Bye Bye AfterShot

[afx]

Looks like my optimism regarding Corel was not justified.
Corel let the whole Austin crew go.
If you don't believe me, try to contact any of the guys via Corel addresses....

I wonder how a complex product like AS can be maintained without
the knowledge of programmers who are experienced with the code.
After all, Brook's law is still in effect.

I guess management at Corel believes in fairy tales.

In utter frustration
afx

[Tadjio]

Something very similar happened when Corel took over PaintShop Pro from Jasc.

In October 2004, Corel Corporation purchased Jasc Software and the distribution rights to Paint Shop Pro.
On November 28, 2007, Corel announced that the office in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where Paint Shop Pro was created, would be shut down, with development moving to offices in California and China.

Years later we are still suffering the repercussions but I haven't stopped using PSP.

[algreen345]

That is really disheartening news. I will now go an invest time in learning Darktable, which appears to be a decent open source alternative that runs on Ubuntu.

[sauron]

That is indeed very bad news. Darktable will likely be my exit route as well, it looks to be by far the best open source option, and it's growing features fast.

[marktuma]

That is very disappointing news indeed, and really tough for all the guys in Austin.

[Hobgoblin]

Looks like my optimism regarding Corel was not justified.
Corel let the whole Austin crew go.
If you don't believe me, try to contact any of the guys via Corel addresses....

I wonder how a complex product like AS can be maintained without
the knowledge of programmers who are experienced with the code.
After all, Brook's law is still in effect.

I guess management at Corel believes in fairy tales.

In utter frustration
afx

How very sad to read this news.
Commiserations to the ASP/Bibble development crew.

AFX, I think many (almost all of us!) will hope that you continue to keep your interest in this software. Although it would be quite understandable if you took your expertise elsewhere.

Regards,
R.

[roland65]

Not surpising, this is what a french beta tester already told us a few days ago...
Anyway, I think the Linux version will be soon dead.
As a plugin developer, I think I'll remove all my plugins if the Linux version is stopped and I encourage all other devs to do the same...
Corel sucks!
RB

[jknights]

Looks like my optimism regarding Corel was not justified.
Corel let the whole Austin crew go.
If you don't believe me, try to contact any of the guys via Corel addresses....

I wonder how a complex product like AS can be maintained without
the knowledge of programmers who are experienced with the code.
After all, Brook's law is still in effect.

I guess management at Corel believes in fairy tales.

In utter frustration
afx

I am hugely disappointed by this news as it shows that Corel has acted in poor faith in the purchase of Bibble.
If they wanted the Bibble assets then they have the code and the product as ASP which is badged for them.


If they have any honor then they should release the code to be open source or sell it to a small concern who are willing to continue its existence.


BTW: Afx most management believe what they want to believe.
Most I.T. managers have little understanding of the complexity of software code as it all seems so simple when it is working.
They are unfortunately all pawns in the games played by accountants and lawyers.

[tomsi42]

That is bad news indeed.
So long and thanks for the fish ...

[gareth]

Sad but not too surprising ...
I have lost several good programs over the years to the big companies ...
Aldus Freehand for one - more usable than Illustrator but bought out and later canned.
And I am sorry about the team - for them and for the product. The loss of expertise will not be recovered (I speak as one from the IT industry).
My instinct says that the plug-in ethos may have been seen as too messy to be controlled centrally (as a manager I would have some sympathy with that view but not as a user).

Fortunately ASP has reached a state where I can use it for the majority of my stuff (Grad Pro just in time, and most of the pink gone!)
Not being a pro producing exhibition/sale prints, I don't need that last 10% - good luck to you pros in hunting for something as a replacement.
I also have the same problem with my cameras -- Olympus has moved its market

[algreen345]

There are many things I like about ASP - but developer secrecy and layoffs are not one of them. Darktable is pretty powerful. And it is open source with developers who discuss what they are working on, resolve bugs openly, and include their users in a community that works together to improve the code.

I don't see that kind of behavior from Corel and its a shame. I also don't use Windows or Mac and if Corel plans to jetison their Linux version, I will put my energies into helping the Darktable community to improve what is already a high performance multi-platform photography solution.

What would be even better is if some of the plugin developers from ASP ported to Darktable. I'd love to see wavelet sharpen, denoise, and Nuance provide plugins for Darktable...

[afx]

Anyway, I think the Linux version will be soon dead.

Everything will be dead....

As a plugin developer, I think I'll remove all my plugins if the Linux version is stopped and I encourage all other devs to do the same...

Punishing users for Corels mismanagement?
Brilliant.

Corel sucks!

Eloquent wording

cheers
afx

[darKing]

In utter frustration
afx

Dito! The Mad Smylie in this Forum is not mad enough! grrrr

[tomsi42]

@afx - this is bad news for all of us; but it must be very painful for you and Marco who have put so much time into the brilliant survival guides that you have written.

Thanks for all the tips and help you have given us.

[grahamh]

afx said

Everything will be dead....

I hope you are saying this in frustration and not fact. It does not make sense for Corel to buy a product and then kill it, left alone it had no future. I guess that Corel bought Bibble to integrate with PS4 but this strategy was only viable, from the start, if both products were os compatible and shared similar software features. The os differences solved as many feared by ditching Mac and Linux. Once os compatible then importing/exporting software features could feasibly be done (that said having worked all my life in software design & production, this task is easy to say and borders on impossible but if successful saves maintaining two versions of s/w doing the same tasks). My guess is that the Bibble team faced with such a change also became a problem if they did not buy-in and like the os problem, dispensable.

Corel needs to make clear exactly what there development strategy is because silence is going to kill off new sales and existing custom will depart rapidly. Rumour is now apparently become factsoclarity is urgently needed as there are so many different possible scenarios. Users need to know if their new cameras are to be supported and the direction the overall product is going in. I am bitterly disappointed should the rumour mill be confirmed as I have wasted money and time like so many others.