| User review:
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I think it is time we stop giving Jérôme Martinez a free pass under the "it’s free software" mantle. We need to talk about the elephant in the room: the fact that basic UI features—like a resizable window that remembers its position—have been requested since 2007 and remain ignored.
In any other project, a 20-year delay for a standard Windows feature would be a joke. Here, it’s a deliberate strategy. Every time a user brings this up, the response is a scripted: "It’s not a priority; if you want it, pay for it or wait in line." Let’s be real: a 20-year-old line isn't a queue; it’s a middle finger.
The "Submit a Patch" Fallacy The common defense is: "It's open source, fix it yourself and submit a PR." This is a disingenuous argument when dealing with a functional monopoly. MediaInfo is the de facto industry standard. Martinez knows that the power lies in the library, and by keeping the GUI intentionally crippled and archaic, he is effectively holding the user experience hostage.
Market Filter or Extortion? There is a thin line between prioritizing paid features and using a monopoly to extort users. When you refuse to implement basic OS standards that have been universal for decades—unless someone writes a check—you aren't "managing a project"; you are degrading the software on purpose to force a payout.
It is a cynical business model:
Become the indispensable standard.
Refuse to fix basic, low-effort usability issues.
Use the resulting frustration as a sales tool for "custom development."
We should stop calling this "the reality of FOSS development" and start calling it what it is: an abuse of position. If the developer cares so little about the thousands of users who made his tool a standard, perhaps it's time the community starts looking seriously at forks or alternatives that don't treat basic usability as a premium ransom. |
