nuhi is back, post your suggestions here

[nuhi]

-X-, I appreciate your feedback, the end surprised me a little, thanks for that.
Ok, now let's get back to the point, regardless of your support.

 

Webcam software hardly sounds like something dynamic, ever-changing like multiple and continuous Windows version support, countless configuration options and constantly new features. I might be wrong and that is some ever-growing peace of software, feel free to correct me, but to me those two software types are not in the same league (talking about purpose, not quality).

 

XPLite, and it died relatively quickly. And I want to avoid that. Also there is a little surprise in the upcoming tool for the pro version, this reminded me

XPLite also did not aim at such scale, it was more similar to current control panel - features, than the real deal what we expect these days.

Newsbin's licensing is great, I also purchased it, but they have what I don't - ever-refreshing pool of new usenet users.

Also, they do not add new features, I've been following for years.

 

 

If the upcoming tool reaches such stability, that it doesn't require much maintenance, and I stop adding new features, I'll reconsider lifetime upgrade license, but until then, while it is ever-changing, it is simply not possible, I can't do anything else while maintaining it, it's too demanding.

[Guest]

Sounds good.

Minor sticking point... Newsbin has added lots of new functionality over the years. It drove the usenet industry. NZB's, auto par, etc

[nuhi]

-X-, you are right about Newsbin, they are the standard in their field, and way back they did all that.

I did not notice any new features over the recent years, but now looking at their beta changelog, there is some life.
Even if they do add new features, their area of expertise is very defined and within confines of what a usenet server can do, basically to download and automate decompression/verification of files.
What Windows editing tools are doing is not defined to the extent we are doing it, area is endless in potential automation (file handling is just part of it), and we are working against the compatibility issues on a monthly basis.

Now I know I might sound like dishing on the Newsbin team, I bet they are working as much as hard. What I'm saying is it is again not the same area to compare, they basically will not have Usenet V-Next every year, not Usenet (compatibility) Update every month.

[jaclaz]

My personal view of the "market" is the following.

 

The "normal" first time usage for nlite (home user) is:

1. try making a build removing everything
2. install won't work as expected (wrongly, in the sense that what was expected was not correspondent to the choices made)
3. try another build removing something less
4. build won't work as expected (wrongly, as above)
5. come here whining about re-adding something that is missing in the install
6. be advised to re-build without removing this and without removing that
7. try another build removing something less
8. build won't work as expected (wrongly, as above)
9. loop to #8 until install works as expected (either because choices were chosen correctly or expectations have "lowered")

 

Then there is a fork, a number of users (let's call them, just for the sake of distinguishing them from the rest, "average") will then never use it again until a new install is needed AND - for whatever reason - the original build was lost (otherwise they won't run it again, ever), whilst the rest of the people will use it several times, and again, and again.

These latter category can also be divided in sub-categories:

• the "kids" (just wanting to have some fun)
• the "tweakers" more or less the same people that hang around MSFN and similar boards (also wanting to have some fun, while learning new, strange things)

Than there is the, vaster than what may seem, category of "wannabe IT" (those that have used nlite - notwithstanding it's license - in a commercial environment, like small repair shops or "casual IT's"), these are another category that used nlite over and over (and over).

Then the real "business IT's" that have been prevented from using nlite till now (though they had interest in it) and that resolved to test it at home or however "privately".

 

To sum up:

• "average" <- will use nlite once and never again in several years, until a new version of Windows comes out, they might be OK to pay some (small) one time license fee linked to the OS version
• "kids" <- will use nlite all the times they see fit but will use a cracked version
• "tweakers" <- will either use nlite all the times they see fit AND pay for a reasonable license fee (but won't likely renew it at each and every new MS OS, unless it is a very, very low fee) OR they will lose interest altogether in the tool
• "casual IT's" these are the  same that used nlite for years in violation of it's license, they will probably use the same "cracked" version as the "kids" or however they are not going to pay proportionately to the use they will do of the tool
• "business IT's" <- they might be - if interested - willing to pay adequate amount of money for licenses, even year subscription for the license to the program AND for support for it.

Consider how nlite has been in early times something IMHO, if not *needed*, at least *advisable* but nowadays it has (IMHO) lost a lot of momentum for a number of reasons.

The "switch" between NT 4.00 and 2K was a 5x (from 150 Mb to around 700 Mb on disk) in times where disks were 2.1 Gb or 4.3 Gb

The "switch" between 2K and XP was (very near in time to the above) a 2.5 x (from 700 Mb to 1.8 Gb) in times where disks were what? 20 Gb.

The "switch" between XP and Vista never happened

The "switch" between XP and 7 was a 10x (from 1.8 Gb to 18 Gb or so) in times where disks were 500 Gb and more

The "switch" between 7 and 8 will be  a 1.2x (from 18 Gb to 24 Gb or so) in times where disks are 1000 Gb and more and even SSD's are 256 Gb or so

 

jaclaz

 

 

[nuhi]

jaclaz, interesting analysis with a lot of true points in it, however I could use the same logic and simplify that no IT program should charge for a personal license.

That may be true, but I don't want to give up before trying, as my tools are not so difficult to use, they are not standard script+UI IT

standard.

I will aim with the next tool to such protection of features that even a portion of normal users can use it without mine or their concerns what can be removed. It won't be easy, and they have to be discouraged from all-or-nothing approach when removals are in question.

Let's not forget what we are discussing, upgrades, no one will stop you from using what you bought in the first place.

 

When you say tweakers will give up over time just because a developer did not work for free after the purchase date, I find that unfair. So I am supposed to support all kinds of Windows, whatever comes my way, just because someone gave $xx 5 years ago?
That won't work, regardless if users are lost, the tool is lost otherwise. It's not like I run (only) on air.
Why pay for Windows 8, if you have Windows XP license, same logic (of course muuuch bigger scale, just giving example).
MS cannot make developers to upgrade, patch, in one word support, ever-changing environment, without resources.
 

Size-difference is still important to me, SSDs are expensive and Windows size is slowing down updating, virus scanning, backup.
However the removal is not about size alone, but about security (attack vectors), unwanted features that get in the way, most importantly to me the feeling of control and tidiness, having oversight what is actually on my machine.

 

But whatever I say, keep on sending your feedback, I appreciate it. I also had similar thoughts for the last few years, and it's why nLite never left freeware waters and I had to find a job, making the tool suffer.
It's not very complicated. If I keep on giving and get nothing back, arrangement cannot survive.
Only thing that saves that from the point of view of the customer, are constantly new customers that pay for the next expense. But as I said market is small - so if no one will renew, it won't survive. I will support it, but no new features and will move on to the fart mobile apps.

[tain]

nuhi has provided this community with many years of free software and support.  I think we owe him much.  I support any effort he needs to make in order to get a return on his investment.

[Guest]

If ever there was a time for a tool like this is now. The main reason I don't use NT6 is because of the amount of bloat. I dont care if hard drive space has quintupled or whatever. I want a small footprint for some of the reasons nuhi mentioned and more. With a tool like this, I might actually "upgrade" my OS.

 

Whatever you do nuhi, please add the ability to remove that ridiculous side-by-side folder. If I need to add a feature, I can always reach for my DVD. I'm constantly searching my OS drive for a system file and it's almost instantaneous finding it in XP. In NT6, it's unbearable to me. And no, I will not use any type of search indexing service that uses resources just to speed searches up.

Edited July 5, 2014 by -X-

[jaclaz]

nuhi,

you have all the rights in the world (plus one) to get some revenue from your work <- there is NO doubt about this, and this would be actually (only too) "fair".

 

Still "real world" is a lot of things , among them interesting, wonderful, etc. but the ONLY thing it surely is not is "fair" .

 

What I posted is what I believe is the situation, as objective as I can see it, of course any decision in "marketing" or "licensing scheme" are entirely up to you.

 

Being one that counts things in "bytes" (sometimes even in "bits" ) you won't find easily someone more convinced than me that "less is better" and that "less bytes to be transferred" mean less time to transfer them, no matter the speed of the hardware.

 

But still, when you jolt down a business plan you have to count (big) numbers, not (increasingly more rare) rightful attitudes .

 

The nlite software (or a new version of it to more or less the same use, on more recent OSes) has a very "narrow" target (as "intended usage") and - I believe - an even narrower one when it comes to "target willing to pay", IMHO you have to consider this when planning.

 

@-X-

As long as you are looking for a (partial) filename, you can use NTFS $MFT search fine (no, it won't use resources as it won' t index *anything*), currently SwiftSearch is among the ones I recommend, see:

http://reboot.pro/topic/18855-windows-file-search-utility-that-is-fast/

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/158744-ntfs-file-lister-using-mft/

 

jaclaz

[Guest]

Thanks for the tip jaclaz. **** Hell it's fast! Unfortunately, it lacks some of the features of the native NT5 search like displaying the file versions which is what I look for when doing system file searches.

 

Edited because i cant say that word that pronunciates the same as the word that describes mass amounts of concrete holding back water. :/

Edited July 5, 2014 by -X-

[jaclaz]

Edited because i cant say that word that pronunciates the same as the word that describes mass amounts of concrete holding back water. :/

Maybe because you need some 1337 speech, you spell it d@mn.

 

jaclaz

[nuhi]

tain, thx. I hope the new tool matures to be worth it on its own very soon.

-X-, as it is now sxs is cleaned with every removal, whatever belongs to the removed component. Including all cpanel-features.
There is also non-dism version cleanup so that sxs contains only latest files.
In essence sxs should only contain what you already have deployed, so even if you delete winsxs (after the tool is done cleaning it), the actual Windows disk size would be the same - minus some componentization files for which I can easily add a component to clean, but then you lose hotfixing support.
I know some will reinstall on patch Tuesdays so that option (explicit winsxs removal) could be useful.

jaclaz, oh, you meant objectively, then I hear ya. That is true, can't expect fairness. I was just debating in case you were feeling like that yourself, to understand why and to see the other side.

I was willing to risk it - and by risk it I mean my savings and time. Now we'll see how it goes, hopefully we all have fun and things are enjoyable as they once were - just this time I get to stay

[ricktendo]

Looks like I will be sticking to dism/kuc/sysprep for my builds, a little too expensive for me.

[nuhi]

ricktendo, I understand. Please make sure to try the free version from time to time and let me know what you miss, to at least use the free version for integrating drivers and hotfixes, package removal or mounting the image . Those all are free of course.

[ricktendo]

If package removal is free then I am super stoked for that, was my only concern.

For drivers I use dism, for updates I use KUC (it also utilizes dism) to scan/integrate and for software I pre-install with sysprep and capture... Package removal was the ONLY thing missing all these years and I am very happy its FINALLY BACK!!!

Edited July 5, 2014 by ricktendo

[yro]

wait!

 

nuhi, so the free version will have the ability to remove things from the iso source, integrate updates and do some tweaks on the os behavior? if so, than hell do it as soon as possible.

 

one question nuhi: the new tool will be compatible with what exaclty OS? win 7, win 8, win 8.1 and win 8.1 update 1? and server side of windows?

 

an request: please, do not force ads on the free version so we can work with the tool without visual polution and without concerns about popups, banners, etc.