Migrate from USB Safely Remove to Zentimo for $8.90

[4wd]

For those who may have USB Safely Remove and want a better deal than normal to upgrade to Zentimo.

Dear USB Safely Remove user,

Only until April 5th we are offering you a unique opportunity to migrate to Zentimo for as little as $8.90 USD!

Haven't heard of Zentimo, yet? Zentimo is an advanced external drive manager also developed by our company. Comparing to "USB Safely Remove" it offers more benefits for active
USB and SATA devices users: more informative device menu, portable device settings, portable apps launcher, TrueCrypt integration and many other features.

More information about Zentimo & this offer is here:
  http://zentimo.com/usbsroffermarch11.htm

[rjbull]

One thing to note.  It's still possible to buy a lifetime license with all upgrades free for USBSR for personal use.  They aren't quite consistent on USBSR for commercial use, but everything else, notably Zentimo, is lifetime use of the current version, but only free updates for one year.  After that, upgrade fees, though modest ones.

As USBSR is already a good product, this may weigh with some people.

[oblivion]

Zentimo's a decent product, although the extras, over and above USBSR, are mostly inessential.

The licence covers all your own PCs, though, which is reasonably generous.

I was halfway convinced that the new licence model for Zentimo was an excuse to stop developing USBSR, but there's been at least one or two updates to USBSR since Zentimo's release, so I'm keeping my natural cynicism at bay at present. 

One small concern: Zentimo might have caused a small bit of instability on my Vista desktop -- a major crash a couple of hours after installation, but it hasn't recurred so it might have been a coincidence.

Both of these utilities are all but unique. I recommend USBSR highly: Zentimo is looking good too, but may not offer enough extra to justify the upgrade to everyone.

[wr975]

I was halfway convinced that the new licence model for Zentimo was an excuse to stop developing USBSR, but there's been at least one or two updates to USBSR since Zentimo's release, so I'm keeping my natural cynicism at bay at present. 

-oblivion (April 01, 2011, 02:17 AM)

Oh, it is an excuse and I'm very pissed with this company. Since almost two years no major updates for USBSR. After Zentimo a cosmetic update to show customers it's still in support... since then, nothing. Anyway, USBSR won't get new functions because customers told them, "they want to keep it simple." Selling a lifetime license for a dead product is scam. 

The right way to do it: Change license policy for *new* customers, keep old ones with the lifetime license they purchased.

[biox]

For some reason its $10.68 in my part of the world, which is £2 more than advertised, so out of principle 'no, thank you'

[4wd]

Maybe choose to pay in Russian Rubles, (149.00 RUB), which works out to almost half the cost of other currencies.

eg. RUB149.00 ~= US$5.27

Most likely exchange transaction fees are being added for other currencies, eg. AU$ is currently higher than US$, (AU$1 ~= US$1.03), but it would cost me more to buy in AU$.

The exchange rates and fees your bank charges for international transactions may be less than they get charged, (that they pass on to you).

[rjbull]

Selling a lifetime license for a dead product is scam.

-wr975 (April 01, 2011, 04:49 AM)

You said this before in USB Safely Remove 4.4 final released * CHANGE OF LICENSE POLICY * and they replied there.

[sajman99]

...One small concern: Zentimo might have caused a small bit of instability on my Vista desktop -- a major crash a couple of hours after installation, but it hasn't recurred so it might have been a coincidence...

-oblivion (April 01, 2011, 02:17 AM)

Unfortunately I had a similar experience with Zentimo on a XP system several months ago. I had no stability issues before installing Zentimo, and I've had none since deciding to uninstall. After several crashes with Zentimo I had seen enough to uninstall. But I will probably try it again in the future.

[oblivion]

After several crashes with Zentimo I had seen enough to uninstall. But I will probably try it again in the future.

-sajman99 (April 03, 2011, 06:00 PM)

I've been using Zentimo on my Win7 netbook pretty much faultlessly, and seen no problems since the first crash on my Vista desktop; as I say, it might have been a coincidence.

It might also be a coincidence that the netbook didn't have USBSR installed before I put Zentimo on...

I note the previous comments with respect to USBSR's licencing, but I think they have a point: a lifetime licence is hard to justify, financially. It's nice when people honour such things -- I bought a lifetime licence for Pretty Good Solitaire back in, ooh, maybe 1998? No such thing exists anymore, and the author's licences are now only good for a version or two, but he honours the lifetime licences he sold, and I sometimes feel quite guilty about the fact that I keep getting free updates -- but there are other products I've bought licenses for in the past that no longer exist or are no longer of any use (copy of DESQview/386, anyone?) It's hard to see how USBSR could be improved without bolting on extra features anyway -- it works perfectly as it is, it does what it says on the tin, how many upgrades do you really think you need? So they've worked that out and, rather than completely abandon USBSR, have produced a new product that has the extra bolt-on features and a new licencing model that might just keep them going into the future. You don't need Zentimo but you already have a USBSR lifetime license? So there's no argument really, is there, except you have a green arrow in the system tray instead of a Z and you have to write a Truecrypt commandline for the autostart option instead of having it written for you.

I've thought about this a lot; it's clear the authors are sensitive about this issue anyway. I didn't NEED Zentimo but I've bought the upgrade because I'd like that bit of code to survive for a while to come.

[/soapbox]

[rjbull]

I note the previous comments with respect to USBSR's licencing, but I think they have a point: a lifetime licence is hard to justify, financially.

-oblivion (April 04, 2011, 03:32 PM)

I presume you mean the vendor has a hard time justifying the offer of lifetime licenses?  Spare a thought for your fellow Brits who don't have the income for constant updates!

I've bought licenses for in the past that no longer exist or are no longer of any use (copy of DESQview/386, anyone?)

Still got mine - that plus QEMM and NDOS were the most productive environment I ever had.  Can't bear to get rid of it.

You don't need Zentimo but you already have a USBSR lifetime license? So there's no argument really, is there

That's the position I'm in.  I do have the free license for Zentimo 1.0 that they gave away a while back, in case of need.

I didn't NEED Zentimo but I've bought the upgrade because I'd like that bit of code to survive for a while to come.

That's a nice approach.

[oblivion]

I presume you mean the vendor has a hard time justifying the offer of lifetime licenses?  Spare a thought for your fellow Brits who don't have the income for constant updates!

-rjbull (April 06, 2011, 03:15 PM)

Point taken. Nor do I -- but as an ex-BBS sysop who had quite a lot to do with distributing and using shareware, I can see both sides of this.

Still got mine - that plus QEMM and NDOS were the most productive environment I ever had.  Can't bear to get rid of it.

I replaced NDOS with 4DOS, eventually. (4DOS has gone free, last I saw, as 4NT took over for the up-to-date people amongst us.) I still miss the power of the 4DOS batch language, the environment editor, set /r c:\sets.txt, and the command history navigator. <sigh>

The setup was still going strong up to about 6 years ago, when my BBS finally turned up its toes and I reluctantly decided that FidoNet just wasn't going to justify the effort of rebuilding it.

That's the position I'm in.  I do have the free license for Zentimo 1.0 that they gave away a while back, in case of need.

Via GiveAwayOfTheDay? Yes, I did that too. Had quite a long argument with the authors about the licencing issue at the time -- steamed about it for a while but, as I say, I can see their point.

[rjbull]

as an ex-BBS sysop who had quite a lot to do with distributing and using shareware, I can see both sides of this.

-oblivion (April 06, 2011, 06:04 PM)

You were 2:25/108 at Bexhill-on-Sea?  My knowledge of how to read a nodelist is fading... 

I myself did a fair amount of liaising with authors, mostly freeware but some shareware.  Most of what I knew about DOS freeware I either learned from, or contributed to, the Free Software for DOS list.

4DOS has gone free, last I saw, as 4NT took over for the up-to-date people amongst us.

AIUI, yes, though most people will now go for the free TCC/LE as being more in tune with recent versions of Windows.

I still miss the power of the 4DOS batch language

Vista Home Premium seems so different, I have trouble wrestling with its DOS emulation.  I suppose I'm just getting rusty, and simply reluctant to tackle unnecessary complexities.

my BBS finally turned up its toes and I reluctantly decided that FidoNet just wasn't going to justify the effort of rebuilding it.

Similarly, when my feed disappeared, I gave up as there was by then so little traffic.

That's the position I'm in.  I do have the free license for Zentimo 1.0 that they gave away a while back, in case of need.

-rjbull (April 06, 2011, 03:15 PM)

Via GiveAwayOfTheDay?

No, I think it came because I'm a registered user of USBSR (with lifetime license) and Crystal Rich give away free licenses from time to time.

[oblivion]

You were 2:25/108 at Bexhill-on-Sea?  My knowledge of how to read a nodelist is fading... 

-rjbull (April 07, 2011, 03:33 PM)

They were never really supposed to be human-readable anyway.

Apparently. 

Although one qualification for a nodelist listing of your own was always supposed to be the ability to write your own entry. 

Yes, that was one of my later incarnations -- I had several, over the years. As was my holding of the office of REC25, a job with little associated work by the time I took it, sadly.

I still miss Fidonet. A worldwide, non-state/corporate-controlled, public access network, designed with cost-minimisation built in. (Tom Jennings never got the recognition he deserved.) It taught me more about written communication than any college course.

Its last hurrah, from my viewpoint, is probably the fact that I use The Bat! for email, have it configured for plain text and use the author's initials for quotes. Nothing else I've ever found does that properly!

I myself did a fair amount of liaising with authors, mostly freeware but some shareware.  Most of what I knew about DOS freeware I either learned from, or contributed to, the Free Software for DOS list.

Not somewhere I knew about. Just been to look, briefly -- some real blasts from the past!

The one that stands out -- Protext! Good grief -- the WP that spanked Locoscript on the Amstrad CP/M boxes but still somehow never made it to the big time.

I also quite like the phrase "Simple and advancxed text editors", which suggests it was written without using one. 

Vista Home Premium seems so different, I have trouble wrestling with its DOS emulation.  I suppose I'm just getting rusty, and simply reluctant to tackle unnecessary complexities.

I have yet to attempt to get to grips with PowerShell. That certainly looks very different, but I suspect I'm going to have to tackle it sometime.

my BBS finally turned up its toes and I reluctantly decided that FidoNet just wasn't going to justify the effort of rebuilding it.

Similarly, when my feed disappeared, I gave up as there was by then so little traffic.

Fido stayed strong in some parts of Europe for quite a while after it died in the US and UK, I believe, but it was always something that needed a particular "critical mass" to keep it going -- those few of us left in the UK by the end just couldn't compete with the increasingly affordable internet, despite the relative lack of security associated with it.

No, I think it came because I'm a registered user of USBSR (with lifetime license) and Crystal Rich give away free licenses from time to time.

Fair enough. But I also have a lifetime licence, and they never offered a free Zentimo license to me! (Possibly my discussion with them about the lifetime license not covering Zentimo mitigated against it! Or the fact that I'd got a GOTD freebie.)

[rjbull]

Although one qualification for a nodelist listing of your own was always supposed to be the ability to write your own entry. 

-oblivion (April 08, 2011, 03:56 AM)

So you passed the test 

I still miss Fidonet. A worldwide, non-state/corporate-controlled, public access network, designed with cost-minimisation built in.

So do I, but most of the people I "spoke" to moved on, and some have died.  For network with an organisation (I hear) not far above anarchy, it produced some very classy software.  E.g., the BinkleyTerm, Squish, and GoldED I used.

I use The Bat! for email, have it configured for plain text and use the author's initials for quotes.

I use TB! too, but that's more to do with the DC discount.  But, Fidonet taught me that the right way to quote and edit e-mail.

Fido stayed strong in some parts of Europe for quite a while after it died in the US and UK, I believe, but it was always something that needed a particular "critical mass" to keep it going -- those few of us left in the UK by the end just couldn't compete with the increasingly affordable internet, despite the relative lack of security associated with it.

When I lost my feed, the Fidonet had already dropped well below the critical mass, which was why I didn't make any heroic efforts to find yet another boss.

I'm a registered user of USBSR (with lifetime license) and Crystal Rich give away free licenses from time to time.

-rjbull (April 07, 2011, 03:33 PM)

I also have a lifetime licence, and they never offered a free Zentimo license to me!

Just wait a bit - I got the impression they simply e-mailed everyone in the USBSR user list, but it would depend on when you registered.  Obviously, they don't give away freebies very often.  I got my first license for USBSR as a freeby that was announced here on DC by tranglos, and went on from there.