Patch #3 still leaves something to be desired

[nitroman84]

Hello all, I just recently installed patch 3 in hopes of it solving most if not all problems in PaintShop Photo Pro X3. Now I like this program just as much as the next guy, but the patches never really seem to fix much of anything. Here is an email I just sent to customer support on this very subject.

"Customer (----------) - 12/05/2010 03:48 PM
Hello, I recently installed Patch #3 for Paint Shop Photo Pro X3. Soon after I noticed that many of the previous bugs including the one listed here http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=39760
still exist. My question is will any of these be solved in future patches? Or will you just forget all of your customers who have paid for this version and simply move on to version X4, carry over some of the previous bugs from X3, or worse yet usher in some new bugs and continue to charge upgrade fees to your loyal customers? I understand there will always be some problems with any software, but after upgrading from X2 Ultimate to X3 Pro I am still not convinced of your commitment to releasing (ready for the public) versions of your software. I am willing to stay with Corel if you will show any commitment to your customers in future patches (Not paid releases). Otherwise I will have to find a company who will offer such support. You have what could be a very fine product with a little
more effort on your end such as not using your paying customers as essentially beta testers who have paid for the UN-finished software. I am asking you to help me stay with Corel in the future, the ball is in your court."

I think it will be interesting to see what, if any response I get to this email. I just hope some day we may get a "complete" finished version of PaintShop Photo Pro and it does not get thrown in the bone pile like Corel has done in the past with other great programs.

UPDATE

I've always been a fan of beating a dead horse at least a couple of times. Maybe I will get a real response to my reply.

"Okay, well I see you know how to copy an paste a generic response but it does not really answer my question. What I am asking is will there be any more fixes released for the current version or has development stopped for X3 in favor of the next version? All you have really explained is the process of software development, something I was well aware of in the first place. I have already upgraded from X2 to X3 in hopes of improvement. There was not much to be had in this version. I really would like to believe you take actual suggestions from customers and fix issues they have reported. It seems that the only “improvements” made are the ones that Corel thinks are important. One quick visit to the Corel User Web Board would show that many people are having problems with the software, even giving info on how to reproduce the problems and what is effected. Your developers should be reviewing this website, it is free information on what is wrong. Study what people are having problems with and fix it, don't just change the color scheme and throw in a few more bells and whistles. A program that randomly exits and loses all work is not acceptable. Even with the latest patches this software still seems like an early beta release."

I won't be holding my breath on this one.

[LeviFiction]

My guess, a form letter.

[nitroman84]

My guess, a form letter.

I would assume so, "support" sure has perfected the copy and paste function.

[Ron P.]

They probably have a script or macro written that automatically kicks out the reinstall instructions..

[nitroman84]

Well, I guess I got my answer.

"Thank you very much for your e-mail.

As more and more improvements and fixes are addressed, patches are released to the public so that they may be applied to the current version. Corel continually learns from past bug issues and
would be able to rectify it in future releases. Although it is highly unlikely that a program would forever be 100% bug free, Corel strives to continuously improve the product and its features.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further questions.

Kind regards,
---------
Corel Customer Support"

Thank you Corel Customer Support, that really cleared things up

[dfdpiper]

I've also noticed that since applying patch #3, my Topaz Labs ReMask plugin no longer works. It works fine after resintalling PSP X3 up to patch #2, but once patch #3 is installed, the plugin dies again. My other Topaz plugins do not seem to be affected. Anyone else have something similar since the "improved plugin support" patch was applied? Gonna leave patch #3 on the shelf until this is fixed.....

[jrailer]

ya i think a lot of people are having this problem
topaz board has some posts on this to i wish they could get it working

[Kathy_9]

I'm having the same issue with Remask3 after applying the 3rd patch. It fixed a couple plugins for me but broke this one. The Topaz folks say they are working on a solution, so I guess we wait.

[dfdpiper]

I rolled my PSP X3 back to before patch #3 and al of my plugins are working just fine. I've advised Corel of this issue as well as Topaz, but my guess is it's a Corel issue. Gonna keep using the patch#2 version until I get some resolution. I also turned off the auto-update so I don't get those annoying reminders to update.....

[Kathy_9]

How did you roll back to patch#2? I don't see the patches listed in add/remove programs. Thanks.

[dfdpiper]

I did a full uninstall & then install of PSP X3. Updated to patch #2, turned off auto-update. That's where it sits right now waiting for either Corel or Topaz to come up with a fix. As long as I don't install patch #3, it's all good.

[Kathy_9]

Thanks for the reply. That's what I was afraid you were going to say. I'm hesitant to do that considering the issues I had on the original installation.

[Kathy_9]

Has anyone heard any updates on Patch #3 and whether Corel has corrected the issues it's caused? I noticed they now have it listed on their Patches and Updates page and I opened a ticket to ask Corel Support if this meant that they fixed it and if re-applying it would correct the issues. Their reply to me was directions to reset my workspace - go figure??

[dfdpiper]

I haven't heard anything, but then again I got the same response as you did when I submitted my error ticket as well. My guess? They'll fix the bugs, release it as X4 & charge for the upgrade. That's when I think I may bite the bullet & invest in CS5......

[df]

When I asked Corel if there was patch #4 they responded with "...Not really a Service Pack 4 but further testing will be done with regards to the full testing of Service Pack 3 and its proper release". If anyone knows what that means could you let me know? They are testing the testing of the proper release of SP3.