This is (in part) why Glowforge has stated that they will release open source firmware to address this concern. Just not at this time until they are happy with the source code they are using.
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âŚcoupled with the resonating fact that $2k invested in BTC in Sep2015 would be worth $34k today but I digress. I mean⌠who knew? 
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Glowforge and Dan have made it very clear that they will not give out this sort of information. In fact they hold almost all information back.
For those of you coming to the forum as a casual or even for the first time please understand that there have been ENDLESS discussions & arguments about this.
Most of us do not like it, but it is Danâs business, his choice to make. Those of us who have been participating in the forum for years do not bother even asking anymore⌠it is not a conspiracy of silence⌠almost everyone from the biggest Glowforge-cheerleaders to the most pessimistic purchasers would like to see some more transparency, but it is not going to happen except where and when Glowforge chooses.
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Definitely understood that Dan and GF has made it clear that they wonât share that information. But it doesnât negate the fact that we still want that information.
Oh, and yes, Iâve been on the forums for most of the past two years, and I just asked for it. I was hoping to give something that might be a bit more palatable to GF to consider answering. Giving a huge general ballpark idea of where in the queue we are could be permissible by the FNL and do something to help calm the masses a smidge. Itâs impossible for them to state that they are on unit 354 of 10,000 units, since new units are being made hopefully all-the-time at this point. But they might be able to say âwe are around 500 of 10,000 unitsâ* knowing that they are within 200 units of that number.
*the numbers that I used were fictitious numbers that I made up on the spot
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They must know how many they have dispatched, which is the only figure that matters.
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Iâm just saying that as soon as they say a specific number, that number will very quickly become wrong and it becomes a losing effort to âkeep us accurately informedâ.
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Totally agree with you, but the Glowforge FNL apparently came top of the class in their âNo News = Good Newsâ subject
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(Long time lurker, first time poster; hi!)
I sincerely hope that GF is not operating under your second assumption. The $4k my husband and I spent on our Pro unit was not money we could afford to âloseâ at the time we spent it (in fact we made the purchase on a credit card, and it took several months to pay that balance back off), and following my cancer diagnosis a year ago last August it has become even less so. Weâve been struggling to make our mortgage recently due to my being out of work during treatment (no sick leave for the self-employed).
But I guess I am definitely a dreamer. We bought the GF as an investment to grow our business in a new direction (because when your business is based on how many hours two people can work and bill clients for, there is an upper limit to growth unless you want to add employees, which we donât), and I still hope it will let us do that, turning our $4k investment into a supplemental income stream.
When I contemplate canceling in light of the thousands I now owe in medical bills⌠if I had that $4k back right now it wouldnât leave me in the clear. But if I ever get a GF I will be able to use it to begin generating extra income on an ongoing basis, which would help me dig out of the financial hole I now find myself in⌠over time the value of a GF operating in my studio would be worth more than the dollar amount I put into it, particularly since Iâd not receive any âinterestâ on having the money I allocated two years ago returned to me now.
THAT is why I stay. NOT because itâs money that doesnât matter to me or that I could comfortably write off. For some of us this was an investment that we sacrificed to obtain, and I guess I still hope that it will pay off better than a refund would.
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Welcome!
Sorry to hear about the diagnosis. I think you have a logical perspective on your situation.
For me the machine would allow more productivity - if I would stop watching it and get busy. 
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It will. Hang in.
Yes the delays are unfortunate, inconvenient, frustrating and even frightening. Like you, I own and operate a small business and the price for my pro was dear. It was a big risk and a scary choice, and I can not afford to lose that money (or time). With that said, I have seen and experienced what these machines can do, and I have interacted with GF staff and support enough to get a good sense of their values and integrity. Based on those two factors, I whole heartedly believe that it was a worthwhile investment and worth the (sometimes painful) wait.
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Welcome to the forum @myth. 
Your reasoning appears quite sound to me, and Iâm also very familiar with the sacrifices necessary to get a fledgling business onto itâs feet. I hope you get your machine very soon, and can start getting some income rolling in. I look forward to seeing some of your creations. 
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Thanks yâall! Weâve been sticking it out on the theory that some temporary discomfort will be worth the future payoff. Also, Iâm pretty stubborn.
We ordered on the first day, so I am becoming cautiously optimistic that perhaps weâll get our email in the next few weeks. But, Iâm also prepared for there to be another delay. I always say that Iâm a pessimist because at least this way Iâm never disappointed, and sometimes I get to be pleasantly surprised. 
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I made a poor word choice; I meant âdo withoutâ rather than âloseâ.
As I said in an earlier post, I feel somewhat bipolar with regard to GlowForge, suffering pendulum swings from anticipation to despair.
When I look at what can be done with the product, I can only describe it as market-changing.
When I look at the GlowForge track record to date, it is disheartening.
I am also a dreamer (Iâm still here arenât I). But that doesnât mean I donât look actually pay attention to the facts.
@Drea - itâs always good to hear from individuals that have had real interactions with GlowForge as an actual customer. Most of us only have these forums as a source to form an opinion on how GlowForge operates - and youâll have to admit that, while the vision is inspiring, the execution thus far has not been particularly stellar for anyone who has yet to receive their GlowForge.
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All they would have to say is âas of date XXX we have shipped XXX unitsâ or âas of date XXX we have shipped XXX% percent of ordersâ. Then the number does not become wrong.
I do not understand what âsecretsâ are being kept that limit the company from providing this information. I feel when information like this is hidden it is most likely masking a larger issue.
note, they were not shy about posting â$27,907,995 sold in 30 daysâ
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Itâs not a good sign that they still havenât got to everyone who ordered on the first day
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I am looking forward to the machine but donât expect by the holidays
Word on the street is the automatic alignment feature of the pass through slot doesnât even work. Any confirmation that is the case?
When you receive the shipping email for your personal units, you will be given a status update that lets you know what currently works and what is still under development for that model from a software standpoint.
You will have the opportunity at that time to either accept delivery with the understanding that some functionality might be incomplete at the time of delivery, or you can choose to defer the delivery until all functionality has been completed and tested.
Of course, everyone that I know of has taken the machine. 
(Whoop tornado warningâŚgotta scoot!)
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Tornados as well as a hurricane? You have it tough over there with dangerous weather, dangerous animals and having to pay for medical care if either of the aforementioned get you.
Makes me glad I live in a safer place, even if it does mean back of the queue for a GF.
Hereâs hoping you and any other Texan Glowforgers come through this unscathed.
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Thanks Chris. We always run the chance of associated tornadoes with a hurricane, so itâs just something to be aware of (they tend to be little bursts that donât usually flatten houses - short duration on the warnings - 15 minutes to half an hour - but you still want to get away from windows.)
Weâve been pretty lucky so far, but a lot of other folks are getting creamed, just a couple of miles away. Itâs a crap shoot whether a feeder band decides to park over the top of you or not.
This will go on for several days, so Iâm just keeping my fingers crossed that it gets better instead of worse.
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