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Ecto [blog editor]
By Gearhead, NetworkWorld.com, 03/01/05
Do you run a blog? If so, how do you update it? We find that going through the Web interface of most blogs makes us antsy as all of the blog UIs we've tried are just way too slow. To get around this aggravation we have been using the Zempt 4.0 client (see our review) but recently decided to give Ecto a try.
It wasn't that we were unhappy with Zempt but after we read a glowing review of Ecto in the first issue of Make: magazine (see our review) we felt that Ecto needed to be checked out. We downloaded the current release, version Ecto 1.0.8.4 for Windows (Mac is also available), ran it up, and, well, we were disappointed.
Our disappointment came from the fact that the software is being charged for despite being unfinished. We know it is unfinished because it has really crappy error handling. For example, should you omit the http:// part of the the URL when you specify where Ecto can access the API of the blog you're using, the program doesn't tell you that the method name is missing, try to fix it up, or do anything sensible.
Oh no, it first says "There was an error generating the XML document" then generates an unhandled exception that complains "Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined." At other times Ecto proclaims "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." Gad.
While we appreciate that this is an early version of the software to try to charge $17.95 for code that has such poor error reporting seems optimistic. When the competition is as good as Zempt but also free we expect rather more polish for our money.
Now, you might say that $18 isn't much to pay for an application and that the authors will fix it. Really? Can you assure us that the software will a) be fixed as we think it should be, and b) ever be fixed.
We are all for supporting the small development shops but if they don't offer real value with a professionally finished product they are leading paying customers down a dead end.
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Comments
Hi,
This is the author of ecto for Windows. I agree with your comments that error handling in the application needs to be improved. The latest version 1.6, which is released on March 7th, has much improved error handling. Not perfect, and it is a continous process of improving the application.
Having said that, it would be very helpful to me if you, and all ecto users, contact me with information regarding any suggestions, complains, or just comments. The web is a huge place and it is difficult to develop software while searching out for user comments at the same time. In my defense, Zempt is a open source project with multiple developers. ecto for Windows is solely developed by myself on a part time basis. It is a crappy excuse but with an extremely small development team (i.e. one) the trade off of features vs. stability becomes very accute. Thus I am forced to alternate between features release and stability release.
Anyhow, please try out version 1.6 and let me know what you think. And the upgrade is free from 1.0.8 to 1.6.
Posted by: Alex Hung on March 21, 2005 11:48 PM
Wow ... sorry, we just found your comment Alex -- we never got a notification that anything was posted in Gearblog regarding the Ecto entry.
The biggest complaint we had was that the Ecto is charged for but fragile. Now while we expect bugs even in the most polished of software it is how they are handled that really underlines where the value does, or does not, lie. Charging for unfinished code not only destroys any perception of value but it also weakens your credibility.
You've got a good concept and we'd encourage you to keep at it and produce something that beats the competition hollow.
Posted by: Gearhead on April 18, 2005 07:57 PM
