There's a lot right with Bluesound and it's too easy for us to moan

I just drafted a reply to the "So much (if not everything) is wrong with the BluOS" thread, only to find that it got closed, so here's a new thread to attempt to redress the balance just a little by pointing out that it isn't always as simple and clearcut as you might think.

One issue is that some customers are capable of asking for the world without realising it.

Also, one customer may ask for a feature that will make their life easier and then another customer will complain that such a feature would make their life harder.

Also, some features can sound easy in theory but are extremely complex to deliver. It's all about impact analysis, not only in terms of usage of the software but also in terms of design, programming, and testing effort.

Year 2000 was something wherein the requirement was very simple, i.e. ensure that systems can handle 4-digit years (such as 2024). Easy peezy. Just bolt two more digits on dates. Job done!

This easy peezy change, however, gave birth to some massive projects because dates exist all over the place in systems and because some software simply couldn't be changed and, instead, had to be binned and replaced.

And because dates are everywhere, and some parts of the system were new, every part of the system needed to be tested, not only by itself but also in concert with other parts of the system.

Data protection law changes are similarly painful to deal with.

The questions to be answered when testing a modified system are "Do the new features work?" and, more importantly, "Does everything else still work properly?".

And it's a big ask to address that second question. Everything has to be thoroughly tested, and that's a massive task.

AFAIK, the problem that faced both Bluesound and Sonos was that their systems weren't well-suited for adding further features - a bit like trying to add 21st century operating theatres, wards, bathrooms, heating, wiring, glazing, insulation etc. to a 19th century hospital.

Better to demolish and rebuild. But demolishing and rebuilding isn't a small task either, and some new issues will always creep in.

In addition to all of this, existing Bluesound users aren't making any financial contribution towards this ongoing work either, so the budget for that work will always be tight.

Bluesound has had to build a brand new system that outwardly resembles the old but that can also accommodate new features that the old one couldn't. This new system, whilst more capable than the old, also has to be easier to maintain than the old one. And all of this has to be done without any financial contribution from beneficiaries such as you and I.

 It isn't easy out there.