windows media player or some other programme is stopping the install,. End it and try again" Or words to that effect).
And then to realise what the various updates did and what order I had to install them in. I wonder how many of these players get returned because they don't work.
Similarly;
I'll be damned if I can understand what the JVC crew were thinking of. Why on Earth do they make the device give their *.mpg files a *.mod file name. Luckily I can go into a command window and use the ren command to make a set of filename.mod files into filename.mpg which is all that is needed.

With all of these usability issues I do wonder what sort of decision making proccesses go into their design. How can they build a brilliant camera/printer /mp3 player and then give it operating software that makes it almost unusable? Surely there are some basic principles that can be applied, after 30 or so years of consumer computing. Things like "make sure the users can find their own files!" and "Avoid creating essential software that is totally different to the stuff people have on their machines already. If it's for use in Windows make it work like Windows"!

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

To continue this product bashing session, let me address the Kodak digital cameras.

Again, it's not the camera that's at fault, but the hideous software that comes bundled with it.
I have a nice little Kodak digital camera and it works great, but I won't let their software anywhere near my PC.
They call it "Easy Share", but to me it's as bad as any virus.
I've seen it render a PC useless after being installed.

My suggestion to any digital camera buyer is to find one that has removable data cards, my favorite is the SD Flash Memory Card. Then use a card reader in a USB port or printer to read the cards.

Those little cards are just like a flash drive (thumb drive) just in a different shape.
In a card reader, they can be read, cleared, formatted and even made bootable with a little utility from HP. I even have one that I've made bootable and put my backup program (Ghost) on it. My PC will boot from it as easily as any Flash Drive.

Using those little USB cables that come with many cameras is a disaster just waiting to happen. It's much easier and safer to just pop the SD card out of the camera and put it into your computers or printers card reader slot.
Three of my Epson printers have camera card slots built in.

Then transfer the photos from the card to your HD and then clear the card for its next use.

Once my photos are copied (or moved) to my HD, I use a free program called "Photo Filtre" (spelled correctly) to crop and resize the pictures.

I'm afraid I may be getting off topic.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

We're not really product bashing. What we're exploring is that these good hardware items have truly appalling software support. but software ( and firmware) isn't the afterthought that the manufacturers seem to think it is.
The best piece of hardware in the world is no more than a large, expensive door stop if it doesn't do the job that the users need it for. And it's the software that controls that. Lousy software means ( for most users) a lousy "user experience".
Crying or Very sad

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

I've edited my previous post about where to buy Epson Compatible inks. Here is that edit:

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

.
Due to a Law Suite, by Epson, against venders selling Epson compatible ink, .....

Hmmm.
Maybe it ought to be posted in a different section,but it follows logically here.
It does seem, in these recession hit times, that some of the big boys are taking up bully tactics. The way that the USA's FCC are being bombarded by the big companies who are opponents of net Neutrality seems to be in the same vein.

End of digression Smile

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

I get email ads from LD products advertising their Epson inks, but they still are not accepting orders for the "Compatible" carts, only for OEM carts.
I can buy the OEM ink from the local Office Supply store for about the same price and have it instantly, not a week later.

I'm now buying my compatible inks from "Inksell.com"
a Texas company.

Doc