19 replies to this topic

[NightStalker]

The iPad version of Evernote is STILL cr@p, especially without the List View. I'm using the previous version, having "backgraded", and there's no way I'm moving to v5.

The Mac version is also cr@p - we've tiptoed around the issue for so long now, trying to give the developers the benefit of the doubt. But now it's time to call a spade a spade - it's cr@p! Why on earth they would even THINK about REMOVING functions that actually worked and worked well, let alone actually DOING it, heaven only knows! But they have. They have crippled Evernote. Which is why I'm on v3.3 for the Mac and staying there.

Come on Evernote - LISTEN TO YOUR USERS!! The feedback in these forums has been almost 100% negative for the Mac and iOS versions (especially the iPad version), so why do you not LISTEN and actually take notice of what a large group of knowledgeable users is saying?

Sheer arrogance is the only reason I can think of.

Discuss and debate - but no more pussyfooting around. No more apologists for the developers. We all feel loyalty to the Evernote team, most on here having been users for a long time. I've used Evernote from the beginning, and been Premium for all of that time. Still am.

But I am getting mightily pissed off that the developers seem not to be listening to the negative feedback in here, and they seem to be blindly pushing on trying to correct little bits of the problem by sticking to the new version but twiddling with it. They should just acknowledge that the new version has been a mistake, an expensive learning exercise, and SCRAP IT!! Now..! Go back to the previous Mac and iOS versions, and then move them forward by ADDING functions and fixing bugs. That is all that is needed. Add the List view on the iPad. Add reverse sort order on all versions. BUT DO NOT REMOVE FEATURES THAT ALREADY WORK!

I think I see a pig lining up on the runway already.....

[gazumped]

Hi - kinda no fair taking a shot at the company when (if they have any sense) they're taking a rest for a few extra days.. There's a long thread already you could add this complaint to rather than starting a new bush fire over here, and even if Evernote agree with you that Something Must Be Done, they're most likely concentrating on getting it done, rather than answering all the flack. The Herd don't do delivery dates (yep - still funny..) so almost certainly the first you'll hear will be the next version.

[NightStalker]

Well, there was no implication in my post that they had to respond during the Christmas break - although some of us are working through anyway.

And although you imply that adding onto an existing thread may be a good idea, I've contributed to several threads already. But - most of those are referring to specific issues, or versions (Mac, iOS, etc).

The intent behind starting a new thread was to condense the comments into more general thoughts, rather than specifically about one version or one issue/bug/lost feature etc.

And, to be honest, I think a new bushfire may be exactly what is needed - I have not got the impression from the responses in those other threads that the company DOES agree that something needs to be done. They are still just pushing ahead with the new version, fixing little bits here and there - but not fixing the underlying problem which is that they have REMOVED so many features. They did the same with Skitch, and now with Evernote.

I would love nothing more than to receive the next version, as you suggest, but with ALL features restored, plus a couple of new ones, and a fix for the awful changes to the UI.

But I'm not holding my breath until that happens. In the meantime, perhaps a new thread, with a subject line designed to get the attention of both contributors AND the company, may help folks to vent constructively.

[gazumped]

Nothing wrong with a good vent, but once the point is well made either Evernote will respond with a reworking of the version, or you have the choice to stick with an old one and look around for something else to fit the bill. This topic seems to have been aired pretty thoroughly already but Evernote follow their own path - my (non)-joke about due dates has been going around for a couple of years forinstance and that still hasn't turned up...

[jefito]

Good luck. Kind of unlikely that they're just going to scrap the latest versions, much better bet that that they're going to tweak the current versions, and add back in features that they left out. But hey, it's your brushfire. Vent away...

[megsaint]

I like both versions. So, maybe Evernote is listening to their users.....

[GrumpyMonkey]

Well, nothing like a good vent, but without specifics, it is unlikely to be a productive thread! What did they remove, what would you like to see back, and why? It's the "why" that is more likely to carry weight, because that tells the developers what you are trying to do and how the UI is failing to accomplish that for you.

For example, I miss the large search field on the iPad, and I would like to see it back, because I tend to do searches that contain multiple words. I think it is pretty clear that a larger field is better for typing more words, and even Safari expands to accomodate our searches, so I think I've got a pretty good case for the feature.

The inability to search joined notebooks? I don't want that back The new version is clealy an improvement in this regard. There are some good things, some not so good ones, and some that need to be tweaked. The more concrete feedback we give, the faster we'll see it incorporated into the app.

[Metrodon]

Yawn, someone had one too many glasses of sherry on xmas day.

[NightStalker]

Actually - someone spent most of Christmas day working! Maybe that's why he's finally losing patience (as opposed to losing patients, which I didn't).

So Metro - you saying that you're perfectly happy with v5 of Evernote for both the Mac and the iPad? You don't miss any of the features that were removed, or those still missing? And you think Evernote are taking any notice of the multitude of negative comments, complaints, and some constructive comments across these forums?

Because I'm not - and yes, I know I can remain on the older versions (I am doing just that) but that means I'm simply not going to get stuff currently lacking, such as reverse sort orders, list view on the iPad, etc. If I'm sticking with the previous versions, I have no path forward. If I choose to move to the upgrades, then I lose so many functions that I already have, it becomes a severe downgrade. A backward move, in fact.

Not a lot of joy in either choice, really... and frustratingly, no sign of any positive responses from the EN team. Jackolicious has been responsive on the Mac section of the forum, but still they are ploughing on with the new versions. While we lose even such basic features as a configurable toolbar, or a search field that accommodates long search terms, or remembered searches that can be tweaked into new searches - the list goes on.

So no - I'm NOT happy with the new version. And no - I didn't have any sherry or similar...

[megsaint]

And no - I didn't have any sherry or similar...

Perhaps you should have. ;-)

[Metrodon]

Have you tried the Mac 5.04 release? It seems to me that many of the features that didn't make it into the 5.0 release were added back. In addition, it seems to me to be far more stable and quicker than the 3.x product.

I struggle to see how you can criticise something if you haven't used it for any length of time. Assuming you are in the medical profession, I wouldn't say that you are a cr@p doctor without trying you out first, then with some experience and knowledge I could turn around and say for sure that you are a cr@p doctor.

The iOS client has a bunch of UI issues in my opinion. I don't think it's cr@p though, I think it's probably really very bloody good for a whole bunch of different use cases, it's not for mine at the moment.

But I like to make constructive and I hope useful criticism that explains why something doesn't work for me rather than just post a rather whinging diatribe asking for a private company to go back to a previous software release. Out here in the real world that doesn't happen.

[NightStalker]

Morning Metro (Morning here Down Under, at least)

Yes, as a matter of fact, I HAVE tried v5.0.4 for a meaningful period. It is still installed on one of my wife's computers (an iMac). Her Macbook has been back-graded to v3.3, which she prefers by far, and uses all the time. I've left her iMac at the current version and updating it to keep an eye on things to see if it becomes "safe" for me to upgrade yet.

And I still hate it. Even the lack of the configurable toolbar - can't put a Print button on there, for example. But it doesn't seem any faster than v3.3 on my iMac. And v3.3 has been extremely stable for me - even with a couple of thousand notes, many of which are long PDFs or have large graphics.

I take your point about not complaining about something without having used it first - agree completely. But I have used v5 all the way up to 5.0.4. And I still don't like it, and it seems, quite a few others feel the same way going by various posts on these forums. The whole point of this thread was more to do with whether or not the company is actually listening or taking any notice of what is posted on here, rather than about specific issues.

And like you, the iOS version is not for me either, but again - why is there no acknowledgement that things like that silly "Premium Features" bar is a complete waste of space? And STILL no List view on the iPad - surely the one device that is ideal for a list view? Not even a snippet view...

OK - I've said enough. I'll lurk and read for a while, but won't post any more unless something really deep and meaningful springs to mind...!

[Metrodon]

"Still hate it" doesn't tell me much and if the worst you can come up with is the lack f a print button on the toolbar well I guess things must be pretty damn dreadful.

If its as simple as you simply don't like the UI then that's fine, it's a personal choice, some will like it, some won't and it won't make the slightest bit of difference to others.

If you are a premium user you can switch off the premium features bar on iOS so this seems like a moot point.

Evernote strike me as being relatively good at listening to their users, but listening to a small subset on here doesn't mean that they are going to or should implement everything that receives support on here. I agree that list view would be great on the iPad, I made my desire clear during the beta and I hope it happens.

If it doesn't, I won't stop using Evernote, I won't write melodramatic forum posts. What I will do is to try and work out how to make a fantastically useful and cheap (but very generalised) application work for me. If there are places where other apps can fill gaps and be useful then I will use them.

[GrumpyMonkey]

Premium bar can now be hidden (iOS). I don't see why it matters, though, because it just shows a little more of the same cards. I have comments on specific requests about the home screen in other threads.

Print is accessed by CMD + P, right? I think there is a printer icon in each note. I have also made several specific requests about the toolbar, and I remain unsatisfied as well, but I am also unconvinced that it needs to be customizable. Personally, I just want my vertical space back, because the current toolbar performs no apparent use for me. Of course, closing it means search is inaccessible until turning it back on, so...

I guess I see no point in a general thread that is unlikely to change design philosophies without specific details from use cases that are not being addressed. I've posted a bunch on this elsewhere.

If we are speaking in general terms, I want speed, information density, and better navigability. The previous versions of iOS and OSX were definitely not delivering this for my use case, so a reversion doesn't seem like a good solution to me.

[PeterLondon]

I'm with NightStalker on this 100%. The many removed functions & features and design interface failings have been listed elsewhere in this forum. I too totally fail to see any logic or reason behind the move to v5.0 on the Mac. What a mess.

But I do suspect that things are afoot behind the scenes, and clearly there is a feedback loop in place, as see what happened with Skitch 2.0 - there was massive back-pedaling from the EN team.

There is nothing wrong with a good rant now and then! It's very mentally healthy :-)

[Metrodon]

Which features are you missing from 5.0.4?

[RosscoM]

The new Atlas view is missing the ability to filter notes. It only shows you all notes, from all notebooks. Not very useful for me. Even in 5.0.4.

[Mike Wood]

@Metrodon Agreed the Mac client is progressing with the return of a number of features. Jackolicious has been very responsive!

BUT whats happening with iOS?

I'm sure you've seen my 14+ missing features and 14+ bugs... http://discussion.ev...en/#entry178088

[Crossstick]

Another vote / plea for a fast alphabetical note finder for iPad version. I have customers on individual notes A-Z and dislike scrolling, over-scrolling, scrolling back up, over-scrolling back up. And I don't even drink sherry !

[rockky]

Evernotes lack of communication lines with their users is going to script its downfall.
It is something that would be admonished in any sensible business culture.
Ironically, in 2008 I had an issue on the forums about some search issue and I got an email from:....yep, Phil Libin who asked me to beta test the issue with HIM, and he made adjustments til it was (kindof) fixed. Needless to say I felt this was a family here.
Their communication (lack of) with users today (at least in the productivity note world ,of which I'm very familiar),is the worst in the app development world, and a noose which beginning really in 2011 is slowly tightening around its neck.
Springpad made major overhauls with its 3.0 update which alienated a ton of their most loyal users.
Within a day,the CEO, Jeff Chow was on the forums regularly interacting.
That was followed by a slew of fast updates that addressed many concerns.
Evernote needs to grow up in the public relations department.
Fast.