Romantique Tp and commondenom - just a thought. Alexandre de Faria is relatively new to the forums in terms of number of posts. He may have “lurked around” quite a bit and gotten frustrated with what is perceived as a lack of Steinberg involvement. I would suggest that your antagonistic responses, while containing elements of truth, are of the nature that tends to drive people away.
I think it’s reasonable to expect that, if this is the sole official Steinberg community “place” where people can air their feature requests, challenges, etc., then Steinberg staff should be involved in the conversation. I can understand someone’s frustration that there isn’t a more responsive, ongoing dialogue. Steinberg staff do jump into to certain threads, but it’s not consistent timewise and there’s no way to anticipate whether something is being read/reviewed or not.
Many other software companies utilize a robust and dynamic user engagement process wherein staff (even developers themselves) invest time in conferring with users in a routine, planned way. In doing so, users feel validated and listened to, and the software companies gain ideas and understanding.
To say that asking for such a dynamic is like asking for “a babysitter” is, in my opinion, silly. And to suggest that Steinberg’s just the silent type, working and obviously delivering, and therefore don’t need to be involved in the forums, is in my opinion sidestepping the point the OP was making: People want to know their issues and suggestions are being heard, so that when they individually contribute, they’re not just wasting their time. Think about a personal relationship. Imagine if you asked a good friend to help you build an RC car, and he just stood there staring at you. You asked a couple more times, and he keeps staring. A year later, he shows up at your house with a nice hot-rodded RC car. A year later, you’ve already gone to the store and bought another RC car. He says, “Well, it’s ready now. You should have known I was working on it for you.” But you’d say, “OK, why didn’t you say anything then? Why not talk with me?” People can’t plan around what they don’t know.
Sure, does Steinberg listen and react (sometimes years later) to user requests. Sometimes they get directly involved in threads, and many times they don’t. But in most cases, the actual plan or progress is hidden behind vague statements regarding the future; there seems to be an adherence to not revealing what’s coming next. The individual, in the interim, often has no idea if the help or feature they need is even coming - or indeed if their individual messages have even been seen by Steinberg.
I’m a fan of Steinberg. While I disagree with the OP’s overall tone, I do find the basic suggestions reasonable. And attacking those who are simply asking for more involvement from Steinberg is likely to drive everyone but hardcore users away.