Earth to Pine64, please respond!

[MarkHaysHarris777]

Hi Mark, you do realize that even you, forum moderator and in close relationship with Pine64, are completely in the dark with us? That doesn't trouble you?

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Evan, there is no reason to be condescending. I'm not in the dark... I understand your situation perfectly, and I sympathize. I'm not the enemy you think I am... and I don't disagree with much of what you have to say--- only in some of "how" you have chosen to say it.  I certainly understand your predicament, and I certainly understand your frustration-- really  !

On the other hand, I am sure it will work out for the best all around (I genuinely mean this). It will all be good. I choose to be positive most of the time (I genuinely try) and I choose to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  Plus, my mind-set is different than most backers apparently... that does not mean I'm in the dark.  It just means I have a different set of expectations for a Start-up, than I would say for GMC, or IBM, or Northwest Airlines.

[EvanBeem]

Well Mark, I'm Dutch, therefore I am direct. I found it my turn to be a little condescending, merely to point out that you couldn't give me one straight answer to my questions, simply because you don't have the answers either.

My sincere apologies for that.

When you ask me to rephrase the issues in a more comfortable tone, I am going to disappoint you. I'm asking questions and I need to get some straight and helpful answers.

I thank you for agreeing with me on the contents of my questions, albeit not on my tone. Now how you suggest we get those answers?

Regards, Erwin

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[MarkHaysHarris777]

hi Erwin,

Have you tried sending tllim a polite PM and simply asking him what he could do to provide relief in this situation. He is a good man, and he has always responded to me (he does travel a lot, so be patient). Also, if you contact him please leave the 'Dutch' at home. Just be polite (no red upper case letters) and don't yell at him; be respectful and courteous. This is just common sense.

The other thing I can say (and I'm genuinely trying to be helpful here) contact your credit card company and have them correct the financial snag. Its free, its simple, and its immediate. I've done this lots of times, and it works.

I suspect that the shipping fiasco that TL Lim has been dealing with personally has also impacted their record keeping to some extent (don't know how much). They may not be able to back out the credit card snag themselves at this point.

You need to decide whether you re-order or not; or whether you just wait and be patient. Again, the very best way to get a straight answer is to send TL Lim a polite courteous cordial PM and ask him. He's a very nice guy, very honest, and he'll tell you the truth... that has always been my experience with him... but, don't yell at him...

[cyphergenetics]

Hi fellow backers!

I'm not quick to post something like this, but I really need to get this off my chest.

What the -bleep- is wrong with this project? What is wrong with Pine64?
Reading thru the threads there is a pattern emerging:

From a successful Kickstarter fundraiser (yes, I'm calling it that, by now ), it turned into something very doubtful.
It's awfully quiet from Pine64 themselves on how they are trying to solve the mess and that is never a good sign.

A quick resume: 
- successful backing: 1.7 mln; 
- late development of board; 
- late development add-ons like zwave; 
- completely overwhelmed logistics staff resulting in wrong or late deliveries; 
- wrong charges to credit cards; 
- issues with shippers because of regulations for shipping dangerous goods like lithium polymer batteries (duhh); 
- wrong ABS mold and thus: more delays; 
- incomplete and buggy software.

And to top this off the continuous whining of Pine64 staff about their email backlog, backer complaints and complete silence in the last month. 
Well...what a surprise that people are starting to lose confidence in this project and even become aggressive.

Myself, I'm still waiting on the battery, the enclosure and the Z-wave component AND I'm dealing with a double charge on my credit card by Pine64.
As I live on the other side of this planet, I'm not likely to come by the Pine64 office and have a quick word with their CEO on how to go about these things, but even I could teach them a few tricks on customer satisfaction, project management, R&D and shipping.

Nice, guys, nice. Now, where is your reassuring plan of action?  

Lol i feel your pain, considering usually kickstarter has always been overhyped but when the arrival and post success things start to fail. The wifi/be chip module is one of them alongside the lcd which doesn't even have a proper driver to work with and pine operating system downloads are all over the place with linkbacks. Sorry to say this but it's like a project run by a 12 year old. 

[MarkHaysHarris777]

   

The project seems to work for me;  debian on the left,  ubuntu on the right ! 

 ... both of them 64bit, 64Gb systems via gigabit switch with dual displays (hdmi &vnc) full gnu+linux suite of tools, thousands of apps , GPIO support , and green to boot--- on SLA solar power !

The way you guys are talking I suppose I should just turn it all off as a complete failure !   

   I have an idea ...  ignore the hype; use this system for what it CAN do and stop whining about what it can't do, and just be happy that for $29 dollars and change you can build a super computer on an index card capable of replacing your desktop personal computer (and a whole lot more).

[EvanBeem]

Hi Marcus and Cybergenetics!

I agree with you, partially: yes it is a small powerful unit and when you play ubuntu or debian on it, it works.
even RemixOS is not too bad and some Android versions even work. Loved the almost functional Android 7 attempt!
Buth then: so does a PI3. I know the comparison is not fair, but it's just to get the picture across.

This project is still some years away from having a supportive community of builders, hackers and modders.
The industry hasn't yet picked up on Pine64 in a noticeable way, at least not to us users.
All understandable, so give it time.

@cybergenetics: to get a project reach it's goal on Kickstarter, it's not uncommon to see promises being made that are hard to fulfill, but not everything is "overhyped".
I truly believe that the people of Pine64 believed they could do all this and keep it under control. And look what they have accomplished so far.

My original post was meant to sum it up, shake some people awake that I thought were in happy dreams land, and get some coordination started that I felt was lacking.
I honestly believed that Marcus was trying to do a kind of wack-a-mole by personally addressing every complaint that was uttered on the forum, even if he didn't have all the answers.
After a few PM's with him, I now believe that he is just an honest 100% believer in the positive and how it helps this project to overcome it's initial hickups.

In the mean time I'm still waiting for some parts of my pledge (playbox and z-wave), so I'm still not a happy puppy, but I'm convinced we'll get there.
So: not a failure. Not at all. Just not a project for the impatient people that expect things to work out of the box. Like me, but I'm learning to be patient.

Regards, Erwin

[EvanBeem]

Hi all,

I can say that this story is still continuing! Today, I received my playbox and a zwave module!
Playbox is very good in quality and in fit, but I can't figure out the way the battery is supposed to be secured.
LCD fits nicely and with the Android 5.1 it works AND has HDMI too.

Zwave, however was a US-model....mwah-mwah-mwaaahhhh!
So there my project to build an openhab installation halts yet again.

I shall end this post, respectfully, with the serenity prayer, as it fits my mood and I have finally accepted I cannot change this path:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

[EvanBeem]

Hi all,

This story has another funny chapter added to it. 

Today I received a tracking number and a parcel that should have contained the right (EU) zwave module.
Should is the operative word, since it contained all the right labels and texts, but no zwave module.
Inside was a brand new power adapter...with US pins, so not too useful for me (as being a certified EU-citizen) 

I expect another delivery will arrive in a month, bang on time for Christmas, since I've already contacted support about this mishap.
Suppose they will be a little flustered, by now. But no bad feelings, because this is a kickstarter development, so we new what we were getting into.

The downside is that I lost a client over this that would have loved the custom-built Zwave solution we had designed on a Pine64.
He did loose his patience and went to another supplier, but hey, that's only business and money.....who cares, right? We're having fun, so far!

I'm just burning with curiousity what wil be in the next shipment!! I'll let you know when it gets here.

See ya!

[papsnoek]

Hi EvanBeem,

I am in the same boat as you, just my story is that 5 months down the road, I am still waiting for half of my order to arrive. I have read your tread from start to finish and I have to agree with you. This "Project/Hooby" is being run by a bunch of 12 year olds.

They did the exact same thing to me... when you bring up the issue, they tell you 10 different stories as to why everything has happened, but no solutions. Each time they give a "Sincere apology" (Sarcastic) and tell you they are going to sort this out. To as per every other thread I have ready, nothing ever happens.

I really enjoy your sarcasm in your post. It at least makes me smile and gives me something interesting to read on these forums as nothing else raelly works here, and it seems neither do the developers at Pine64 work either as I have seen no development from them.

I guess The Hype Hit, Pine64 took everyone's Money and now they are just happily sending out random packages of surprises to everyone

[EvanBeem]

Hi EvanBeem,

I am in the same boat as you, just my story is that 5 months down the road, I am still waiting for half of my order to arrive. I have read your tread from start to finish and I have to agree with you. This "Project/Hooby" is being run by a bunch of 12 year olds.

They did the exact same thing to me... when you bring up the issue, they tell you 10 different stories as to why everything has happened, but no solutions. Each time they give a "Sincere apology" (Sarcastic) and tell you they are going to sort this out. To as per every other thread I have ready, nothing ever happens.

I really enjoy your sarcasm in your post. It at least makes me smile and gives me something interesting to read on these forums as nothing else raelly works here, and it seems neither do the developers at Pine64 work either as I have seen no development from them.

I guess The Hype Hit, Pine64 took everyone's Money and now they are just happily sending out random packages of surprises to everyone [emoji14]

Hi Papsnoek,

I'm not sure what's happening with Pine64, right now. Tllim said that they had a solid support system setup, but when I read the other posts on shipping, there is more evidence of the opposite.

Same is true for development. It appears to be slowing down.

There may be a lot of truth in your guess that the hype is over and the bubble is deflating.

As for my sarcasm: I do wonder what goes on in the logistics department in China. Just have a neat Scotch and try to imagine how a treacherously simple order like a European zwave module gets lost in translation and ends up as a US power adapter on my doorstep.
There must be a story in there worth telling. Even food for a good stand up comedy?

Anyway, my sarcasm is targeting the system, not the people. I'm not sure it accomplished anything in the system, but at least I made a few people grin. That's already worth the effort.

Perhaps Santa [FATHER CHRISTMAS] has the rest of your stuff aboard. Let's hope the elfs that packed the sled got the order right. Not sure if there are any Chinese elfs.

Anyway : happy [emoji268] [emoji301] [emoji268] holidays!