Currently the downloads page lists several different versions and patches. This is great, but useless.

Please add to the downloads page downloads tables, a "Version in About" column, which contains the useful version number that Help | About reports (the only metric we have for measuring what is currently installed as end users).

I have heard mention of versions that are more recent than my own, but I am unsure which to download, and I don't want to screw up my PHPED install.

I currently am running 3.3.1 (3356) according to about box.

But I have heard that 3359 is available in a post about smarty code coloring?

One thing that is particularly frustrating about PHPED is how the website is designed.. It's not intuitive, and it hides useful information.

For instance, why on the downloads page is there not even a "The most current stable release of PHPED is: x.x.x" ?

This is common sense is it not? Stuff we who have purchased this software would like to know. We have to deal with the incredible annoying hassle of dealing through email activation of our software (which is a huge annoying frustration IMHO) as it is, so the least you could do is make our lives a little easier by giving us all the important things we USERS look for when we are trying to see if our favorite IDE has been updated since a month ago...

One way to eliminate all this upgrade confusion is to add a feature right into PHPED that can "Check for newer version" via the internet like alot of other programs can do, and provide a link if a new version exists that when clicked on:

1. Shows a dialog with a yes/no and a checkbox (which will always perform action) that states to the user "To update to the newest version requires exiting PHPED. If you have saved all of your files and are ready to upgrade click "yes" and we will close PHPED for you, and open your default browser to the download file url" (or something like that)

2. If user clicks "Always auto-close PHPED and download in the future" checkbox, setting is stored in PHPED like always, and can be reset/changed through settings/options in program.

3. If user clicks no, nothing happens.

4. If user clicks yes, PHPED checks to see if files are unsaved and have been modified. If they are, it asks "you have modified files that have not yet been saved. Save all modified files now? [Yes/No/Cancel Exit]...(handle however PHPED does) .. Then close PHPED, launch default browser (as configured in PHPED settings (for this anyway)) to the exact URL of the FILE of the new version -- where we can save or open as we desire.

Thanks ... As usual we are all in the dark about when the next version is due out (you work for us as we bought your software do you not? so shouldn't you have some form of accountability? not asking for a time clock but even a rough estimate and a post of your to-do-list for the next version would be wonderful that way we can offer constructive criticism and ideas that can improve the software over time on YOUR schedule -- a focused approach to a feature request system where your users (your source of income) help to make PHPED (with your loving guidance and expertise) the best IDE ever built)

You obviously already realize how important support and listening to the users is, you should take it further and really let is into your world and give us access to your plans for PHPED in a way that is easy to access and clearly visible on your unintuitive website.

The main reason I purchased PHPED over the competing IDEs is because it was the most robust turn-key solution, and when I posted messages on the forum I got a response from the original author, and much to my delight, in a minor patch upgrade a request of my own was implemented (F11 now works as it should have to begin with anyway), so I hope that this continues.

I should conclude by saying that this frustration and thus this lengthy lecture of a post, could have been avoided (saving you time), if some simple planning was put into your development process where the USER comes first. Stop thinking like a developer who has intimate involvement with the software and think like a stupid user such as myself, and you will be miles ahead of the competition.

Thanks for reading, I hope for a response.