So very disappointed.

This is hard to write. I've been an Indigo customer almost from the get go. I loved the fact that it ran on my favorite platform (OS X), that it was extensible via plugins (many of which I've used) and that it was being developed consistently. That last point has now become a huge problem. I understand that Matt and Jeff are working in a rapidly evolving space and that competition there is brutal. Two things have bugged me greatly in recent weeks. The fact that support for new modules has fallen way behind, without any alternatives being offered, such as community supplied profile definitions (as we have plugins today) and then the brutal shutting down of a discussion on support for the Aeotec Multi-Sensor 6. No debate, no discussion, just "closing the thread". That's not a sign of a company wanting to embrace its user community. That's a slap in the face.

So tonight I checked around. I even looked at Homeseer, a product I left to support Indigo. I need Hue and Sonos support. I need scripting and plugins and it's all there. So what do I do? Do I continue to wait for support for year old modules with no way of working around the log-jam in HQ or do I once again jump platforms? Every switch, power outlet and light in my home is either Z-Wave or Insteon. Right now I'm being held back back Indigo because doesn't support the hardware I want to use. I could (and have) held my breath for support to come but with the "shut it down" decision on even having a dialog about how we're all going to move forward I can't continue to invest in a platform that is giving me no indication that it seriously has it's user's best interest at heart.

So, heavy heart in hand, I'm not going to sit this out any more. I'm going to move back to Homeseer knowing that it is supporting what I need and providing support for the latest technology (either natively or through community contribution). I'm sorry to be making this decision, I was a believer.

Matt & Jeff, I hope you can find a way to solve these problems and keep your very loyal users enjoying all the hard work that you have both put into this product. BUT never forget that they are the bases of your success and to shut them down when they have legitimate topics that need to be discussed is to throw sand in their faces. I for one have never liked the beach.

That's cool. If Indigo isn't meeting your needs any longer, then you should definitely try to find something that does. It's a shame to see you go.

My only question is not directed at you specifically, but it's something that I've been wondering about for some time. I'm curious about why there's so much emotion surrounding the decision--why are you as you say "So Very Disappointed"? If you were a loyal user of John Deere lawn tractors and one day decided that you no longer liked them for some reason, would you have the same reaction? I don't think that most of us would. I think it's because the Indigo product and the user community are so great that we become emotionally attached to them. I know I've become emotionally attached, but that isn't the case with my lawn mower. I think we need to ask ourselves if the emotion we feel about something isn't actually a part of what it does for us and what it brings to our lives.

Matt and Jay are never going to be able to support every model of every device on the market and I think we all understand that. So if Indigo doesn't currently support the combination of devices that you want to use, then it's understandable to look elsewhere. I'm just curious about the disappointment.

Dave

[matt (support)]

I apologize if shutting down that thread seemed brutal or in some way further perpetuated the idea that we don't care about our customers' needs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I shut down that thread because it has been thoroughly discussed (look how many pages long that thread is) and there isn't anything left to be said. I wasn't shutting it down because I didn't want a debate or discussion, I shut it down because we had already had 6 pages of discussion and we don't have anything further we can say. In this case the disagreement is over the release of information about future features and versions of software. Like most, but not all, tech or software companies we have decided not to discuss future functionality. The reasons for this are many, but in the end it is a business decision we felt we had to make. I sympathize with everyone's frustration over how long it is taking to get Indigo support for some modules. As I've said before we are hard at work on Indigo 7, and improved Z-Wave functionality (particularly Aeotec hardware) is a very high priority for us.

I'd ask for folks to have more patience, but I know that patience has worn thin. The solution here though isn't to discuss what feature will be in Indigo 7, the solution is for us to get Indigo 7 finished and kicked out the door.

Maybe I'm remembering the wrong thread, but if I'm not, then I'd just like to say, from my position as a third party, I have to agree that leaving the thread open was a waste of time.

All I saw for the last couple of pages could be boiled down to:

I want this now!

Sorry, we can't prioritize that.

But I want it!

We have many things to work on.

I need it!

We are sticking by our stated plan for product development.

But I need this and want it!

I WANT IT NOW! Noooooooooow. Right now. Just gimme the code and I'll finish it myself. It's written in basic, right?

...It's written in basic, right?

The first and last language I used! Awesome! I'll help ... as soon aw I find my Apple IIe in Dad's basement closet. (It has two floppy drives and a MicroModemIIe with 300 baud rate -- so we can get this done!)

Sounds good to me! You do the coding.. I'll uh.. manage things!

I find the constant chase for leading edge tedious. More than happy to wait for the major upgrades.

This whole discussion borders on absurd.

Never in the history of software has there ever been, nor will there ever be, a software that fits the needs of every single user's desires. The age old "well do this or I'm jumping ship" threat in the tech industry is tired, overused and completely inconsequential these days. If you feel you must jump ship because a software developer didn't drop everything to address your wishes immediately then bon voyage. A bit harsh, but really that's the truth of it.

I'm sure the competition is perfect, never a problem with their software or platform and a team of developers devoted to each and every person using the software, waiting on pins and needles for the next coding project they can take on for that one user.

For me, I've used all the major HA products and Indigo rocks. Equally as important, and this should not go unnoticed, is that the ecosystem rocks. Just look at how many people produce plugins for this product that expand it exponentially and at no additional cost.

Here I am trying to evolve my system from the old "press a button to do this" into a "say this and do that" system and it's rough going sometimes. Siri doesn't always do what I expect or in the speed I expect it but should I blame Webdeck for integrating Homebridge? Maybe blame Homebridge for being less than my dream software? Indigo for not magically making Siri do more than she is capable of? If I'm that hung up on it then I should sit down and make a better mousetrap and I'm not doing that anytime soon.

A long time ago I sat down and wrote out exactly what I expected of my automated home and, piece by piece, I am getting it there. In the instances where Indigo just doesn't do what I need to fulfill that goal then I do my best to write scripts or plugins that get me there.

I guess my point is that you can either get mad about the software or you can take it upon yourself to shape it into what you need. Indigo's implementation of ZWave can be accomplished in Python, go for it, write an Aeotec Multisensor plugin and you are good to go. But, seriously, is the that device SO important in your HA that it's worth going through the headache, pain, suffering and expense of moving your HA setup to a new platform? I can't think of one single device in my HA network that I can't do without for a while.

And, really, in the end, is it Indigo's fault you purchased an unsupported piece of hardware or is it your fault for not making sure your HA system supports it before you bought it? I held out on a Nest thermostat for 3 generations of devices until not only was Nest supported by Indigo (via a plugin) but also until that support was solid. And believe me, you, I wanted a Nest!

As for the forum thread that got you hot under the collar, let me ask you: what more was there to be said or resolved that had not been already? Would beating that dead horse on a daily basis made things better for you? Perhaps instead of closing the thread Matt & Jay just stopped responding to it, how would this have made you happy in the least? They can waste time regurgitating the same answers or they can get busy releasing Indigo 7. I, like most Indigo users, are waiting for 7 to drop so we can see what new toys we get to play with.

So, there, I've contributed to the absurdity of this conversation .

Slow clap for Colorado!

Besides.. having recently investigated the alternatives.. well.. there aren't really any alternatives.

(Jay did not force me to make this statement. I made it of my own free will)

Soap box speeches and endless debates on Information Released and Business Models are all irrelevant.

We can all take up sides and defend Howmanoid for his stance or defend Matt & Jay for standing by what they think needs to be done. Either way all we accomplished in this thread was moving the original debate somewhere else.

At the end of the day the loyalist of customers will only remain as loyal as your product is desirable to them.

[matt (support)]

I wanted to briefly follow-up on this thread. Indigo 7.0 is now available (and has been for a while) and it includes supports for dozens of new Z-Wave devices (including the Gen 5 Aeotec modules).