[discussion] Schema of Valentina server licensing

[Robert Brenstein]

>
>You can continue to buy the next versions of the single user SDKs
>outside of this plan. However this plan would include several tiers that
>include either one "Pro" version of an SDK (such as V4RB for Mac, V4RB
>for Windows), C++ SDK, or all of the SDKs, plus the ability to
>distribute royalty free 5 connection server apps. The subscription style
>would limit the time you could distribute new server applications to
>having a paid up subscription. But you'd also get free upgrades to the
>covered products during that time.


The subscription model works fine for MetaCard, for example. Each 
major release is really solid and there are only a couple of those a 
year at most. Further, nothing impedes using the older version as 
long as I wish, if I don't care for new features.

A potential problem that I see in this model as applied to Valentina 
is the issue of bug fixes and feature additions/improvements.

With Valentina, I have already been several times in the situation 
that I had to upgrade because new version fixed a bug that was 
affecting my work.

Considering the frequency of new releases that Ruslan comes with and 
still a long path for Valentina to become mature, we may get stuck in 
a situation that an older version has bugs but it is no longer 
supported and we have to upgrade against our wishes. Or a new feature 
is added that we waite for but its implementation took longer than 
planned (should I list a few things that I still wait for, although 
they have been discussed for a few years now?)

So far, this has been only a matter of effort but now it may also be 
an issue of money if just happens that our license has expired. Are 
you, Ruslan, ready to promise providing bug fixes for older versions 
in paralell to ongoing development?

I guess what I am questionning is not the sales model as such but 
whether Valentina is a mature enough product to switch to using a 
subscription model at this time.

By the way, it is not clear to me from this discussion whether the 
pricing of non-server products remains as it was or are these also 
switched to the subscription model?

Robert Brenstein