(Archived) Stability, Robustness, & Performance vs Enhancements

[JMichaelTest 19]

Although I am new (about 3 mo) to Evernote, I have a growing concern about the basic core system on a number of platforms. My concern is over the Stability, Robustness, & Performance of the system.

I really like Evernote and think it has huge potential.

So I'm beginning to wonder if there should be a freeze on all ERs until these core issues are fixed and new release deployed.

There are many reports of issues with stability and performance when the number of Notes starts to get large (not sure where that starts, but for sure at a few thousand or more). Many of these have been confirmed by EN. I have seen these reports on the Windows client, Mac client, and to a lessor degree, on the Apple iPhone/iPad clients.

During the last few weeks, I along with many others have made new enhancement requests (ER) and pushed to implement ERs that have been around for a while.

ERs don't mean anything if the core system is unreliable. So I for one will gladly put all of my requests for new features on hold until EN has fix these core issues.

Your thoughts?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Although I am new (about 3 mo) to Evernote, I have a growing concern about the basic core system on a number of platforms. My concern is over the Stability, Robustness, & Performance of the system.

I really like Evernote and think it has huge potential.

So I'm beginning to wonder if there should be a freeze on all ERs until these core issues are fixed and new release deployed.

There are many reports of issues with stability and performance when the number of Notes starts to get large (not sure where that starts, but for sure at a few thousand or more). Many of these have been confirmed by EN. I have seen these reports on the Windows client, Mac client, and to a lessor degree, on the Apple iPhone/iPad clients.

During the last few weeks, I along with many others have made new enhancement requests (ER) and pushed to implement ERs that have been around for a while.

ERs don't mean anything if the core system is unreliable. So I for one will gladly put all of my requests for new features on hold until EN has fix these core issues.

Your thoughts?

I have over 27,000 notes with a db a size of ~3gb, have been using EN for 23 months & have yet to have a concern about losing data or stability. Yes, I've noticed some versions search slower than others, as documented in the thread I started here: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=17563&start=0&hilit=is+searching+slow

As far as the freeze on all ER's...I really don't think it's your call. But hey.

[JMichaelTest 19]

BurgerQueen,

I'm not sure what your point is here. By your own admission you have experienced EN performance issues:

. . .Yes, I've noticed some versions search slower than others, as documented in the thread I started here: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=17563&start=0&hilit=is+searching+slow . . .

From Is searching in 3.5.5.2532 (89964) slow?

Seems like a few beta versions ago, searching was very snappy. . . . Seems like this process can now be very slow. . . . Even pressing the "Find in Evernote" hotkey sometimes takes a minute or so to show the full note count in the search parameter ribbon. Has anyone else noticed this?

I don't think you want to push this issue to the point where we are listing all of the threads in this forum that raise these core issues.

For the record you completely misstated my post. I did NOT call for or demand an ER Freeze. I only asked if a freeze should be done.

Of course it is entirely up to the EN management team. Like everyone else here, I am merely expressing my opinion.

One point I want to make clear is that while I have pushed hard for some ERs, I am more than comfortable with my requests being put on hold until the other core issues are resolved and deployed.

I would hope to raise the awareness of all of those who have requested ERs to be patient until the core issues have been fixed. I'm assuming this is Ver 4, but I really don't know.

I think we all want a stable, well-performing system.

[engberg 89]

The next major version of the Windows client (v4) is designed to provide significant performance improvements. Early testers are confirming orders-of-magnitude improvements in some operations like the one BurgersNFries described, so we're optimistic.

The next major version of the Mac client (probably v2.0) is addressing the two known performance problems: slow search, and hiccups with large numbers of notes and tags. Both of these are due to specific implementation flaws in the database and UI that we are fixing.

Thanks

[jbenson2 2,147]

JMUnderwood11

Bravo - you are preaching to the choir. I have been very concerned about all the special exotic add-ons that some people are demanding. I really do not want Evernote spending their development time duplicating PhotoShop or PowerPoint or Excel capabilities. There are too many people who want their own pony.

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11237&p=71088&hilit=pony#p71088

I believe Evernote is staying focused on the primary mission. That is why they opened the Trunk to let 3rd party folks add the special stuff.

Just keeping all the various changing platforms running smoothly with Evernote is a big enough chore.

It reminds me of the Plate Spinning act on the Ed Sullivan show.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Yes, I've noticed some versions search slower than others, as documented in the thread I started here: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=17563&start=0&hilit=is+searching+slow

BurgerQueen,

I'm not sure what your point is here. By your own admission you have experienced EN performance issues:

. . .Yes, I've noticed some versions search slower than others, as documented in the thread I started here: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=17563&start=0&hilit=is+searching+slow . . .

Is there an echo in here???

[JMichaelTest 19]

Is there an echo in here???

Just your unnecessary quotes of the full text of the prior post.

I do hope we can stay on topic. I thought Dave's post was very appropriate and addressed the issue.

[BertO 0]

JMUnderwood11: I agree completely. I'm convinced that EN took on too much too soon with v3.x. Clean and complete desktop and web apps should have been the first priority. The mobile apps could have then built on that stability. As it is we now have the option of having performance issues and crashes on 9 different platforms. Not a good development strategy. I'm hoping EN takes a long look backwards and refocuses their efforts.

[JMichaelTest 19]

Well it is interesting that EN has just released a major new enhancement to the Web Clipper:

The Evernote Site Memory Button

While this certainly looks like a cool new feature, it is not fixing fundamental issues, nor is it adding fundamental new capability.

It is merely enhancing the Web Clipper, which already works very well, IMO.

Since our discussions so often revolve around scarce resources, this one makes me wonder about internal priorities.

Of course, I don't have the complete picture that EN would have internally. But it is hard to see how this would take priority.

Given the functionality and complexity of this new feature, one would think that it would require considerable resources to develop.

Just my 2c.

[engberg 89]

The engineer who implemented the site memory button is a Javascript/HTML coder. He doesn't know C, C++, C#, or the Windows APIs. He would not be able to improve the scalability of our Windows client, whether or not he implemented a button for Javascript-based web clipping to our web servers.

We have far more engineers working on the Windows platform than everything else combined. Programming Windows desktop applications is fairly painful, but we're putting a lot of resources into getting it right.

Thanks

[TheGurkha 1]

It isn't an ehancement to the web clipper, it is a new development altogether. It is a tool to be embedded into web sites.

As I see it (** personal and possibly partly-crazed opinion warning **) rather than being a tool for the average EN user to use as an add-on for their browser like the current clippers are, it is a means for site owners to provide some local EN capability to visitors who come to their site. This spreads the word about EN and gets tie-in from other outside parties (web site owners and publishers) in a similar fashion to getting tie-in from Trunk partners.

As well as building the EN application and clippers in all of their varieties and platforms, EN have to devote time and effort to promotion and to activities that are designed to help and further the EN business model. This would be one of those activities, which are obviously as vital as the 'make/fix software for EN users' activities.

[JMichaelTest 19]

If I'm reading the tea leaves correctly, it would appear that the work on the EN Win and Mac clients is not impacted by work on other platforms, like, Web, Android, and, my current biggest need, Apple iDevices, particularly the iPad.

So, I guess I'll give up on the original proposal of this thread to focus on Win/Mac stability and Performance.

EN seems to have already locked in their game plan. Let's hope it produces solid, high performing clients very soon.

As far as I'm concerned, the iPhone has no major issues that I'm aware of.

But a major impediment to using EN is the lack of Rich-text support for editing/creating Notes on the iPad.

I would like to see a more efficient text-only list of Notes, Notebooks, tags, etc on the iPad, but I can live with the way it is for a short while.

My team's main need is to be able to use the iPad instead of laptops for recording meeting notes/minutes, etc, both internal and external.

Must have rich-text for that.

I'm sure others with have their own priorities.

Here's one incentive for iPad ERs: A number of the worlds major corporations and universities are adopting the iPad and issuing them in large quantities to their employees/students. For example, SAP has already issued over 1,500 iPads, and has committed to over 17,000 within the next year! The iPad stands to become a major business tool.

[Metrodon 2,184]

Thanks for posting in blue.

[gf_gollum 0]

Is there an end user beta program. I'd be very interested in looking at a better performing release - the "dead spots" around loaking and restoring Evernote drive me mad :-)

[engberg 89]

In either the Mac or Windows client, you can go into the Preferences/Options to enable automatic updates to beta pre-releases. If you enable that version, you'll receive the beta releases when they are available.

Thanks