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 Posted 5/10/2006 11:57:53 AM |
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I eagerly await an announcement on Nick's blog, or some word in here of TopStyle 4, but nothing ever comes. Not so much as a mention. Is there really going to be a TopStyle 4? I ask this now because I've discovered another editor, one that takes on TopStyle at its own game and in many places surpasses it (hint: I found it via http://htmleditors.shadowboxcreative.ca/). It feels like I'm being tempted away by a younger, fitter model. Wander lust is growing. Perhaps the biggest reason for my brazen switch temptation is the fact that this other editor is in such active development, with some good looking features in the pipeline. And belive me, it takes a lot to tempt me into switching from the comfortable environs of TS.
So, what plans are there for TS4? Is it just a case of wait and see? Nick has mentioned some truly juicy features in the past; ones that would give me reason to give good ol' TS a longer chance yet. But in the current climate of continual and effervescent FeedDemon development, and the fact that TS sticks out like an awkward, distantly removed relative in the NewsGator product line-up, what hope is there? It feels increasingly like no news is bad news around these parts. Please, can someone prove me wrong?
Charles
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 Posted 5/10/2006 1:12:00 PM |
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Yes, we old TS customer are waiting since a long time for some updates ...
As you have mentioned, people start to look around and there are some projects, which could "take over", I'm said to say this.
If Nick could just add the following feature, the world would be ticking correctly again: scriptable plugins with the ability to add own panes to TS and to interact directly source code-wise.
That would be terrific and Nick could just "concentrate" on the core. There would be many guys out there ( me included  ), who would gladly "enhance" TS with new plugins.
Please Nick, just make one final move to a real plugin enhanced TS 4.0 and IMHO most of us would be more than greatful!
THX again for considering.
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| Posted 5/10/2006 3:25:07 PM |
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I hate to say that I'm with you on this one, Charles. If we don't hear something soon I'm going to have to take a look at a few alternatives myself. The complete lack of any news/info/encouragement only fuels the idea that TS is more or less "dead". This was my biggest fear during the whole NewsGator aquisition... and that fear has never left me.
It would not be the end of the world as I've seen a few editors (including the one you hint at) that look really nice - and the dev team are still excited about the developement of them.
Daf
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| Posted 5/10/2006 4:54:07 PM |
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I hate to say, that I have to agree with above posts. Topstyle just did not evolve further since the sale. Too much concentration on one product, just not Topstyle. Competition does not sleep and has already caught up!
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| Posted 5/11/2006 5:10:05 AM |
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I'm afraid I have to agree with the other posters as well, although I'm hoping I'll be proved wrong. I remember only too well how development of HomeSite virtually stopped after the purchase by Allaire, who were in turn taken over by Macromedia. TS sits uneasily in NewGator's "stable" of products, which are of course primarily concerned with RSS. I'm not optimistic.
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| Posted 5/11/2006 6:29:43 AM |
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One other point worth bearing in mind: the old TS forum seemed to have a much more vibrant little community. Posts about TS on this forum seemed to have dried up to a trickle. Is this indicative of people switching away from TS? Or is it that this forum still feels rather alien and out-of-place? I don't know, but with the old forum, pre-aquisition, it definitely felt like there was a sense of community; that sense, to me at least, is now gone.
Do others feel this?
Charles
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| Posted 5/11/2006 6:30:10 AM |
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I also fear that TS 4 is probably pie in the sky. A pity really because as far as I can see there is nothing on the market, including those alluded to, that provides the package that TS does. Some may look the same but they lack important functionality and even the design philosophy. For anybody requiring an editor for (x)html and css with some capacity for scripting languages through lookups, TS still stands head and shoulders above the competitors. But we cannot expect Nick to remain rooted to the TS spot, can we? We all move on. Louise p.s. Odd to see Alan graded as a "junior" member. When it comes to Bradsoft products he's like Methuselah.
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| Posted 5/11/2006 6:45:54 AM |
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Charles - yes - this forum is pretty sterile, we seem to have lost that intimacy we once had as TS users.
Louise - I totally agree. TS is head and shoulders above anything out there, that's probably (along with the loyalty factor) that we are so disappointed.
It's my guess that we will see 4.0 - as Nick as assured us - but I don't see anything beyond that. Of course if 4.0 is a bang up we shouldn't need anything else!
Daf
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| Posted 5/11/2006 6:46:35 AM |
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"But we cannot expect Nick to remain rooted to the TS spot, can we? We all move on."
True that, Louise. I'd bear absolutely no ill-will towards Nick if he were to decide it was time to move on. It's the fact that there's no news that's killing me. OK, a little melodramatic there, seeing as we're just talking about a piece of software, but it just so happens that this particular piece of software is a big part of my working life.
Regarding "the other editor", are you sure we're talking about the same one? The one I'm thinking of is so similar to TS you could call it a clone (or perhaps an homage), only it feels like what TS would have been a few point releases on, with all the functionality of TS as it is now (minus a few bits and bobs), but with a whole load of great new stuff that is pushing all the right buttons. It simply feels like a natural progression of TS. And that, to me, is what makes it successful. What's holding me back from switching is the hints from Nick regarding some of the more radical new features he was considering, similar to some of the features present in StyleMaster (which isn't the app I've been alluding to, btw. IMHO StyleMaster looks good on paper, but just doesn't *feel* good).
Charles
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| Posted 5/11/2006 8:48:16 AM |
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I, too, am sad to see what is (not) happening here...the datestamp on my TS3 file shows that I obtained it on July 8, 2002! ... TS 3.1 came (for me, at least) on July 31, 2003 ... and TS 3.12 is dated November 28, 2005. Now it's nearly 4 whole years since TS3 was first introduced, and it is a remarkable testament to the high quality of Nick's skills that his software can last so very long without significant upgrades. But this reminds me of HomeSite...another fantastic product that was left for dead along the roadside of buzzwords and more appealing internet destinations (such as RSS). Like others here, I bear Nick no ill will, but I thank him for giving me a wonderful tool to produce, learn, and grow with. And it is natural that, at some point, each of us wants a change. That said, however, TopStyle is now a Newsgator product, owned by a company...this is not about Nick Bradbury (for whom I have the highest regard)...if this were Adobe (Photoshop) or Macromedia (Dreamweaver), there could not have been 4 whole years without development, or those companies would have lost their communities, exactly what is happening here. I would love to be proven wrong...but all of us must move on with our lives, not just Nick...and if that means we find new and (dare I say it?) better tools for today's and tomorrow's needs, then we must. It is sad, though...and seems to be an unnecessary business decision for Newsgator to be "making", as I seem to remember Nick saying at "merger time" that TS brought in the lion's share of cash to his business. Nice while it lasted. 
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