Call to action for Language Reactor — time to move from maintenance to momentum
2021. That’s when the above claim to Amazon Prime being added to the roadmap post was published. Not a metaphor — an actual year. Four years later, the wait still feels endless. I’m writing because I believe in Language Reactor (LR) — I want it to thrive. That’s why this is blunt: LR needs a major push now, not later.
I’m not trying to incite a war with the competition, but the market is moving fast. New tools, like FluentAI, have studied what LR did well, refined the rough edges, and moved quickly into beta. They run in Chrome and Firefox and — critically — they support the streaming sites LR users have been asking for: Disney+ and Amazon Prime. Those aren’t niche requests; they’re table stakes for subtitle-driven language tools today.
Just look at FluentAI’s supported sites below - now that’s nice.
I’m not saying we should “jump ship.” What I am saying is this: we should demand LR add the high-impact features the community has asked for — and fast.
What’s gone wrong (and why it matters)
- Competitors are shipping fast. FluentAI’s roadmap is clear, prioritized, and public. They’ve focused on multi-site support and shipped features people want.
- Feature confusion hurts perception. Some competitor comparisons claim LR lacks features LR already has (vocab tracking is one example). Whether intentional or ignorant, that creates bad optics. Clear public docs would fix this.
- The obvious big-win: support for Amazon Prime (and similar major sites) is repeatedly requested. Adding it would be a quick, high-impact win that would reduce churn.
- Roadmap silence = frustrated users. The LR roadmap/forum hasn’t seen meaningful updates; by contrast, competitors show short-term milestones and progress. Community trust grows from visible motion and regular communication.
Concrete, prioritized requests — what LR should do now
- Publish an updated, prioritized roadmap (with realistic milestones). A living roadmap that shows short-term (30–90 day) goals and quarterly objectives — not a vague list.
- Make Amazon Prime/site coverage a near-term priority. This is one of the highest-impact asks from the community. Put it on the roadmap and give a clear status (researching / in development / blocked / ETA).
- Fix public-facing documentation and the feature list. Make it trivial for reviewers and new users to verify what LR already does (e.g., vocab tracking, exports).
- Increase transparency and cadence. Monthly developer updates, concise release notes, or a public changelog would rebuild trust. Even small, honest updates (“blocked by X, resourcing Y”) are better than silence.
- Mobilize the community as partners. Consider a public beta program, volunteer testers, or selective open contributions to accelerate development without sacrificing quality.
- Protect LR’s value/pricing position. LR’s lower price is a strength. Use that to justify investment in development while preserving accessibility for learners.
Compare FluentAI’s clean, public roadmap to LR’s forum thread (the roadmap thread hasn’t had a major update since 2020). We deserve the same clarity and momentum.
