Biting the Hand That Feeds You - Macogenes

I, like everyone else here, am quite disappointed that there is suddenly a new license fee we current users are expected to pay. Not that I have been disappointed in SD--on the contrary, I've found it quite useful.

Nevertheless, YazSoft is running into potential trouble here. If you all may recall, SD was originally issued by ABT Data, who stated that if you purchase a license, it was "good for all future versions." I purchased a license at that time and, like the rest of you, I assumed this meant virtually in perpetuo (although I would have been more than amenable to a small upgrade fee).

In correspondence today with YazSoft, they claimed that SD2 was not an update, but an entirely new product, and that they could not afford to provide it as an update. In my reply to them, I questioned that assertion, since the program is named Speed Download "2" and it still does the same thing. So how could I possibly consider this to be "a brand new product"?

Moreover, there is still the much more important issue here regarding the terms of my original license, which was for "all future releases." I pointed out to them that those terms did not say "All future releases--until version 2," or "All future releases--until a year from now." There were no qualifications whatsoever.

Now, I appreciate the hard work developers put into this stuff, and I want to see them compensated for their work (I think all of us do). In my reply, I even tried to make nice and suggested maybe a small upgrade fee for current license holders.

But, simply put, the heart of the issue here is honoring your agreements. If my license says all future versions, then it should be for all future versions. And I think I can make the case that a Speed Download "2" is a version of Speed Download, just like Speed Download "1" is. C'mon, SD2 a "new product"? Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

As of this posting, YazSoft has so far seen fit to ignore my reply (they got back to me in an hour the first time; it's 6 hours and counting now the second time). Unless YazSoft responds to me, I also will have no choice but to stop using SD.

But, hey, what kind of serious threat is that? They've probably already figured lost revenue from the malcontents into their business plan and are going ahead with the upgrade fee anyway. And who's gonna sue over 20 bucks? (They probably figured that into their business plan, too.)

Truthfully, my download speeds through Safari and Chimera are almost precisely the same as they were through SD, and so over the last 6 months SD has become less important. So I know at least I can be satisfied with eventually eliminating SD from my Applications folder (until v1.9.9 no longer works). Based on a bunch of the comments I've seen here, I think many of you have found the same.

For all the support we gave ABT/YazSoft in the beginning, the imposition of a new license fee for us is pretty crappy.

Sorry about the rant.

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Tuesday, June 10 2003 @ 04:10 PM PDT

YazSoft Update - mondomac

Dear YazSoft

When you make a sale, you're not just selling your product or service, you're selling your word -- your promise to the consumer. One of the reasons Speed Download used to receive such good ratings was due to the fact that users knew that each update was reaffirmation of the promise that "All UPDATES have always been and will always be FREE to registered users." We took you at your word and bought your product. Speed Download was a great product. I say "was" because it seems you have discontinued support and development for it. Or did you? YazSoft refers to Speed Download 2 as both a "version" as well as a "new product." Slip of the tongue? You can't have it both ways. YazSoft: "A LOT of time, effort, and research have been put into this version in order to make it as best as possible." Not the slickest English, but okay, you worked hard. Good job, but we don't care how long it took because we had an agreement, remember? You see, once you ventured out of the world of development and into the world of sales you became salespeople. As a reminder, you are selling both your word as well as your product. Enter Speed Download 2: it looks great, but how can you expect anyone to pay money for something you may "discontinue" whenever you feel like charging more? How about showing some respect for the intelligence of your current customer base?

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Wednesday, June 11 2003 @ 02:08 AM PDT