Hi @dan,
things seems to have gone a little quiet on the update front. Although it’s totally possible I missed something 
However, I wondered if you could let us know what the current state of play is? Will you be okay for December shipping? etc
Even if that update is just as simple as, ‘Everything is okay’, it would be nice to hear something from you.
I have been wondering the same thing for a couple of days.
A new update on the status would be good at this point.
The “Latest Schedule Updates” at the top of the page is “always current” which has been stated many times. If there were a change to either improve or degrade the schedule it would show up there. In other words, nothing has changed and everything is on schedule.
I’m aware of the policy re latest schedule updates. However, it is nice to hear from the ‘powers that be’ occasionally to set minds at rest… especially mine
It would be nice to know a little bit more about progress etc and to have the deadline reiterated.
Every 40-60 days. And the answer is the same every time.
This is an old fashioned “No news is good news” company that doesn’t conform to today’s instant now culture. As @dan has put it: He’d rather be working on the Glowforge than taking time to tell us about it.
Except I think it has been a lot longer since anything has been officially said (100 days ish). I mean, I don’t expect instant updates but a small, “everything is okay” once a month isn’t going to cause to much hassle is it?
Besides software development I would guess they are running qualification testing on the new power supplies, possibly in combination with the laser tubes (those should be pretty well vetted now with maybe a long term stress test ongoing…say 10k hours+). Not sure on the requirements on high voltages supplies, but suspect some of the tests will run a few thousand hours…allow for a fix and rerun of the tests and you easily add a few months (never plan on the first revision to be perfect…).
I’d rather have everybody involved maintaining focus on getting the product out than having to have someone remember that once a month/week/day to stop what they are doing, come to the forums, and generate a new post to essentially say “nothing new to report.” It’s just a waste of time, energy, and focus. Then if they forget one update the whole community goes crazy with speculation that the world is ending… no thanks. No news is good news and I’m absolutely fine with that.
If the “Latest Schedule Updates” doesn’t change, then all is well and there is nothing to report. If it does change, either good or bad, then I’m sure there will be some statement as to why. The whole reason to have the box at the top of every page is to set everyone’s mind at ease as to what the current schedule is.
@dan has already done an amazing job being in the forums and interacting with Glowforge customers. I have no doubt the lack of updates to the updates thread is purely due to there being nothing big to announce. Things aren’t ahead things aren’t behind it’s just as it should be.
I understand the worry and stress that you ordered a product that wasn’t developed and now it’s set behind, but the bar has been set pretty low. They have 6 months to take a machine that has been to several maker faires, has at least one beta out, an unkown number of potential secret beta systems and get it shipped to us.
you can look at http://community.glowforge.com/users/dan/summary
2000 posts created not sure if that includes replies.
And if it really is too stressful or if you don’t think they can deliver what you need when you need it, they aren’t holding anyone’s money hostage. Get your money back, bet on horses, put it in the bank, bring it back when it’s not pre-order and you can still have a glowforge, Or laugh at us if you want for it not coming through if it doesn’t.
I’ve gotten a bit far afield but in short there’s new information out there should you want news. Just nothing hugely noteworthy like for the updated topic.
I think an update is due. We havent heard anything new in quite a while. The whole “id rather them be working than typing on a forum to give us an update” mentality is incredibly flawed. There are plenty of employee posts on the forums completely unrelated to the development of the product that we all paid and have been waiting for for quite some time. It is trivial at best for someone to let us know what has been going on in the past X amount of days and what progress has been made. If typing up a forum post is ‘slowing down development’ then they obviously have a major bandwidth issue and we should have a lot more concern.
I personally prioritize ALL other posts, especially that of the glowforge side ventures like the design catalog and proofgrade far behind development updates. Without a glowforge those other things are completely useless to me, and they played no role in my ordering of the glowforge to begin with.
If all the employees gave us in the forums were development updates along with photos/examples of what they have been doing with it, and what new features are finally working, that is all I would need from them. I hope they do update us soon, because we still have a good 5 months of waiting left, and that was less than we were supposed to have upon initial order of the unit.
p.s. it took me 3 minutes to type this post. I dont think that amount of time is a concern for slowing down development.
I think it’s worth keeping some perspective. I’m just asking for an update on progress. “How’s it going?” kinda thing. A monthly update would be nice but not needed. Just something reassuring at this juncture.
I would add that until recently I think @dan has done a great job with his comments and posts. Most forum members would agree I’m sure. But it does feel like, just recently, things have gone a little quiet. I guess the silence is a little disconcerting. It might be because they are incredibly busy (which is great) and hopefully someone can step forward and say that.
Totally agree. Honestly if you can’t type even a monthly update because you are that crunched, then you are grossly understaffed or in crisis mode due a catastrophic design/supply issue. 5 minutes/month is not much to ask. And it doesn’t have to be deep, it can be everything is on track, and highlight some things folks internally made or externally. Or whatever, but make it part of a reassuring post letting folks know that things as they stand now are on track (or not). We all realize that things can change, but that’s where regular updates help in that we know.
I think their recent Makerfaire was a rather big update on things working etc.
Videos of it in actions, pictures etc. What else do you guys want?
I think we have gotten ‘updates’ with out them being updates. such as some of the things that have been on the boards such as all the exposure at the most recent faire as well as some of the cutting of owners files as well as suddle hits that gf’s are being brought home for the weekends etc… ulitimilty what does updates really get us other then to feed the horde, it doesn’t actually make the project arrive faster
I agree with you. Just staying in touch occasionally and showing us various stuff that been made seems update enough to me. But then I know there are many besides myself that are much more anxious about getting the latest and greatest. I can understand that…I just can’t identify with it. My money has been missing now for like 9 months ( I know where it is and that I can get it back if I wish) and since I’ve never in my life purchased anything like what the Glowforge promises to be, being overly anxious is not part of the equation. Looking forward with a degree of excitement is, but not being so anxious that I allow it to bother me.
Well first off, updates pertaining about the very thing that initiated the delay in the first place.
Secondly, Are we still on track for the new launch date. And a lot more. But off the many things I’d like to know- the two listed are the most pertinent pieces of information i’d like to know about.
No changes to report. I’m happy to repeat that as often as people like. 
Posting capital-U “Updates”, though, regardless of content, consumes many hours of my & our team’s time responding to the resulting flood of emails, direct messages, tweets, forum posts, and the like, so I only do that when we have important news to report. Otherwise, I post details in various threads, where you all awesome people hang out - the awesome people who (we’ve seen time and again) respond thoughtfully, in the forum where others can learn from the conversation.
I certainly don’t expect direct responses from Dan all the time. My question is what happened to @madebynick? It was pretty comforting just to see him make stuff and know it came of a GF. Even if he had a thread where he wouldn’t answer questions. Just the demonstration would have a calming effect on the masses. It was certainly noticeable after you made a couple of the cars from @polarbrainfreeze.
Thanks @dan
It may be silly to some but just having you say that is reassuring. Also, very interesting info on the subject of updates and why it eats the time of your staff. From our side of the fence it is difficult to see that stuff.
Having said that, I look forward to the next “capital-U Update”. Hopefully it will bring good news.
I have benefitted so much from this long discussion about communication and transparency. As someone who works for an institution whose leadership is largely opaque to its customers, I am caught in this quandary frequently. There are many reasons to keep decision making and status from the public. Much of it in the name of institutional honor, but most of it is simply because of the cognitive dissonance that results when bad news is shared. I do get distracted from the mission at times stewing over responses to criticisms. It causes me to second guess and delay because I’m always thinking about people’s reactions. As much as collaboration is key to innovation, if I am going to get a project done, I need a huge chunk of interrupted time.
I think that is why musicians, stage actors, and athletes are special. They perform in front of the public completely exposed.
I’ll leave with this thought about “the people’s historian” Howard Zinn. He was pretty convinced that institutional change happened mainly because of social unrest. I can understand why his work gets viewed with such suspicion. I think the evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium by Gould and Eldridge is a better metaphor. Change happens suddenly when a liminal population is under some type of stress. Otherwise it’s business as usual.