[scribus] interesting article with thoughts for us

[john Culleton]

On Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:46:31 +0100 "a.l.e" <ale.comp_06 at xox.ch>
wrote:

> hi mike
> >
> >> Users can and should keep up with the latest version, 1.4.0.
> >   There is a BIG difference in text rendering between RC6 and
> >   RC5.
> it's a small difference...  i don't mean that it's a difference
> that does not matter, but it's one that only affects some
> specific workflows and it's "hard" to spot.

There will always be bugs and there will always be new versions
that  correct those bugs and hopefully add features. But we have
been faced for some time now with new and not so new users that
stick with 1.3.3.14 because it was "stable". However it has bugs
too and no one is working on them. So we have this steady flow of
posts from people, new to the product, who have problems with a
version that hasn't been maintained in a long time. A.L.E. is
absolutely right. At last report only one bug affecting only one
OS was still unanswered in RC6. And the developers already have a
list of enhancements/fixes for 1.4.1. 

So are users better off using 1.4.0 RC6 or 1.3.3.14? The answer
is obvious. Can they get better help if they have a problem with
1.4.0 or with 1.3.3.14? Again the answer is obvious. 

The only program proved perfect was the original plain TeX.
Donald Knuth offered a prize for each bug found and the prize
doubled with each find. But TeX itself has moved on through
LaTeX, pdftex, xetex and luatex. And yes, there are bugs being
created, discovered and corrected in that process. 

The development of 1.4.0 and its new file format began with
1.3.4, which was bad enough to have a very short shelf life.
1.3.5 was much better and indeed was the basis for the Cedric
Gemy book "Scribus 1.3.5 Beginners Guide". As it happens I have
it on my desktop as I write this. Then there were the series of
development versions, 1.3.6 through 1.3.9.  1.4.0 was supposed to
be the culmination of this development cycle but as more users
switched to it more bugs were found. But many of us are using
1.4.0 RC6 with no complaints. We used the earlier release
candidates with no complaints.

It is well past the time where we gave it the stable title. Is it
perfect? No. But it is a notable improvement on 1.3.3.14. So the
choice is not between 1.4.0 and perfection but 1.4.0 and its
string of predecessors. We have even had a request for generation
of files using the old format because some users are (IMO foolishly)
clinging to obsolete versions. But this is not some commercial
product where a new version costs big bucks. A.L.E hs it exactly
right. Use the latest version but don't switch versions in
mid-project. 

The only two versions in this shop are 1.4.0 RC6 and 1.5.0.   

 

-- John Culleton

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