Editing 2010: Update Notes

In this comic, Randall and his friend are using release notes of their {{w|Mobile application|app}}s as a form of chat service, instead of actual software change information. He says this is possible because the two apps are no longer being maintained, so theoretically, there are not many people using the app who would read the update / change notes. Incidentally, one can still argue that the chat is still technically update notes, only instead of updating users on what has changed about an app, it is now giving Randall and his friend status "updates".

 

This comic has a similar theme as [[1305: Undocumented Feature]] both use old software forums as a chat application.

On the "stars" app, the last "actual" notes says "Introduced bugs and degraded performance". This is a very common change when new features are added, however, developers will normally describe what the new features are rather than just state the negative consequences. It goes in contrast with the typical change note "fixed bugs and improved performance" that usually follows.

The title text says that Randall, who is at the beach, has left his {{w|sunscreen}} in his car, but that the {{w|Trunk (car)|trunk}} (a pun with the name of the main software development branch in SVN) is unlocked, for whoever is still reading the updates for this app. This may invite the attention of thieves, who are now informed that Randall's trunk is unlocked.  However they may not know what city Randall lives in, and conversely readers of the release notes could be anywhere in the world so most are probably not in a position to physically make contact with Randall's car.

 

This comic could also be poking fun at the non-descriptive updates many popular apps post in the "What's new" or change log. One example of this would be the Uber app stating "We update the app as often as possible" as a "new" feature every update. Apple recently changed AppStore guidelines[https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata] to require clear descriptions of new features and product changes, effectively putting an end to the problem Randall is highlighting.

 

Realistically, even if it were permitted, this would be a rather slow form of communication, especially on platforms such as Apple’s App Store, where Randall and his friend would need to wait from a few hours to a few days for their app to be manually reviewed for each “update”.

:["Updates" is written in uppercase at the top. The first app's icon is an "A" symbol. Next to it, there is the following information:]

:[The app name is a scribble]

:["Updates" is written in uppercase at the top. The second app's icon consists of three stars arranged in a triangle. Next to it, there is:]

:[The app name is a scribble followed by two stars in parentheses]

:It peaks August 12-13^th.

:Introduced bugs and degraded performance[.]