[jebraat]

I get where you are coming from. I don't think anybody wants to use bug riddled software. I also think some companies take it too far with releasing software to the general public (not alpha/beta) that isn't refined enough. I suppose corporate pressure to release things on arbitrary deadlines also doesn't help.

IMO the beautiful thing about software is, that we can push updates and improvements pretty much instantaneously. Whether that is adding features to a working product, or fixing bugs that slipped through during development.

[layer8]

It’s not primarily about bugs, it’s about everything constantly changing, from UI, look&feel to how features work. This is a constant cognitive load to users, a perpetual need for them to readjust to the changing software. As a result, the software never feels finished, doesn’t feel solid, and often appears not to be well thought-out. This gets in the way of the “it just works” the user wants, in a major way.

The argument is not against enhancing and improving the software, it’s against delivering a “draft” (as you say) to end users, it’s against constantly changing the design and working of features. Delivering a “draft” (or prototype) is only acceptable for beta users, or in an initial design phase involving the future users in the design process. It is not acceptable for released software intended for productive use.

Users want stability. They want the software to get out of their way as much as possible, to be reliable and unsurprising, to remain working in the familiar way.

[jebraat]

What if the requirements change?

[layer8]

That has barely anything to do with treating delivered software as unfinished drafts.

If requirements change, then this has to be carefully coordinated with the affected users, in particular if they aren’t the ones defining the requirements, or if the user base is not uniform and the requirements may only change for a portion of them. In any case, requirement changes affecting how users operate existing functionality shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence.

[dividuum]

> IMO the beautiful thing about software is, that we can push updates and improvements pretty much instantaneously.

It is, but that directly results in garbage software being released, because „we can fix problems later“. And it also means you can now perfectly balance perfecting your software with providing the resulting support for your pile of garbage. Which I guess is the reason I have to call support every third time im I’m trying to use an EV charging station because their software shit the bed again. </rant>

[rileymat2]

As long as they are honest about the current state of it. Often, I rather have something that I can struggle along with than nothing at all.