Topic: V4

[davidc]

OK
I had to ask - there is talk of this being due in early September?
 :-o

[mrakomor]

So if I understand it well if I want bugs to be repaired I have to pay again and again....

[davidc]

It is begining to look that way.
We now have "forerunner"

Upgrade discounts are all very well, but I must restate my preference for a subscription 'model'
I quite happily pay 25%/year subs for my important applications.
TB is up at the top of  my list along with my AV (thanks ESET) FF and CAD system.
My office software is somewhere at the bottom.

My feeling is that some people could resent seeing a new version (perhaps rushed out) for the purpose of raising capital.
Whereas with a subscription one can (even with confidence?) wait until the next version is really ready.
 :vanish:

[steverio]

These are good points you have here David but I'm not quite sure of all your meaning, whether this subscription would be an optional or mandatory choice. A subscription-based recurring fee that entitles use of the product or services for a specified time period then stops working if it is not paid for or an optional choice to select this subscription service and the product still works regardless.

On the other hand, I would not be in favor of a timed-out subscription product that doesn't require constant updating such as AV software. I think being a "renter" providing constant cash flow to the company could lesson their incentive to develop upgrades.

Granted, a product that would have most all the bugs worked out before a major version release would lesson the chance of feeling short-changed when paying for an upgrade. The company will have to be accountable for what they dish out to their customers. I don't mind paying for an upgrade if there have been substantial features or improvements made but only as an option. If the upgrades are good then the company will prosper.  :smiley2:

[davidc]

I do not like the "renting" model as proposed by many including of course MS.
My main dislike is the 'model' that I and many others rebelled against with Jasc (another is Serif )
Here they introduced PSP V8 and it was buggy (not worth the £100 and not much better than V7 for my usage)
It was so buggy they eventually sent out new discs with V8.10 and still had bugs. So we all waited for another patch and waited.
Ta-Da here is V9 with the bugs fixed and you can save 30% on the upgrade cost (only £70 to V8 owners) and this within a year.
It was an optional bugfix/upgrade that I declined.
I do not use all of the functionality of PSP and the latest edition (V10) I will ignore too.

There comes a point when the law of diminishing returns kicks in and if any software house charges 70%/year then there will come a day....
Sound familiar?
Hence my comments on a subscription model of 25% (some use 30%), during this period you get all the patches and upgrades and retain everything you have should you discontinue your subs.



 

[mrakomor]

Davidc: Exaclty. Ritlabs told that there is full IIMAP support in version 2. There was not. I had to buy version 3. TB had big problems with IMAP even after. Thanks to heaven I don't need to use IMAP yet. To rent antivirus updates is something different. New viruses means new functionality and I agree with support to programmers. But paying money for product because it is not working properly is nothing for me.