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jv16 - Pay to keep license on file?

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mrainey:
Macecraft has historically been anything but greedy.  Freeware for years, JV16 Power Tools is now a modest $29.95.  Yearly upgrade fees are $6.95.  This is their (pretty damn relaxed) policy on licensing for personal users.  There's no activation or other baggage.

"A single personal license can be used with up to five personal computers at your home if the computers are mainly used only by you or the members of your family."


I'm amazed by how many people write me for lost keys for my own software.  You would think that people who make their livings with computers would keep backups.

steeladept:

I'm amazed by how many people write me for lost keys for my own software.  You would think that people who make their livings with computers would keep backups.

-mrainey (June 29, 2010, 08:30 AM)
--- End quote ---

I am not even a programmer and I am amazed.  I know a few developers who took this route out of sheer necessity.  So many people kept "loosing" their license (or at least claiming to), that it was literally preventing them from doing anything more than licensing support.  By charging, even a modest amount, it dropped the requests down to a trickle.  Most of those requests from one developer in particular were honored without billing, however the option was there for him for those who abused it.  It doesn't have to be a significant amount, just enough to keep people from asking when they don't really need to.  It also helps defray the cost of being sidetracked from developing the software further.

I personally don't like the trend, if that is indeed what it is, but I do at least understand this one.

Deozaan:
How hard would it be to set up an automatic system like most sites have for forgotten passwords?

Work smarter, not harder. ;)

Carol Haynes:
What do you do with people who can't remember their user name, email and password to request the automatic retrieval?? I come across a lot of people who don't know what their email address is and have no clue what their password is. Makes life interesting when something goes wrong. These are the same people who either never create recovery disks or on older systems throw away all the disks that came with their computer (because they haven't had to use them before) and then blame the manufacturer or Microsoft.

Golden rule - however simple you make something some people will still screw it up!

steeladept:
What do you do with people who can't remember their user name, email and password to request the automatic retrieval?? I come across a lot of people who don't know what their email address is and have no clue what their password is. Makes life interesting when something goes wrong. These are the same people who either never create recovery disks or on older systems throw away all the disks that came with their computer (because they haven't had to use them before) and then blame the manufacturer or Microsoft.

Golden rule - however simple you make something some people will still screw it up!
-Carol Haynes (July 01, 2010, 03:16 AM)
--- End quote ---

Nice - but it is true.  I have had so many emails that after a few years with a product I couldn't remember which email I used for it to save my life.  I switch providers - new email.  Start school - new email.  Different job - new email. Girlfriend (now wife) finally turned me on to the idea of using a webmail service and that worked wonderfully, but for those programs I bought before that?  Well....

Just a note - that was over 10 years ago now, and since then I haven't had issues such as that (as well as my life has settled down A LOT).  Never the less, I can see where that would come into play from my own past. Of course even back then I always backed everything up and kept copies.  The only time I had to do a request was when I had a total drive failure and my backup disk had a bad sector and was unreadable (for that file) when it came time to use it. Threw that zip disk out in a hurry!

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