CAD Forum

A quote from news article about the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware attack, unrelated but relevant:
"Obliging software companies to fix every fault before they ship their software would bring the industry to a halt."

Maybe they should halt, and be so obliged as we users are to our own clients.

Edit: source https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomwar ... get-worse/

Tom G wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 10:49 am A quote from news article about the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware attack, unrelated but relevant:
"Obliging software companies to fix every fault before they ship their software would bring the industry to a halt."

Maybe they should halt, and be so obliged as we users are to our own clients.

Would certainly be nice if our customers would just let us ship them machines that do most of the things they are supposed to most of the time with the machine not doing what it is expected to do some of the times

I don't expect the software to be "Perfect" but there is a huge line between not perfect and we are working on the flaws and "Well it just doesn't work...but hey we just added another new feature you didn't ask for and will never use that also doesn't work quite properly"

MJuric wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 10:52 am Would certainly be nice if our customers would just let us ship them machines that do most of the things they are supposed to most of the time with the machine not doing what it is expected to do some of the times

I don't expect the software to be "Perfect" but there is a huge line between not perfect and we are working on the flaws and "Well it just doesn't work...but hey we just added another new feature you didn't ask for and will never use that also doesn't work quite properly"

As a independent, sole proprietor, this is always a interesting topic and a thorn... we all can give some analogy to software company policies.
Early on, I accepted and was open to change/flux with design software and was aware they needed to innovate.... with all the other tools out there and lately... I shake my head.... new ideas? (give me break) and bs marketing is back telling the user what they want/need.

MJuric wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 10:52 am Would certainly be nice if our customers would just let us ship them machines that do most of the things they are supposed to most of the time with the machine not doing what it is expected to do some of the times

I don't expect the software to be "Perfect" but there is a huge line between not perfect and we are working on the flaws and "Well it just doesn't work...but hey we just added another new feature you didn't ask for and will never use that also doesn't work quite properly"

Manufacturing will start to use subscriptions. We'll ship 50% functional products. Only fix 5% every year. Product will retire in 2 years.
Oh wait, it's like buying a VW.

zxys001 wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 11:33 am As a independent, sole proprietor, this is always a interesting topic and a thorn... we all can give some analogy to software company policies.
Early on, I accepted and was open to change/flux with design software and was aware they needed to innovate.... with all the other tools out there and lately... I shake my head.... new ideas? (give me break) and bs marketing is back telling the user what they want/need.

All by people yelling their last names at us...

mattpeneguy wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 12:08 pm All by people yelling their last names at us...

And did you ever notice, depending on if you use one of their standard templates, they use all caps in their native file extensions too?

matt wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 12:15 pm And did you ever notice, depending on if you use one of their standard templates, they use all caps in their native file extensions too?


image.png

omg,.. never thought of it that way... but... now that you brought it up. such arrogance!

matt wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 12:15 pm And did you ever notice, depending on if you use one of their standard templates, they use all caps in their native file extensions too?


image.png

So are we to assume that all DSS employees are actually Solidworks files? That would clear a whole lot up if it were true.

Frederick_Law wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 11:49 am Manufacturing will start to use subscriptions. We'll ship 50% functional products. Only fix 5% every year. Product will retire in 2 years.

Haven't they already been doing that? Extended warranties on everything now. New pair of 20$ sunglasses from Walmart, would you like the 3 year protection plan for $10?

Soon we'll get subscriptions for medical procedures. Subscribe annually and get your choice of a rectal exam or colonoscopy per year. Free "cough" check if you sign up today.

I'm tired of the notifications not working over there. Until they can get these working correctly, I have no faith in what is to come out from their end.

I will keep on bugging them about this until it is adressed once and for all. The ridiculousness of this has gone on long enough, stop taking us for a bunch of damn morons.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:26 pm I'm tired of the notifications not working over there. Until they can get these working correctly, I have no faith in what is to come out from their end.

I will keep on bugging them about this until it is adressed once and for all. The ridiculousness of this has gone on long enough, stop taking us for a bunch of damn morons.

Maybe they pick a couple trouble makers a week and try and cripple them. My notifications did exactly what yours did for a little over a week. I posted a few times, did some investigation and posted more....and got zero responses.

Then, magically, Monday AM they worked again. I changed nothing on my end.

Maybe your notification motor just gets too hot and it needs to cool down over the weekend

Just for curiousity sake can you see if you can browse and get the notifications from an Incognito window. For some reason I was able to get them no problem with an incognito tab which was suggested here.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:26 pm I'm tired of the notifications not working over there. Until they can get these working correctly, I have no faith in what is to come out from their end.

I will keep on bugging them about this until it is adressed once and for all. The ridiculousness of this has gone on long enough, stop taking us for a bunch of damn morons.

Mine is not working
Tried incognito and it work

It amaze me how "LONG" the SWYMP take to load in incognito without all those cache....

Zhen-Wei Tee wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:36 pm Mine is not working
Tried incognito and it work

It amaze me how "LONG" the SWYMP take to load in incognito without all those cache....

I'm talking directly with Manish. There will be a patch rolled out over night on a last node which he believes we are part of. Once this patch is rolled out the issue should be fixed.

I don't believe that it will be fixed, but let's be hopeful rather then pessimist.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:48 pm There will be a patch rolled out over night on a last node which he believes we are part of.

So am I on a different node that a patch was rolled out for last Friday? Unless that's the case it makes ZERO sense. Mine was broke in the exact same fashion as you for a week....then suddenly works yesterday and yours and others breaks?

Zhen-Wei just verified that incognito works for him as well so it has nothing to do with being logged out unless for some reason you can be logged in on one tab and logged out on another.

Zhen-Wei Tee wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:36 pm Mine is not working
Tried incognito and it work

It amaze me how "LONG" the SWYMP take to load in incognito without all those cache....

Curious, what browser are you using. Someone had this issue on FireFox and I'm on Chrome.

MJuric wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:55 pm So am I on a different node that a patch was rolled out for last Friday? Unless that's the case it makes ZERO sense. Mine was broke in the exact same fashion as you for a week....then suddenly works yesterday and yours and others breaks?

Zhen-Wei just verified that incognito works for him as well so it has nothing to do with being logged out unless for some reason you can be logged in on one tab and logged out on another.

I know, I get the same behavior as Zhen-Wei and I told Manish about it. The response can be summed up as "Crossed fingers that the patch fixes it tonight"

About the nodes, this is what I was told:
These 6 nodes are load balanced, so incognito mode might be sending the connection to one of 5 patched nodes. Cloud ops should have been very clear with me on the status, I think I caused more confusion than adding value. Will be careful in future

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 12:48 pm I'm talking directly with Manish. There will be a patch rolled out over night on a last node which he believes we are part of. Once this patch is rolled out the issue should be fixed.

I don't believe that it will be fixed, but let's be hopeful rather then pessimist.

Don't tell me what to do...

mattpeneguy wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:09 pm Don't tell me what to do...

Sorry, I thought starting an optimistic sentence with a pessimist point of view would cancel each other out

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:05 pm I know, I get the same behavior as Zhen-Wei and I told Manish about it. The response can be summed up as "Crossed fingers that the patch fixes it tonight"

About the nodes, this is what I was told:
These 6 nodes are load balanced, so incognito mode might be sending the connection to one of 5 patched nodes. Cloud ops should have been very clear with me on the status, I think I caused more confusion than adding value. Will be careful in future

I'm beginning to believe they don't know what's going on over there...
Meanwhile:

mattpeneguy wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:32 pm I'm beginning to believe they don't know what's going on over there...
Meanwhile:
image.png

I actually don't mind the tag sort approach. The problem I have with it is that there is no method to enforce it. Essentially anything new posted in that forum will be difficult to impossible to find and impossible to sort in groups because there is no tag enforcement.

The fact that they can't even track properly ideas that are sent in speaks volume as to how execrable the platform is.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:51 pm The fact that they can't even track properly ideas that are sent in speaks volume as to how execrable the platform is.

Nifty, I learned a new word today

MJuric wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 2:48 pm Nifty, I learned a new word today

I wasn't sure if it was an english word at first, but it's a fairly popular term in french, and it fitted best to describe my thoughts.

The SwYmP is only good for one thing .....

Trolls!!!!!


Or is it Toads?

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:51 pm The fact that they can't even track properly ideas that are sent in speaks volume as to how execrable the platform is.

image.png

Now i look back about on it... i might be a little bit too harsh there...
But the whole thing about the idea funnel just flipped my switch...

Ever since they start saying "We dont know who to point you to for your problem, just put it in the funnel, someone will look into it", I had flipped..

Imagine calling for tech support but they ask you to put your problem in their system where no one bother to look at.

Zhen-Wei Tee wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 7:23 pm Now i look back about on it... i might be a little bit too harsh there...
But the whole thing about the idea funnel just flipped my switch...

Ever since they start saying "We dont know who to point you to for your problem, just put it in the funnel, someone will look into it", I had flipped..

Imagine calling for tech support but they ask you to put your problem in their system where no one bother to look at.

Zhen, don't feel sorry, if it wasn't you who would have said it, it would have been me or someone else. The fact that there's a bunch of "ideas" made already about it and that I had to directly make an idea and tag Manish inside it tells a lot about how the funnel is not doing what it should be doing.

It ticked me off and I was glad that you had already responded about it because I might have been unintentionally impolite about it if I had been the one responding.

Zhen-Wei Tee wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 7:23 pm Now i look back about on it... i might be a little bit too harsh there...
But the whole thing about the idea funnel just flipped my switch...

Ever since they start saying "We dont know who to point you to for your problem, just put it in the funnel, someone will look into it", I had flipped..

Imagine calling for tech support but they ask you to put your problem in their system where no one bother to look at.

...I suggest,.. you don't worry,.. just mello.

Just a thought, there are only five "regular plebeians" there: @Frederick_Law, @mattpeneguy, @MJuric, @Roasted By John, and @AlexLachance. All prefer this site over the Swymp AFAIK.

Now for the coup de grace: if you would all abruptly go silent, it would pretty much turn turtle and sink.

Okay, Notifications seems to have been adressed.

What else needs to crucially be adressed? Besides the "refresh" process of the platform and the fact that it's missing a real forum.

mike miller wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:03 pm Just a thought, there are only five "regular plebeians" there: @Frederick_Law, @mattpeneguy, @MJuric, @Roasted By John, and @AlexLachance. All prefer this site over the Swymp AFAIK.

Now for the coup de grace: if you would all abruptly go silent, it would pretty much turn turtle and sink.

Actually there's significant "New" traffic over there...just because us loud mouths post on everything doesn't mean no one else is there.

mike miller wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:03 pm Just a thought, there are only five "regular plebeians" there: @Frederick_Law, @mattpeneguy, @MJuric, @Roasted By John, and @AlexLachance. All prefer this site over the Swymp AFAIK.

Now for the coup de grace: if you would all abruptly go silent, it would pretty much turn turtle and sink.

The only reason I'm busting my @$$ over this is because the forum was what got me a direct link to SolidWorks to get some issues I had solved. If it hadn't been for the forum, I might be working with another program.

I want to keep that "direct link" with them. If I don't, I can't complain afterwards if things aren't going the direction I desire. There are things and decisions that we can't control or change, that won't be any different with any software, but SolidWorks does somewhat a decent job in communicating these decisions and adapting to it's community, even though I wish they'd do more sometime.

I want to give the runner a chance. When they rollout the platform changes that are in the talks, if it's nowhere near the calibre of what a Forum should be, obviously I will keep on complaining, but if their intent is to keep everything as is and just remodel it to look a little more like a forum without behaving like one, then I'm most likely just going to tell them my opinion and move on.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:04 pm Okay, Notifications seems to have been adressed.

What else needs to crucially be adressed? Besides the "refresh" process of the platform and the fact that it's missing a real forum.

there was a significant list in the feedback post. Why that isn't in some sort of postit mark off list on the forum somewhere is beyond me.

MJuric wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:15 pm there was a significant list in the feedback post. Why that isn't in some sort of postit mark off list on the forum somewhere is beyond me.

Yep, @Frederick_Law and I did our best. I don't know what you and @AlexLachance were going on about though...

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:14 pm The only reason I'm busting my @$$ over this is because the forum was what got me a direct link to SolidWorks to get some issues I had solved. If it hadn't been for the forum, I might be working with another program.

I read that and have a 180 degree view. You could have avoided the disaster that is solidworks, but that forum not only put you on this path, but brainwashed you enough that you now want to do the same thing to others.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 5:14 pm The only reason I'm busting my @$$ over this is because the forum was what got me a direct link to SolidWorks to get some issues I had solved. If it hadn't been for the forum, I might be working with another program.

I mentioned this is another post but in my opinion a good portion of what my company and many like it are paying our annual subscription for is support. A reasonable useable forum is, in my opinion, part of that support. Using your VAR for issues is fine and depending on the issue your first attempt at getting something resolved. However forums offer exposure to a FAR greater width and depth of knowledge than a single VAR EVER could and so often times for new approaches, difficult and complex issues and innovative ideas the forum(s) are you only reasonable choice.

If I can't have a lengthy discussion over a period of days or even weeks where many people see the issue I'm dealing with then the forum is useless to me. Right now the new forum is usesless to me for this reason and will remain useless until the format is complete altered. The two main issues that have to be resolved before it becomes useful are.

1) Density of content. You have to be able to see 15-20 headers at once and scroll once or twice and see 45-60 posts. Not be able to see one or two and scroll 30 times to see 60 posts.

2) New content, meaning any new posts, must rise to the top. How often have you had a problem that one or two people are helping you with and then a couple days later someone knew jumps on with an amazing solution? That has happened to me on multiple occasions pretty much on every forum I have been on or posted issues on regularly. That can't happen if posts are driven down despite activity on it.

SPerman wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 7:26 am I read that and have a 180 degree view. You could have avoided the disaster that is solidworks, but that forum not only put you on this path, but brainwashed you enough that you now want to do the same thing to others.

I like the "small business approach" from a large business, let's be honest it's not something easy to do.

MJuric wrote: ↑Tue May 11, 2021 1:40 pm I actually don't mind the tag sort approach. The problem I have with it is that there is no method to enforce it. Essentially anything new posted in that forum will be difficult to impossible to find and impossible to sort in groups because there is no tag enforcement.

My biggest problem with the tag approach is that I have a have time coming up with the right tag. When going through the help files and the knowledge base there appear to be all of these "secret handshake" insider terms that I can never figure out what goes where so I can never generate an effective search. The tags seem the same way to me.

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:05 pm My biggest problem with the tag approach is that I have a have time coming up with the right tag. When going through the help files and the knowledge base there appear to be all of these "secret handshake" insider terms that I can never figure out what goes where so I can never generate an effective search. The tags seem the same way to me.

I posted over there there are two solutions to this problem.

1. Tag everything with #Solidworks.
2. #Tag #every #word #in #your #post.

I have plenty of other useful suggestions over there if you'd like to read through them...

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:05 pm My biggest problem with the tag approach is that I have a have time coming up with the right tag. When going through the help files and the knowledge base there appear to be all of these "secret handshake" insider terms that I can never figure out what goes where so I can never generate an effective search. The tags seem the same way to me.

When you go to the tags under the 6W all the tags are listed and you can search them although that search seems clumsy to me and it's not entirely clear what tag does what. I just go to tags and search for something I think might be a tag.

mattpeneguy wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:14 pm I posted over there there are two solutions to this problem.

1. Tag everything with #Solidworks.
2. #Tag #every #word #in #your #post.

I have plenty of other useful suggestions over there if you'd like to read through them...

Tags are doomed over there as a tool because they have put no controls on them. I posted over there that you would end up with Solidworks, Soldiworks, Slodiworks and so on and so. Eventually the tags mean nothing unless they are mandatory and non user created. So you have to pick a pre created tag as a primary tag, maybe even a secondary tag before you can publish. If you still want to add a tag after that, add whatever you want.

You could have Solidworks Drawings, Custom Properties, mattpeneguy. You could then search for all the post you ever posted :-)

MJuric wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:29 pm Tags are doomed over there as a tool because they have put no controls on them. I posted over there that you would end up with Solidworks, Soldiworks, Slodiworks and so on and so. Eventually the tags mean nothing unless they are mandatory and non user created. So you have to pick a pre created tag as a primary tag, maybe even a secondary tag before you can publish. If you still want to add a tag after that, add whatever you want.

You could have Solidworks Drawings, Custom Properties, mattpeneguy. You could then search for all the post you ever posted :-)

Wouldn't work. You'd have to use "3DMATT PENEGUY" over there...

MJuric wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 12:29 pm Tags are doomed over there as a tool because they have put no controls on them. I posted over there that you would end up with Solidworks, Soldiworks, Slodiworks and so on and so. Eventually the tags mean nothing unless they are mandatory and non user created. So you have to pick a pre created tag as a primary tag, maybe even a secondary tag before you can publish. If you still want to add a tag after that, add whatever you want.

You could have Solidworks Drawings, Custom Properties, mattpeneguy. You could then search for all the post you ever posted :-)

And then again, many of the posts have information, and sometimes topics that do not get included in the tags. Making it even harder to find things.

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 3:54 pm And then again, many of the posts have information, and sometimes topics that do not get included in the tags. Making it even harder to find things.

You can do a regular search in combination with the tags which is actually pretty powerful.

Which could be done in ONE search instead of TWO.
One steering to go left, one to go right. Innovative!
Very powerful. You can go right and left at the same time!

Frederick_Law wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 4:47 pm Which could be done in ONE search instead of TWO.
One steering to go left, one to go right. Innovative!
Very powerful. You can go right and left at the same time!

to be fair you do it in one search over there as well if you knew exactly what tag you were looking for.

MJuric wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 4:27 pm You can do a regular search in combination with the tags which is actually pretty powerful.

image.png

You mean like:

I mean one search no tag.
Unless you want One cup Two .....

Frederick_Law wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 5:41 pm I mean one search no tag.
Unless you want One cup Two .....

That's what I mean as well "PDM/Enterprise drawings" search in the search bar focused on the current forum will return the same thing as Tag:"PDM/Enterprise" Search:"Drawing"

The problem is that you need to know exactly what the tag is unlike being able to click into the "PDM/Enterprise" forum and searching for "Drawing"

MJuric wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 9:45 am That's what I mean as well "PDM/Enterprise drawings" search in the search bar focused on the current forum will return the same thing as Tag:"PDM/Enterprise" Search:"Drawing"

The problem is that you need to know exactly what the tag is unlike being able to click into the "PDM/Enterprise" forum and searching for "Drawing"

This ↑

You essential get a tag search built in.