Newsletter #24 - August 2022 (From Russia with Love) (Patreon)

It's been a good while since I last wrote one of these, damn, it's been nearly a year in fact.

I told myself I'd be writing more of these newsletters, but somehow I always find myself too busy to really sit down and do it.

The market has been more or less flooded with devices, leaving me with more work than I could have ever imagined, and I must admit that I tend to allocate my time in favor of these projects rather than spending it writing newsletters. (Forgive me!)

It's not just the sheer number of projects though, but the fact that the projects I now tackle are considerably bigger than the ones I used to do in the past.

Lately I find it more difficult to hit the 1-month (or so) quota that I used to hit in the past. Given that I figured it would be a worthwhile thing to talk about in a newsletter along with a bunch of others things to keep you all informed.

So lets break it up bit by bit, starting with the most severe point on the list.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict & its effect on Europe

Some of you might know this already, either because you're living through it alongside me and all other Europeans or because you heard a tidbit on the news about it.

All summed up: Things have gotten somewhat complicated in Europe with food-, rent-, power- & fuel-prices going through the roof as supplies shrink, operating costs explode and Russian oil stops flowing.

In Germany & Austria this situation is even worse as more than 70% of all residents rely on Russian oil to heat and cook.

The fact that the electricity price is coupled with that of oil means that, as oil prices rice, so does the price for electricity, and given how oil is required in manufacturing & shipping the price hikes translate directly to other living essentials like food. (And nobody can go without that...)

A lot of people I know struggle to cover their bases now, and many of them will be forced to make a dire decision this winter. Whether to heat or eat.

I used to jokingly say to all of you that its you guys that keep the lights on in my office. But now, with my main income no longer covering basic living expenses, it has become a harsh truth that I hate to admit to myself.

But not all is gloom and doom.

Moving on...

RG353P, RG503, RG552, X18S, XP, XD, XD+ updates are coming

Yes, all of them. But things move slowly at the moment.

Partially because I am otherwise occupied (home renovation, day-job) and partially because I am just a little spread thin at the moment jumping back and forth between projects trying to balance them out and make sure no device remains stagnant for too long.

And most importantly, because there's one more project on the burner that I hope will benefit all users equally, regardless of what device they use.

But giving away too much would be telling, and I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Moving on...

We now have a trainee on board for 1:1 support requests

For those that came, grabbed their firmware updates, installed them and lived happily ever after this point shouldn't matter much, but not everyone has made the same experience.

Some people, despite my best efforts to make the installation instructions for my software as streamlined and simple as possible, still encounter issues installing them.

Sometimes its an oversight, sometimes its a bad USB cable or a bad Micro SD card, and sometimes its something even I can't explain to myself that makes users go through a rougher time than they should have.

Up until now I've usually taken care of these cases directly, offering the affected users a 1:1 TeamViewer session to figure out whatever it is that's plaguing them together.

I've found that most of you were extremely appreciative of this, but we've reached a point where I'm spending a good chunk of my time doing 1:1 support that might be better spent working on projects.

To alleviate this issue a bit I've started training an intern who will, gradually, start taking over these 1:1 support session requests in my stead.

This process will be gradual, and I figure most of you will still be dealing with me directly when in need of direct support. (At least until our trainee can take care of most fringe cases.)

I will still be taking care of most 2nd level support issues myself, so I'm always in reach for those that need me.

And finally...

A moment of appreciation

I've never taken the support all of you have shown me for granted, but I feel like a reminder is in order every once in a while.

I am eternally grateful for the support all of you have shown in the past (and still do), and look forward to all the projects we've yet to achieve.

Let's hope it won't take another year to write the next newsletter. ;)

And as always, I'll keep you all posted!

- Black-Seraph