Just an update as you’re all being fabulously patient. We’ve already posted once about the release delays, but I’d like to expand on that a little bit.
What’s going on with the Beta 5?
Essentially: scope creep. In a nutshell, we worked on the beta testing of the auto-login and some bug fixing with Safari’s handling of the scramble password function. We scheduled in some backend work and a few new features and we announced the upcoming Beta5.
Then the surprises started happening. First, we needed to resolve some anonymous encryption issues. This caused our first scope creep – we needed to add a system for bringing previous users up to date, add a series of activation screens for email confirmation, and handle the changes to the architecture.
Next up: extending the backend. We’d planned for a few improvements now, then following Beta5, a pause in the release schedule to continue that work. However as we worked on Beta5, the need for those changes became more pressing.
Nonetheless, we were undecided about whether or not to upgrade the backend for Beta5 (which would cause delays) or to wait.
A spike in new users sign ups (due to some press) pushed us to make the decision: the upgrades were to be made as part of Beta5, and we’d hold silent in the media to slow growth.
Mix in the planned updates that got pushed back and … voilà. We’ve got ample delays.
How we’re going to handle this now
We’re reducing the number of features that are going to be released, as many of them still need interface work done. We’re doing this in an effort to get the auto-login feature out there as soon as possible.
Here’s the breakdown of what will be released:
- Auto-login tool (with Host-Proof Hosting)
- Go There straight from your list
- Rapid Access Login (“remember me”)
- Pass Strength Tester
- Improved sign up
- Faster Backup and Restore (restore in Firefox only)
- Account Activation via Email Confirmation
- Extended the backend considerably
- Upgrade algorithms (AES-256 and SHA-256) – New
- Improved printing screens (no popups) – New
- Edit your tags - New
- Choose number of rows - New
The following will be integrated after the initial release:
- Faster Restore (for remaining browsers)
- Improved Import (with Roboform support)
- Improved Export (with tags)
- Printing (with tags)
- Two factor authentication
- Improved inline help – New
- OpenID integration – New
A screenshot…
So when?
Sorry, I’ve learned my lesson – we’re not posting any more dates until I have seen the Beta 5 online and working with my own eyes. No worries though – you can’t miss it since you’re account will be automatically updated.
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