View Full Version : Chuck some clarification please

01-08-2004, 06:27 AM
I noticed that the Lightwave 8 preview page has been updated. I certainly appreciate that!

However, I was hoping for a little clarification on what "later this year" means. Is that a carryover from when it was supposed to be released or is that for 2004? Because later this year doesn't make it sound like it will be January or Febuary.

Obviously, you probably don't know exactly when it will be ready to ship however, I think I'd rather hear "as soon as we can" rather then "later this year".

01-08-2004, 06:37 AM
Yesterday when the page was updated to say "1st Quater 2004" I wasn't to surprised, just basic housekeeping, but when today it was changed again to "Later this year", it made me quite a bit more nervious.

It could be that the second time the page was reorganised the uppdater just happen to use a slightly different choice of words. Or more ominously it could indicate Newteks uncertainty about hitting Q1 2004 :confused:

01-08-2004, 06:51 AM
Same feeling here.

"Later this year" makes me feel as if they are back-tracking. They may just be covering themselves, but it does not produce any warm fuzzies about [8] being out any time soon.

I totally appreciated the update Chuck gave us Dec 2003 about [8] not making the Q4 2003 estimate. But... when Chuck gave this update, i have to say I believed [8] would be out no later than the end of Jan 2004.

At this juncture, I have to believe the higher up's have been given the bad news from the developers that they were way off and have a lot more coding/testing to complete, and now have the unenviable task of managing expectations knowing [8] will not be out anytime soon. This is certainly speculation on my part, but I was right about them missing Q4 2003 and I have the terrible feeling I am right on this one too.

If they knew in Dec 2003 that they would not make the Q4 2003 release estimate, they have got to know with some certainty how off they were. It would have been better received if NewTek had taken what they knew about how off they were on the release estimate and provide a realistic estimate for release in 2004. The completely vague "..later this year" will only cause discussions such as this to flourish.

01-08-2004, 10:10 AM
This is where we start to dive into Speculation. Trying to interpret someone else's words is always dangerous and could start a rock throwing fight. Hrgiger's point, I believe (see, I'm trying to guess another's comment. Dangerous territory), is asking to narrow down the release date and it's a legitimate question.

However, trying to figure out what the new release statement means is difficult. That's something only Newtek can answer. We could spend ages discussing it and be wrong in the end. Which means it was all for nothing.

Remember though, the last time Newtek released a definitive release date they received a lot of backlash. They should be cautious.


This is a good example of semmantics (getting too technical on what exactly certain words mean). What "later this year" means to the writer is in, all probability, different from what we "think" he meant. See, once again I'm interpreting what was said. We should just be patience and wait for more information (we have no choice, our hands are tied). I don't mean that hrgiger is getting too technical. He simply asked for clarification that only Newtek can answer.

Sorry if this sounds like an attack or too harsh, it's not meant to be, but speculation can take a nasty turn. :)

01-08-2004, 06:19 PM
"later this year" means they are trying to make Q1 2004 but are not locking themselves into Q1 2004 like they did with Q4 2003.


01-08-2004, 06:27 PM
either way you can be sure that they arent dilly-dallying around, and that they are making LW8 easy enough for my grandma to use, and advanced enough for Einstein's grandson not to get bored, i really liked the "Lightwave eight demo videos" thread because it reassures me that the wait will be worth while

as long as these production companies and 3d artists haven't spent all their money on other programs frustrated by the wait of 8 (that rhymed) then i'm sure that i'll see proton driving a Lamborghini down Broadway, because just by seeing these demo videos... OMG!!!

the cloth fx are just so easy!!!! no more morphing for cloth fx!!!!