LauncherX

[Mike Su]

Did you ever get a reply from LauncherX? How will you rate their service & support?

[Convert]

Originally posted by Mike Su
Did you ever get a reply from LauncherX? How will you rate their service & support?

I've always received good support and quick response from them in the past, having registed LauncherIII and LauncherX - next day response to all e-mails. However, I just sent them an e-mail requesting a new registration key for a new hotsync ID, and haven't received a reply in 5 days. Don't know what's up. :confused:

[Unregistered]

If you don't get a reply, there's always a warez site willing to help.

;)

[randy_m]

Works fine for my 2 Clie's - since it does work fine, I don't need support - if it stops working fine, I might have an issue, but I really like the thing.....

[Trp]

All of my questions have been answered. (0)

[exiii]

Palmgear sent Benc an email on my behalf today. We'll see what comes of that.

[davidr521]

Hmmm...

Never had a problem. Purchased crossgrade for $6 directly from Palmgear about 3 months ago. Have yet to have any problems.

Big fan of Launcher III from before....don't think the app deserves the thumbs-down.:confused:

[caldjeff]

I don't think it's the app that's being judged harshly. It's hard to argue that the customer service and promised upgrades haven't been lacking, to say the least.

[wnm]

LX is replacing LaunchEm as the biggest launcher dissapointment.

[exiii]

Benc is now also ignoring the email that Palmgear sent him for me.

Anyone heard from this guy since January?

[n2ifp]

Definitely a thumbs down then!

[Unregistered]

Maybe something catastrophic has happened to him.

[Mike Su]

Then we should just ignore him too. There is always something better out there.

[exiii]

If he's not dead, he's robbing people.

I'm now trying out ML and I'm having a hard time figuring out what LX can do that ML cannot, now that ML has decent tabs.

If I had waited just a little bit longer ...

[Mike Su]

I would rather believe he is dead. He can just go to hell with his arrogance.
Thanks to the poor support of LauncherX. That gave me an opportunity to try something better. I think MegaLauncher is one of the good choices.

[ryber]

Originally posted by Mike Su
I would rather believe he is dead. He can just go to hell with his arrogance.
Thanks to the poor support of LauncherX. That gave me an opportunity to try something better. I think MegaLauncher is one of the good choices.

Try Zlauncher. You can never go wrong with ZLauncher.

[Mike Su]

Thanks for your suggestion. I heard ZLauncher has excellent support & service. Certainly I will give it a trial. In my opinion, when we rate a product, we should always consider both its quality and support. Who knows we will not need it someday. We should praise the good developer, and spit on the bad one for a better tomorrow.

[Unregistered]

Hey guys, remember where Bozidar lives, OK? There's fighting going on all over nearby.

[WildCelt]

Originally posted by Unregistered
Hey guys, remember where Bozidar lives, OK? There's fighting going on all over nearby.

Huh? I didn't realize New Zealand was one of the world's hotspots right now. :rolleyes:

[boomer]

Actually, the developer lives in Croatia

[rldunn]

Originally posted by WildCelt


Huh? I didn't realize New Zealand was one of the world's hotspots right now. :rolleyes: The UI guy is the one from NZ.

[Mike Su]

Hey! Guys, Stop guessing where he is living. I bet he is living well somewhere on this earth, laughing, counting the money and dumping people's messages into the garbage. No matter where he is hiding, it is still no excuse to neglect the old users. Somebody must have taken good care of his business for him. Do you see the new adv. on the PalmGear for LauncherX? He is inviting more people into his business, collecting more money, writing new codes for new users, and saying good-bye once the deal is done. Something like one-night stand.

[rldunn]

We're not guessing. Bozidar lives in Croatia, Will lives in New Zealand. And maybe you're right that this was some big ploy where Bozidar provided incredible service on all of his products for 5 years just to sucker everyone in to buy this one last product, which provided enough money for him to have a lavish retirement, where he sits there and laughs at all the fools. Or maybe it's something a lot more innocent, such as him being on his sickbed or deathbed, or dealing with severe family issues. Who knows.

But I find it very ironic that you tell everyone to quit guessing about where he lives, yet you have no problems throwing out some wild conspriacy theory in several different posts.

[Jallez]

Ridunn : approved!

[Mike Su]

Have some good sense of humor and wisdom. The point is not where the guy lives but the ways he is doing things. If something like this happened to you, you can't but laugh at yourself. I just don't like the companies that don't care anything about their customers. It was not conspiracy at all. I just pointed out some facts. Look into the pattern of this guy's past behavior. He always disappeared when people were expecting him. I didn't say LauncherX will be his last product. Who knows? At least, I don't care.

[Gunther]

Originally posted by wnm
LX is replacing LaunchEm as the biggest launcher dissapointment.

... which is very sad. I have used Launch Em on my IIIc and was quite happy (besides the support). This launcher has very good features and could be a great product if it was continued properly. When I switched to a SJ30 I was suprised how slow Launch Em displays the icons. A message to Launch Em was never answered so I switched to Launcher X. It has very good features too but it looks like this launcher will go the same way as Launch Em. I had a question on a small problem but never got an answer.
I can't understand it: There are paying users which provide ideas, suggestions etc - how can developers ignore them?

Gunther

[rldunn]

Originally posted by Mike Su
Have some good sense of humor and wisdom. The point is not where the guy lives but the ways he is doing things. If something like this happened to you, you can't but laugh at yourself. I just don't like the companies that don't care anything about their customers. It was not conspiracy at all. I just pointed out some facts. Look into the pattern of this guy's past behavior. He always disappeared when people were expecting him. I didn't say LauncherX will be his last product. Who knows? At least, I don't care. And my point is that what is being done may be out of his control. Maybe not, but it could be. And keep in mind, this is happening to me as well. I'm a registered LX user too, and it was my favorite launcher after being a long-time LX user. I've very disappointed at how things have turned out; this app had SO MUCH potential, and still could, though time is quickly running out. Saying something like this:I bet he is living well somewhere on this earth, laughing, counting the money and dumping people's messages into the garbage. is not "pointing out facts", it's speculation, and wild speculation at that. Looking at the pattern of this guy's past, he has disappeared ONCE before, and the fact is that that was due to a serious illness in his family. So, if the same thing happens again, I would be much more ready to believe that something like that happened again before I would believe that he is purposely ignoring all of the customers that sent him money. Who knows what the real truth is, but I'm just saying that in probability, your scenario is not very likely. So where does that leave us? It still sucks, it's disappointing for the program, and unfortunate for those that can't get it to work, especially those to whom $20 is a really big deal. But I think if Bozidar and/or his family is sick or hurt and that's what's going on presents a WAY different scenario with much different implications than thinking this was all part of some devious plot. Just something to think about.

[Mike Su]

The sentence you quoted was part of the humor, so handle it with your wisdom. You just droped into it in the middle of nowhere. You don't underestand the whole story. The issue I am talking about is the promise to keep. Look at the following quote from the support site of LauncherX:

"In version 1.0.1 (released November 28, 2002) we made a change to the registration codes. All registered users at this point were sent updated codes by email. If your code is no longer working and you suspect this is the issue, please email our registration support and request a new code. Please supply your HotSyncID and the email address we have on record as proof of purchase."

I and the other guys had the same problem. We had paid and we just need a new code. I just don't understand why a guy can take good care of his new business but can't spend a minute to his old customers. These two things do not conflit with each other. Taking and giving should be some sort of balance. If someone said he is too ill or what so ever to send a reply to the long waited old users, but he can still issue many new codes to those new users. That is a ture speculation.

I did not talking anything about whether LauncherX is good or not. In fact, I think it is one of the better ones, but, what a pity is its poor service. We should say there is no such thing like the best one, only the better one. If you can't satisify your customers, somebody else will, and that is a fact.

[rldunn]

I may not have known of your specific circumstances, but I do know of situations like that, and I really do feel for those who have paid and can't get it to work for whatever reason. I also feel that someone from LMC should tell the world what's going on, because silence is only leading to posts such as yours with speculation on the matter, and I would imagine whatever the truth is would be a lot easier to take than the speculation. I do know that the new reg codes are auto-generated, so it's not as if someone is sitting at a computer pumping out reg codes while ignoring support issues.

I only replied in this thread because I've seen too many posts that imply that Bozidar is "arrogant" or that Bozidar is "taking my money and purposely not providing support" or that the whole thing is a big scam, and I truly doubt that. There's no doubt that the situation is not good; I just don't think it was anyone's intention to do this.

[Mike Su]

Quote:
"I just don't think it was anyone's intention to do this."

It sounds exactly like what many merchants or service persons will usually tell you though. Don't you think so?

[rldunn]

Trust me, I'm the last person who's going to defend all merchants, and I think there's a lot of sleazy business people out there. I just don't think Bozidar is one of them. I "know" him a little bit through email, and I just don't think he's that kind of person. I DO think that this situation has been handled extremely poorly, whatever is the cause for lack of support; I just don't think it was malicious. And I can certainly understand why many would be upset and think the worst, especially if all they know about Bozidar is that his company charged their credit card but won't do anything else for them. I just would like people to not go overboard on this, that's all.

[exiii]

Originally posted by rldunn
I also feel that someone from LMC should tell the world what's going on, because silence is only leading to posts such as yours with speculation on the matter, and I would imagine whatever the truth is would be a lot easier to take than the speculation.

My BIGGEST beef is that LMC is not saying anything about this. I doubt very much that it is impossible for somebody (Benc had at least one partner in a different part of the world) to make some sort of statement on the LX website, or even issue a mass email to everyone that has written for support. If they don't think they can offer support, they should at least offer some sor of blanket response.

BTW: the first time I requested support, I got a response telling me that 'if it was serious' to contact a second support number, which I did. When I've emailed the first address since then, I have not got the response. This suggests at least some sort of human interaction.

Just a LITTLE bit of explanation would go a long way (at least with me anyway).

[*YellowRose*]

Originally posted by exiii
My BIGGEST beef is that LMC is not saying anything about this. I doubt very much that it is impossible for somebody (Benc had at least one partner in a different part of the world) to make some sort of statement on the LX website, or even issue a mass email to everyone that has written for support. If they don't think they can offer support, they should at least offer some sort of blanket response. Will Lau lives in New Zealand, he does the 'graphic end' of things.  Bozidar Benc, who wrote the code lives in Croatia (and I'm sure we're all familiar with the conditions/situations in that country).  Now.  If Bozidar's not answering email, how would you imagine Will could get in touch with him to find out what's going on? 

I'm not defending this badly handled situation, by any means, but I think we need to be realistic. 

[exiii]

So either Benc is dead, incapacitated or handling this very VERY badly.

I find it very difficult to believe (whatever the current conditions are, and honestly I haven't heard of any problems since the '90s) that Benc would not have access to a phone or connected computer.

I can't blame Will, because you are absolutely right, *YR* - though I think I he produced the website (could've been 'just a job' though).

Benc: dead or deadbeat (pick one).

[shthpnz]

There's nothing going on at the moment in Croatia. So that can't be a reason.

[exiii]

I just got a message from Mr. Benc. :eek:

I'm not quite sure what to do - I'd pretty much written it off. Do I even want it anymore? ML was working pretty well for me, and I was finally asking Palmgear for a credit to purchase it.

Benc said he would send me a new regkey. I guess I should take it, move on, and decide if I want to keep it later.

Hopefully he's getting to everyone else's problem as well.

There's hope.

(I AM glad that he is alive and well)

[Rockbeast]

Originally posted by shthpnz
There's nothing going on at the moment in Croatia. So that can't be a reason.

Thanks for sharing this! I too am very relieved! And, I hope LX things can get going again.

[boomer]

Glad to hear you got your regkey!!   I hope that also means he's responding to other customer requests and that we'll hear more from him.  His silence has been very disconcerting. 

[Mike Su]

I purchased LX directly from LMC. I haven't heard any word from Benc Yet. He is a smart guy. I think he should be able to handle the situtation wisely. For being able to write a software like LX. he should have some degree of telent. It will be a waste if he continue to handle his business so poorly. Like I said there is no "best one" forever, because there are so many competitors out there such as ZL, ML, etc. Who knows you will not be overwhelmed by some other guys tomorrow. Consumers are not all that stupid in these days. After many testings for the past several days, I decide to choose ML as my launcher since it is more suitable to my needs. If Benc ever send me a new code, I will keep it as a spare at this moment because I am entitled to. I think Benc should take it more seriously toward his product.

[fenris77]

Originally posted by shthpnz
There's nothing going on at the moment in Croatia. So that can't be a reason.

Yes, nothing's going on... Except that Serbia's President got killed last week and the whole area is now ready to explode... :( They're moving once again toward a civil war, and the Mid-East situation is not helping at all... Trust me, the Mediterranean Area is not exactly a quiet place at the moment...

About Benc, I'm a LX user too, and I'm very disappointed about what's going on with LX support but... I don't *really* think that Benc is on some caraibic island drinking long drinks and laughing at LX customers. Such a long "silence" time makes me think about something really bad -- as rldunn said he could have some family or personal problems, and I wil not attack him unless I'll know the truth. If you don't like the product/support, just move to another program and stop teasing us with your complainings. If you don't like it, just don't mind it, that's the best way to treat products. If you keep talking about it, you just keep advertising it. Choosing any product (not only software) is up to you, if you keep using a product even if you don't like it instead of moving to something better does not make you look "smart"... Hope you know what I mean.

The last part of my post was not a direct answer to shthpnz, I wrote it thinking at all the people out there always complaining about something... shthpnz, nothing personal with you.

[*YellowRose*]

Wow.  Great post fenris! 

[Unregistered]

I agree with fenris77. If Benc doesn't see any income or downloads of his software(s), maybe he'll get the idea.

[exiii]

Let me restate:

He PROMISED to send me a new code. He has not done so yet.

And the reason I've been so vocal about this situation is A) I've already paid for the program and B) I think it's important to warn others of the situation.

If someone wants to see my warning and buy LX anyway, that's their tough beans.

[Mike Su]

stop teasing us with your complainings.
Who are "us"? Whomever I was teasing were Benc and his company, unless you are one of "them". Otherwise, what made you so defensive?
Choosing any product (not only software) is up to you, if you keep using a product even if you don't like it instead of moving to something better does not make you look "smart"...
First of all, I am not using it (LX) now (actually I can't use it because I am still waiting for the new code). Since I had already paid for it, I am entitled to get support from LMC. It has nothing to do with whether I am using it or not. Supposed you bought a PDA from a store, but you didn't like it, you could not use it and you were thinking to get something "better". You would not think you had no right to return or exchange the thing? In fact, it didn't stop me moving to something "better". You don't care because you are not one of the victims. You might not be so lucky though, after all, you are consumer too.

[fenris77]

Originally posted by Mike Su

Who are "us"? Whomever I was teasing were Benc and his company, unless you are one of "them". Otherwise, what made you so defensive?

First of all, I am not using it (LX) now (actually I can't use it because I am still waiting for the new code). Since I had already paid for it, I am entitled to get support from LMC. It has nothing to do with whether I am using it or not. Supposed you bought a PDA from a store, but you didn't like it, you could not use it and you were thinking to get something "better". You would not think you had no right to return or exchange the thing? In fact, it didn't stop me moving to something "better". You don't care because you are not one of the victims. You might not be so lucky though, after all, you are consumer too.

"Us" are everyone reading threads in this site... I'm getting sick of reading threads and finding that the 70-80 % of the posts in this site are about "complainings", and I think some other people is getting bored too (that's why I'm not anymore always connected like I used 2 months ago but I just check for news sometimes). However I am *not* a LX programmer, I'm just a LX user... I'm so "defensive" because I *never* complained about something without knowing exactly what's going on -- simply, it's useless, you can scream and shout as long as you want but the facts won't change. What I meant with my reply is that I can understand a post like "LX support is very bad" like exiii did (that's a matter of fact), but I don't understand a post like "Bozidar is stealing us our money" (unless, of course, the poster knows personally Bozidar and has a proof that he's really stealing us). Don't blame people if you don't *really* know what they're doing, remember that the same could happen to you. This is not "defensivism", it's just the way I think (so you can like or not my ideas, but please respect them).

Edited just to correct some typo errors

[Gianni]

Laucher X having good or bad support shouldnt mean anything. WHo would even buy that launcher? :P

[exiii]

I dig LX's simplicity and tabs. Though I think ML surpasses it now.

[Gianni]

ZL surpasses all...for now.

[exiii]

I just received my regkey. Benc was very apologetic and polite (much more so than I've been). I hope he's back in the game.

[exiii]

BTW, ZL bites. :)

[Gianni]

Pshaw....you bite. :D

[exiii]

I'm glad you knew I was joking.

[Gianni]

Thats why the smilie is there.

[exiii]

Yes, but some people ...

(it's happened before)

[Gianni]

Yes, I know, some people just dont get it.

[WildCelt]

Originally posted by exiii
I just received my regkey. Benc was very apologetic and polite (much more so than I've been). I hope he's back in the game.

You got a personal email from Benc? Are you sure it wasn't one of his automatons? :) Wow, I wonder what that means?

I have noticed Snappermail continues to be updated, so why the silence with LX?

[exiii]

I believe it to be him. He said it was him and it was a personalized message. And he did get me my regkey. So if it's an automatic responder, he's a better programmer than any of us know.

By following my advice to contact Palmgear, a poster on PDABuzz also finally got a response from Mr. Benc as well. I'm sure Palmgear could easily deny payment to an author if they are not upholding their end of the bargain. I requested a credit. I'm guessing that that is what got his attention.

And as far as I know, Snappermail has nothing to do with Benc, other than being run by a guy he partnered with on LX to do the UI.