Wow now that is a nice interface

This feature request definitely doesn't get my vote, we now have 14+ ReadyNAS's in the field and we've not used FrontView for well over a year. It's actually the very first thing we completely strip out of the NAS before we ship it to our clients.

We developed our own automated configuration tools, so NetGear spending any time and money to spruce up the interface will get heavy criticism from my camp @ The Mac Experts. There are many more important aspects for them to concentrate on, as these devices are really a Prosumer/Business device and not targeted for Mum and Pop. Yes, the interface should "work" and any show-stoppers should be fixed immediately but this is a device that favours function over form.

Honestly, if Netgear focused their attention on a pretty interface I would likely start evaluating other manufactures products as Netgear focus would have seriously shifted.

P.S. Some of the examples of a "nice" interface in here are horrible, sure they "look" pretty but some of us do work over slow links, text consoles and GSM connections.

michaelp wrote:
Honestly, if Netgear focused their attention on a pretty interface I would likely start evaluating other manufactures products as Netgear focus would have seriously shifted.

I think you are getting confused about the definition of design. Design is as much about how something works as well as how it looks.

Frontview uses very outdated frames and seems to conform to small resolutions.

stinhambo wrote:
I think you are getting confused about the definition of design. Design is as much about how something works as well as how it looks. Frontview uses very outdated frames and seems to conform to small resolutions.

Admittedly it's been well over a year since I last used FrontView, as we remove it from our devices and use our own CLI configuration tools. Given that things can be so easily modified and extended, why doesn't someone just put there hand up and write a better interface?

michaelp wrote:

stinhambo wrote: I think you are getting confused about the definition of design. Design is as much about how something works as well as how it looks. Frontview uses very outdated frames and seems to conform to small resolutions. Admittedly it's been well over a year since I last used FrontView, as we remove it from our devices and use our own CLI configuration tools. Given that things can be so easily modified and extended, why doesn't someone just put there hand up and write a better interface?

Because we're not paid to for a start.

I couldn't agree more with "ksaraf" Netgear is such a big name but it's falling behind it's processors in storage, i still can't believe they are calling the Ultra range new, it's the old stuff recycled "a CPU change WOW". Other companies are pulling people in with more features and benefits that netgear can't offer, i will be selling my pro and moving to Synology can anyone tell me what the Readynas has to offer that the Synology DS1511+ doesn't? Don't say Orb because the pro can't decode 720p HD only standard def, and it's only a matter of time before Synology/ other companies have this feature

For me it's warranty. I'm disappointed that eSATA or USB 3 isn't featured although I'm not privy to any technical limitations on why this hasn't happened.

michaelp wrote:

stinhambo wrote: I think you are getting confused about the definition of design. Design is as much about how something works as well as how it looks. Frontview uses very outdated frames and seems to conform to small resolutions. Admittedly it's been well over a year since I last used FrontView, as we remove it from our devices and use our own CLI configuration tools. Given that things can be so easily modified and extended, why doesn't someone just put there hand up and write a better interface?

Any chance that CLI interface could be made into a package? For those of us used to things like IOS (no, not the PodOS), a decent CLI would be a vast improvement, especially if stripping out the http junk would mean faster iSCSI, etc.

//Svein

stinhambo wrote:

michaelp wrote: stinhambo wrote: I think you are getting confused about the definition of design. Design is as much about how something works as well as how it looks. Frontview uses very outdated frames and seems to conform to small resolutions. Admittedly it's been well over a year since I last used FrontView, as we remove it from our devices and use our own CLI configuration tools. Given that things can be so easily modified and extended, why doesn't someone just put there hand up and write a better interface? Because we're not paid to for a start.

if we all act like this , then you never saw a community add-ons section and I should stop working on such things :P

From a "Prosumer" perspective, Frontview IS outdated, both in FUNCTIONALITY (feedback, settings validation, etc.) and USABILITY (look and feel, speed, mobile device browser access like Android and iPhone/iPad, etc.) when compared to the Synology DSM3.1 control panel. Using 1920x1080 monitor it seems silly to have to use little scroll bars inside 1/6 of my screen to control Frontview. The in-frame scroll bars render Frontview unusable on a 480x800 HTC Android phone screen (size is not the issue - the embedded scroll bars do not render and are not usable). The Synology UI demo is clear, easy to understand and use, and fast on my laptop. The Synology UI demo also runs on my Android phone's browser - faster than Frontview. Synology still needs some tuning for full usability on the mobile browser, but it's no worse than Frontview on that score - they both fail.

Netgear makes some outstanding ReadyNASes. But the competition is keeping pace and getting ahead in some areas. If the lesson of the iPhone and iPad has taught us nothing else, usability and user experience DO MATTER. They may not be everyone's top priority, but when evaluating comparable products from different manufacturers, most people would go with the easier-to-use device. I still use a CLI once in a while, but only if I have to. Other than for script automation (which I don't use), why should I have to remember syntax when an elegant, intuitive UI will let me accomplish the same thing? I don't think updating the functionality and design of the Frontview UI would signal Netgear is focusing on the wrong things (as previous posts suggest) - just a balance of better user experience with excellent technical functionality and performance.

In this consumer-driven economy, why can't Netgear make the best performing NASes with the richest feature set and the easiest usability? If you want to be #1 in the marketplace, you have to act like it.

Looking forward to RAIDiator 5.x...

- nk

+100