I am pausing all work on Rapid Photo Downloader for some time, as well as my participation in this forum. I will take time to reassess what ends I am serving with Rapid Photo Downloader, and how they should best be met. How long this will take I cannot say at the moment. I imagine it is likely to be months rather than weeks.
For those who require support on using the program, or have suggestions to improve it, I will not be responding during this time. Sorry about that. I hope that others will be able to offer their expertise and time.
I am sorry to see you going. FWIW, I don’t like the way you have been attacked on that thread (regardless of the actual technical discussion, on which I have no interest, so I will not comment). This place used to be better.
While I don’t use Rapid Photo Downloader I am very sorry to see you go. All I can say is that you are leaving with your head held high and the knowledge that you were right,
Oh man, I just started using RPD and organizing my files with it yesterday and now this happens already on the day 2.
I just want to tell you that I’d really miss RPD, even more because I just started using it and I immediately saw how indispensable tool RPD is. I don’t believe I wanna go back now to not using it.
I guess there are things that can be done. Unlikely but maybe even IPTC standard can be changed.
I believe tho that the reason you aren’t being understood is because people just aren’t using xmp for crafting good metadata in foss software because there is nothing to craft on if you don’t have a good metadata editor. So users are just not familiar with what you’re saying. I know I wasn’t but a google search and one YouTube video later I completely understood where you’re coming from and the need for interoperability which is very very real.
Also I would be remiss not to say that perhaps with the current Covid-19 situation people may be a little bit on edge and it’s too easy to forget about manners and other’s feelings in this written form. I’m sure that the yesterdays discussion would had a much different result if it happened face to face but there you go. We have to recognize that mistakes were made and hope for the better treatment and more understanding and tolerance in the future.
On a personal note, I think you raised a very valid point yesterday and I think we’re missing out. And now we will miss out big time, especially if you decide not to come back. So calm down first before making such decision. Or better yet, don’t make such a decision.
I’ll just end with; Don’t worry man, it’ll get sorted. Take some time off but than come back to us. This is not a hill to die over or even loose sleep over. We might have forgotten it for a second on the yesterdays thread but we’re all still gentleman and gentlewomen here after all and we will seek to improve and be better in the future. And that future MUST and will include you and RPD.
I’m sad to hear that the tone of conversation on the referenced thread caused you to feel the need for a hiatus.
Having said that, RPD does its job very well indeed, and is probably better able to withstand a gap in support than most packages. I see no glaring defects or deficiencies.
Take care, and hopefully you find your way back here refreshed.
While I don’t use RPD, I would if I cared about the features it covers. (I.e. I don’t append custom metadata.) Looks like a solid piece of software that you have sunk lots of time into to create and develop. Will be missing yet another contributor. All the best (even if you don’t manage to read this comment anytime soon.)
I am really sad to read this, RPD is an incredibly useful piece of software that I use regularly.
I hope a compromise is possible so that people can treat metadata in different ways according to their needs (and maybe even change their opinion once new options are available, see for example the huge debate of Xorg vs wayland and how wayland is slowly but surely consolidating itself as the future of display servers for linux; fundamental changes might take time and that’s ok, only time will decide what works and what does not).
I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your fantastic work.
And please note that active members on this forum are just a tiny fraction of readers, and readers are a tiny fraction of the total users who find value and regularly use RPD (making their lives easier). In fact I am creating this account just to write this message, after a long time of silently reading and even longer as just a happy user of RPD.
This is such sad news Damon.
I’ve used RPD for years and when Pat set up this site he asked for software that should be featured, I can proudly say I that RPD was one of the three that I suggested.
I’ve always been impressed by your quick responses to any queries.
So I would like to thank you for all you have done and wish you well in all your endeavours, and hope you come back for all the silent users of your software.
Take care.
Keith.
That a huge shame! Lets hope you find he energy and interest go come back. Rapid Photo Downloader is a very important part of the floss photo workflow.
Going back to read your first post of that thread it sure is depressing how such a positive and forward looking initiative could get bogged down with nonsense and hostility.
I hope my numerous posts didn’t make the critics of .xmp and the standard seem more numerous and aggressive than they are. Although no one was particularly supportive of your initiative many people stayed out or had probing questions rather than hostility.
Lets hope you and your contacts in the metadata community will be back!
Perhaps you could start a thread and link to the info you found useful and in time more people will come to understand the issue better. As you say it’s clear that many on pixls are under informed on metadata and the whole system of software and organisations that support it.
Thanks a lot for your past contributions.
I am mostly a Windows user therefore I have never used Rapid Photo Downloader, however, I do appreciat your efforts (really!)
As regards the photo metadata thread, I have read it with great interest. In all truth, I have never investigated the IPTC standard and your message has been instrumental for discovering it (thanks a lot again!).
Take your time: with the Covid flu we are all forced to stay at home, quite often in front of our computers, and it is vital to do something else once in a while.
Indeed, @darix locked the thread to cool it off and I didn’t want to revive it there, but am happy to say here that I hope you don’t let this put you off the incredible body of work you’ve put out and your positive engagement with the community for so long.
Too often meaning and nuance of conversation might be lost or misconstrued in these types of interactions (textual forums) and it can be draining. I’m very sorry for your frustration and will post something soon to remind the community at large about civility and good-faith efforts to discuss things we may not agree on.
Please be well and I hope you’ll find your way back to RPD and us. You are always welcome here as valued maintainer of an amazing project.
Hi @damonlynch, I am very sad for this.
Like @mlaverdiere I think RPD is an important step of the FOSS photography ecosystem.
I really like RPD and I use it regularly to download photos and videos.
I understand you got depressed because of the thread, but believe me your contribution cannot be questioned.
See you soon
