EllisLab: Numbers, Ponies and Beta Progress

The ExpressionEngine private beta has been moving forward for several months. While we can’t reveal any details, we can talk about how it’s going. I asked Leslie Camacho, trusted leader by day/crimefighter by night, if he could give update us with some statistics and interesting facts. Leslie was generous enough to ask each team member for their input!

Derek Jones:

• Bugs in tracker: 43
• Squashed: 147
• Internally, that count is doubled (non user-reported bugs)
• Emails: anywhere from a dozen to a high of over 200 emails per day.  Average is in the 20s.  These figures do not count forum notifications or emails with staff.
• Hours lost to sleep: What’s sleep?

Another tidbit is that Derek Allard and Derek Jones (or D^2 as their late 90s boy-band used to be called) edit each other’s haiku code comments.

Derek Allard:

• Bugs: There have been very few critical or even major bugs, with most being “this link is broken” type things (at least in the early stages).
• Number of Emails per day: Average probably 10 between CI and EE.
• Number of times I have threatened to quit: 0.
• Number of times I have had to walk away from EE, or hit a conference of vaction: 6

In general, Derek A. feels that they’re “at the end of a process”, which is a great sign for all of us. There is also “at least 1 Easter egg is the result of me making an off-handed comment, followed by Jones saying ‘yeah, do it!.’”

He also left this note:

Number of times Pascal and Allard have grumbled at the US’s shocking lack of national holidays? 4.

As well as healthcare reform, there is an even greater need for more public holidays.

Pascal Kriete:

• Number of ponies in 2.0: Currently at 2 (both clicktracking) plus a robot. I’m told that’s 17% more than last build…
• Hours lost TO sleep? Around 6/day. Didn’t know sleep counts as lost hours… (ed. That’s the viscious tyranny of Gustapo Camacho for you).
• Other stats/tidbits: 200k more lines of code (5333370 compared to 339973 in 1.6)

Robin Sowell has different figures she’s tracking then most:

The first thing to check when the TV Guide site refuses to show the show synopsis for more than half a second?  That you have not turned off caching while testing something else.

The first thing to check when you go to post on the EE board and the submit button doesn’t seem to work?  Your key pressing technique.  Obviously it’s defective.  You should push the button REAL HARD at least 10-20 times.

The second thing to check when you go to post on the EE board and the submit button doesn’t seem to work?  That you have not turned javascript off while testing something else.

I have also had my cultural horizons expanded working on 2.0 w/Pascal.  I learned it’s hot where he is and they don’t have oreos or Hulu access.  I forget WHERE exactly he lives, but assume it is one of the lower levels of hell.

From DA I have learned a fine appreciation of killer robot art and javascript animation.  And from DJ… I have been exposed to “The Legend of Old Gregg”.  Literally.  Shudders.

Lastly- as to the number of ponies in 2.0?  NOT ENOUGH!  NEEDS MOAR PONIES!  And not the horrible, evil, mutant js ones Pascal creates to torment me.

...and finally, el jeffe, Mr. Camacho:

• Number of Emails per day: Easily 50-70 on a slow day, though the number I need to respond to varies from 20-30. On days where we post 2.0 progress updates the number usually sky rockets to 200+.
• Significant improvements made: Aside from 2.0 itself, over the last year we’ve upgraded EllisLab to version 2.0. Its the same spirit, attitude, and talent, but now with some much needed non-startup like structure.
• Number of ponies in 2.0: Just enough to keep Robin sufficiently entertained.
• Number of times Pascal has refused to legally change his name to Derek: At least 78.
• Number of times Kenny Meyers got rejected from the beta program: Who is Kenny and why does he keep emailing us? Banned!

Ouch. That stings. It’s OK Leslie, I’ve always been more of a Wordpress kind-of-guy.

Leslie, in closing, left this note:

Number of times Ingmar, Sue, John, and Greg saved our collective butts with their insane testing skills: I lost track so let’s just say “a lot” and give them a round of applause.

The ExpressionEngine support team is one of the best around. We tip our hats to them as well.

Progress

A great sign of progress is that they still have a sense of humor about themselves and the project. No sign of Rick Ellis though, but chances are he’s hovering in the background looking like he can kick your ass (he’s a big dude). Invisible hand, indeed.

Thanks to Leslie for putting this together, and to EllisLab for being generous with their time and attention.