"Instead of fixing such basic stuff, Wolfram keeps adding cloud features that nobody asked for and machine learning stuff that nobody uses."
Unfortunately, Wolfram is not alone and it's the curse of the software industry. There are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of programs where new usually-unwanted features are added at the expense of unfixed bugs and important features that are badly implemented and need attention but which its developers keep ignoring.
The problem ultimately boils down to us users—first, we don't complain loudly enough about obvious problems and second, we're all too taken in with promises from marketing departments about the benefits the new glitzy features will bring but which rarely live up to expectations.
What we don't collectively realize is that poorly finished software with bad user ergonomics is enormously costly to society in terms of wasted human effort and lost productivity when tallied across millions of users.
I qualify that comment from my own experience both as an IT professional and as someone who has run an IT department. Personally over the years I've lost thousands of hours trying to get buggy or poorly implemented software to do some of the most basic of core functions that ought to work properly from the outset. Same goes for typical users who are forever calling on my department's help desk to solve problems that ought not exist.
Unfortunately, Wolfram is not alone and it's the curse of the software industry. There are hundreds upon hundreds of examples of programs where new usually-unwanted features are added at the expense of unfixed bugs and important features that are badly implemented and need attention but which its developers keep ignoring.
The problem ultimately boils down to us users—first, we don't complain loudly enough about obvious problems and second, we're all too taken in with promises from marketing departments about the benefits the new glitzy features will bring but which rarely live up to expectations.
What we don't collectively realize is that poorly finished software with bad user ergonomics is enormously costly to society in terms of wasted human effort and lost productivity when tallied across millions of users.
I qualify that comment from my own experience both as an IT professional and as someone who has run an IT department. Personally over the years I've lost thousands of hours trying to get buggy or poorly implemented software to do some of the most basic of core functions that ought to work properly from the outset. Same goes for typical users who are forever calling on my department's help desk to solve problems that ought not exist.