http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/ind ... -upgrades/
We will make several important changes in licensing of PicturesToExe and in the upgrade policy with an immediate effect after the release date of PicturesToExe Deluxe 7.0.
Changes for New Customers
1. We announce the end of sales of Standard edition.
2. We begin sell only Deluxe edition of PicturesToExe at same price as now ($75).
3. Instant delivery of a license key. A customer receives his key immediately after purchasing.
4. We introduce new license keys. Simple view of a new key guarantees that the key will be safely delivered to a customer. Example of a new license key:
A1W79-NB5DE-2G2U3-ABCSB-PUQA4
5. Deluxe edition is licensed on the "new version = pay upgrade charge" basis. Free upgrades to minor versions. We plan release major versions which require pay for the upgrade every 12-24 months. We will release free minor versions with a number of new features.
6. You can skip upgrade for at least one major version.
For example: If you buy version 7.0 you get free upgrade to 7.0.1, free upgrade to 7.5. You can skip paid upgrade to 8.0. And upgrade later 9.0 with discount.
7. Cost of upgrade to a new major version is 40% of full version.
8. Customer always uses one license key. After the upgrade customer receives a new license key which replaces the old one.
Changes for Existing Customers
Summary: These changes almost don't affect to existing users of PicturesToExe who bought PicturesToExe before the release of version 7.0.
2. All existing users use their current license keys. No need to change license keys.
3. Users of Standard edition, Personal edition, and Business edition (hereafter we use term "Standard edition") install and use all future versions for free within functions of Standard edition.
4. Users of Deluxe edition have 2 years of free upgrades to any future versions since date of purchasing. Later they can use any previous version with all functions for unlimited time, or use any future version within functions of Standard edition, or pay for the upgrade to the latest Deluxe version at special price (40% of full version).
5. After the upgrade of Deluxe edition (from Standard edition or expired Deluxe key) you get a second license key for Deluxe features which allows free upgrades to minor versions, and paid upgrades to major versions. Your original license key still allows use any future versions for free within Standard edition regardless of the second Deluxe key.
Reasons of These Changes
1. Old licensing system was very complicated for understanding. Two years of free upgrades for Deluxe was not typical offer for software. User who already bought Standard edition could see again a nag-screen when he tried to access Deluxe features. It caused annoyance. The problem also came when Deluxe user faced with a sitation when Deluxe part in the new version expired and required new license. Whereas Standard functions worked fine.
2. New licensing since version 7.0 will be simple and we offer simple upgrade policy.
3. I'd like to explain the reason why we want to stop free upgrades for life for new customers. It was a serious problem for normal growth of our company.
With upgrades we can have predictable income for our company, even if we face with a possible saturation of professional market share in future.
We need more programmers for our second new product, we need more Mac programmers, we plan to hire staff for technical support during all 7 days per week. And we need new beta-tester. We plan spend funds for promotion (marketing) of PicturesToExe and to improve our website. All these expenses require more funds and predictable income.
If we feel that a future version doesn't have enough number of significant improvements and features we will publish it as a free upgrade.
With hope on your understanding.
En gros et avant traduction précise :
Pour les nouveaux clients à partir de la V7
Disparition de la version Standard (seule la Deluxe complète, donc, sera distribuée)
Finies les mises à jour gratuites pour les nouveaux acheteurs.
Mises à jour payantes uniquement sur les versions majeures (8.0, 9.0, etc) dont la périodicité est variable comme actuellement (de 12 à 24 mois).
Pour mémoire, la V6.0 date de deux ans....
Pour ceux qui disposent déjà de PTE en version précédente (6.0, 6.5)
Mises à jour gratuites de la partie Standard pour ceux qui n'ont que celle là (comme avant)
Mise à niveau possible vers la version Deluxe en payant 40% du coût actuel de PTE
Pour ceux qui possèdent la version Deluxe :
Mises à jour gratuites sur les versions majeures pendant deux ans à compter de la date d'achat (j'ai cru comprendre qu'il s'agissait de la date de mise à niveau Videobuilder), payantes ensuite quasiment au même rythme qu'actuellement avec VideoBuilder...