upgrade costs

[nikos]

I mentioned in passing that the new version 2.0 will introduce new license keys. All the old numbers you have will have to be replaced. That's a mammoth support task

as per xplorer2 terms, people who bought x2 within the last year will get the upgrade for free. Other people with older licenses will have to pay (or keep on using the older xplorer2 version they bought -- that's free too).

Here's what I'm thinking:

up to 1 year - FREE
up to 2 years - upgrade at 30% discount
older - pay full $29.95 cost (like a new purchase)

I think that's pretty fair and will help reduce my workload
what do you think?

[IneedHelp]

I think it's a fair scheme.
Bring in V2!

[Kilmatead]

A little too fair, as this way I can't convict you of being a greedy corporate-type.  Where's the fun in that?  

Usually it's like 6 months free / 6 months to 1 year %50 discount, then %30, but to each his own.

Of course, you probably should have thought of this before releasing working public betas...

[Cosmo]

Why is there not a single word about lifetime assurance?

And how shall this get managed, if the license with lifetime assurance is more than 1 year old? How is it assured, that x2 does not stop working until the new key is provided, although a lifetime license has been sold?

[nikos]

lifetime assurances will all be given free keys obviously

[IneedHelp]

lifetime assurances will all be given free keys obviously

As stated before.

[fgagnon]

Lately I've seen upgrade discounts based more on versioning than time.  

• most recent previous version within 6 months = free
  (or most previous sub-version = free)  
  
  most recent previous version older than 6 months = 1/2 off  
  
  next most recent version = 1/3 off
  
  older versions = permanent 10% off courtesy discount with occasional "we-want-you-back" sale offer of 25% off.

But your approach is simpler.

[Kilmatead]

...or most previous sub-version...

Which is where it begins to get messy - 6 months takes us back to 1.8.1.0... whereas 1.8.0.0 (which was a far more notable point increase) is, fittingly enough, 18 months previous.  Somewhat academic though, as Nikos has a great habit of asking us lesser-beings "what we think" then ignoring it with kingly indifference.  Only the future of the butterflies will suffer for his generosity, and who can say what the future holds?  T'will be a cold Winter in Greece this year, sayeth the Oracle of the IMF.

(And why. arbitrarily, are oracles always diaphanous young women in the imagination?  Who posited the idea of trusting the opinions of young women anyway?  Alexander had his moments, but listening to The White was not one of his better ones... Nikos' generosity may not make him "as rich as Croesus", but it may just stand him in better stead for augering the mystical a little more accurately than that old bugger did.)

[pschroeter]

... "are we getting close to the official release?"

Unless lifetime licenses are explicitly mentioned, releases with wording that don't mention them give me a moments worry, even though I know better and it may have been mentioned somewhere else, which I haven't read.

Lifetime license = maybe one of the best twenty bucks I ever spent.

[stereobit]

older - pay full $29.95 cost (like a new purchase)

Is there any reason, not to purchase the optional lifetime insurance policy for only USD $19.95 instead?

[nikos]

that cost will go up too