UVK price change

[wrc559]

Hmmm, Again - This came up with TTS when I went to purchase the lifetime key.
I oppose subscriptions because it gives me over head, even if it is 10$ per year, its still a payment I need to keep track off.
Those of us who have already purchased a lifetime key, will we be forced to move to the new subscription model, or even repurchase a key to get updates, or is this for new clients?

Plus the price is valued in USD, So for those living in US, or making an income in USD won't be effected. But the rate of the AUD at the moment, I will be looking to pay double in the future.

Call me a winger, but I like Lifetime, and I prefer to keep my license the way it is. I will support your new model for new clients however.

*I would prefer to keep my lifetime key.
**New model should be used on new customers and not old customers. Like most companies who offer first in best dressed - First comers who "found" the software and "assisted" in creating what it is today get to keep their old setup, where as new comers pay the new fees.

*** This should be the same for all software, TTS, or UVK. Old customers continue to pay setup costs, as time goes by and prices change, new customers get signed onto new subscription prices.
So if I charge $100 per year for support and next year I charge $150. Old customers continue to be charged $100 per year, whilst new customers will be on new pricing of $150 per year. Make sense?

[Xander]

WRC said it well and hit all the points I'd have made. ScreenConnect just changed their pricing model but existing customers are unaffected.

If UVK were to get optional features like FTP-sync of settings/blacklists, I'd be willing to pay an upgrade fee.

[Charger440]

WRC,

The founding members should be the most open to price changes as they already know how much work into making UVK what it is today. I first got UVK about a year ago and it's amazing how much has changed.

Here is a good example:
Let's say that a car company starts up and for the first few years they offer a Lifetime car. They want to get people interested and they are not sure how well things will go so that's what they opt to do. Now the car company starts doing really well and then sales just kinda plateau. A few people are buying the cars but mainly it's just the original group that just keeps wanting the new cars for free everytime one comes out. Now you find yourself mainly just giving away new cars and wondering when it will ever end. Does this sound fair to you? It's exactly what your doing by saying you expected that license to never expire no matter what. No matter what UVK turned into, you would never ever pay more than the onetime fee.

Xander:
Considering who your buddy is/was and the crap he pulled. You're gonna say Fred is not entitled to make a living too?? The simple truth of the matter is, the second version that he charged a HUGE amount more for, was worse than the first one and YOU purchased it. I know you did because if you said what you should have said, you would have followed me over with Fred and watched him build this awesome app

You can argue morals all you want. Matter of fact Fred has expressed concerns about that himself. Should he have offered lifetime licenses for UVK? Realistically prolly not But I really think he did it from a humble point of view. I don't think in the beginning he thought UVK would be as big as it is. He works and spends LOTs of time on each of the apps that he has that are in active development. While we are on morals, do you think, honestly, that it is fair to Fred for you to never every pay him another dime for his hard work? You should actually be happy that Fred is concerned about offending you by raising his prices. I know someone else that didn't care what anyone thought, scrapped his lifetime license and told anyone that didn't agree where they could go. Actually, the first version that has not been updated in over a year is still better than the subscription based one. Moral of this story, is your going to talk morals, you need to make sure you look in the mirror too.

[wmmiller]

Here’s what I think. What should be done is a technician’s edition with the new pricing and move exiting customers that want to move to the new model the pricing idea that has already been discussed. Give existing customers 30 days to decide if they want to make the move and after that, treat everyone as a new customer. Take the old UVK and only update critical things or just let it die. Name the new version something new like “UVK Technician”, “Ultra Ultra Virus Killer” or “Fred’s Super Duper Virus killer”.

I also don’t like subscriptions but I don’t mind them as much when the price is fair/low and I have the option to buy several years. That way I can buy several years when I happen to have the extra cash and send a donation now and then to show some gratitude for a job well done. If something doesn’t change Fred will be forced to just kill the whole project and move on, if that happens, then we will be forced to search for something else and go with that until it dies. It would just be a continuing cycle until we all die. I feel it would be better to work to make what we have better and last as long as possible for everyone’s benefit. The bottom line is. UVK will die without a change, so I think Fred should do what he needs to make a living. Anyone that doesn’t like it will just need to move onto something else that makes them happy just as I did with d7.

Bill

[Brink]

If UVK were made to be usable from PE I'd be willing to pay $100 per year.

[Xander]

Wow, Jim. Didn't take much for you to, once again, turn this into a round of personal attacks about "my buddy". You sure read a hell of a lot out of the three sentences I wrote. UVK is great software but the problem is that you're more of a drooling fanboy than a tech now. And your tactics here amount to little more than a cheap attempt at cyber-bullying. Grow up.

The license bought was Lifetime. It's not unreasonable to expect a company to stand by that, no matter how much development goes into it. I don't know how many licenses have been sold but a few votes on the forum shouldn't dictate what happens to all the other users. This forum has, what, maybe a dozen active users?

Fred has the choice of selling the C++ version as a new product and I will almost certainly re-purchase if he does. "My buddy" did that with his second version and people opted to buy in. You were busy with your hate-boner but still seemed to be aware of that.

Edit: I was talking to one of my AV distributors about the MBAM Lifetime licenses and he said that they were more of a 5-year license than anything. That's still a great deal to get 5 years of use and updates on a product for one price. Myself, I only bought my UVK license several months ago ... to be steered (or bullied by fanboys) into signing on to pay for a product again when my license is barely out of the package doesn't sit well.

[Charger440]

Wow, Jim. Didn't take much for you to, once again, turn this into a round of personal attacks about "my buddy". You sure read a hell of a lot out of the three sentences I wrote. UVK is great software but the problem is that you're more of a drooling fanboy than a tech now. And your tactics here amount to little more than a cheap attempt at cyber-bullying. Grow up.

The license bought was Lifetime. It's not unreasonable to expect a company to stand by that, no matter how much development goes into it. I don't know how many licenses have been sold but a few votes on the forum shouldn't dictate what happens to all the other users. This forum has, what, maybe a dozen active users?

Fred has the choice of selling the C++ version as a new product and I will almost certainly re-purchase if he does. "My buddy" did that with his second version and people opted to buy in. You were busy with your hate-boner but still seemed to be aware of that.

Edit: I was talking to one of my AV distributors about the MBAM Lifetime licenses and he said that they were more of a 5-year license than anything. That's still a great deal to get 5 years of use and updates on a product for one price. Myself, I only bought my UVK license several months ago ... to be steered (or bullied by fanboys) into signing on to pay for a product again when my license is barely out of the package doesn't sit well.

So, your saying that since you purchased a lifetime license to UVK that you expect to get free versions of it for life no matter how little the developer gets paid or if they even get paid at all for that matter

However if Fred were to simply call it UVK2 and jack up the price, you would have no issue with that?


As for being personal, you were one of the ones that thought I was an idiot for not seeing value in the second version but yet here you are. The difference is, I didn't spend my money on a product that is now virtually defunct and tell others they were stupid for not doing it.


Personally, I think you need to go back and rethink everything you just said.

[Fred]

Guys, please let's not hijack this thread. I will try to make things clear. As Jim said I didn't ask him to create this poll. I did ask him how he thinks UVK's users would react if I made the new C++ UVK version subscription based. I did it because I know that many people didn't like the same D7 transition, and some people will probably react the same way about UVK.

The fact is, wile UVK has improved alot this year (that no one can deny), sales have not. I guess that's obviously because people only need to buy the app once. That means, I'll have to either make UVK generate more income, or I'll have to drop it and work on other apps that may ensure I'll still be able to pay my rent, like the offline UVK Brink mentioned. (hey Brink ).

I know I can simply rename the new C++ UVK, and then say it is a new totally rewritten app (which is entirely true), and start requiring a subscription for it. But that way, existing users would have to pay again in order to have the new app. So I would like to offer all existing users a free upgrade to the new app, and that upgrade would include a one year license validity. Isn't this better than being forced to keep the old UVK (which will only get critical updates), or buy the new app entirely? Users can still keep the old version, if desired.

All this said, my planned upgrade will not affect existing users, and I intend to offer 5-year license extension purchases which users can buy anytime, so they can make their license be valid for 10 or 15 years, and don't need to worry about renewals.

[Charger440]

Fred,

I apologize. I did not mean to hijack the threat with talk of another product but the two kinda tied together and If one thing was fair for one of them, I don't see why offering a fair price for yours should be wrong. You have a great product, you spend a lot of time working on it and you really try to help out when needed. You can claim it's what ever you want, and if you positively for sure decide to change the pricing, for what it's worth, I will back your play. In the time I have "known" you, you have always been fair and I see no reason to think you would change.

[FredJClaus]

I'm on board with whatever Fred wants to do. Can I suggest something though? A lot of developers like you Fred have "Donation" buttons on their websites. I for one sure would help with the upkeep and R&D by donating to the developer.

[Charger440]

Fred J,

It's there. Go look again

[wrc559]

I guess it was too good to be true.
I agree with fanboy comments. Bit disappointed to be honest.

Why not just setup a referral program to generate income that way. Instead of messing with lifetime licenses. Yes, I would think my lifetime license would last... A lifetime...
However I am willing to refer users to your subscription model should that be an option to generate you income.


I do technical work as a hobby and could not warrant paying yearly or buying another license. I would ditch the software.

[Charger440]

Sounds like the Free version might be more in line with your needs since you don't use it to actually make money. It's just a hobby for you.

[wrc559]

Sounds like the Free version might be more in line with your needs since you don't use it to actually make money. It's just a hobby for you.

I would be comfortable with the free version except it doesnt have all the features. Also it did not support branding. That is why I wanted to buy those features & the price was reasonable, $70AUD.

UVK and TTS are the only 2 pieces of software I have purchased in the last 5 years. This includes even AV.
So I do like the programs and enjoy the development for them. I have also made bug & improvement requests to assist like all of us .. In what they are today.

We will see what Fred decides to do. Then I will make my choice if I decide to stay part of the forum or not.

My technician business is not outside the scope of a hobby to have tax deduction made on purchases. Maybe in the future it will be. Until then. I will enjoy the software how they are today.

[wmmiller]

wrc559,

I guess you could kind of say my situation is kind of like yours. Computer repair isn’t the only thing I do. I fix computers, cars, appliances, refrigeration and many other things. Mostly for friends, family and word of mouth customers. I have many health issues so I only do any of it when I’m feeling well enough to do so. I don’t make a ton of money doing any of it but I firmly believe that to do a job right I need to have the correct tools to do the job. I see UVK as a tool I need to do the job right so I see it as a tool I must have. Really, I’m just saying that I understand where you’re coming from but UVK will die without a change. I would hate to see you go.

Bill

[wmmiller]

Fred,

Don’t let all this talk stress you out. Please do what you need to keep UVK going in some form or another. If you don’t make the necessary changes so you can make a living then none of us will have it at all. You may lose a few people but you must live.

Bill

[wmmiller]

Here’s the donate button.

http://www.carifred.com/donate/

[wmmiller]

Lol Bill, you already got glue

You’re such a stickler for details.

[wrc559]

Perfect example of a company changing pricing, new clients only.

https://forums.zoho.com/topic/zoho-assi ... ss-pricing

[Charger440]

For those of you that are concerned about the price change, all I can say is your missing the big picture.