Payware??

[Adam Swartz 845235]

Ok so when did it go from one version to two? Also wasn't this a freeware program? There is no announcement to all registered users that you have to pay to upgrade. All of a sudden to get the new features you have to pay that just isn't right.

[Michal Rok]

Dear Adam,

 

There's a freeware version and a payware version, and there's no intention to remove the freeware in the forseeable future.

 

It is true that some of the juicy bits that I've been working quite hard to deliver are payware. I hope you don't mind that after 4 years of paying for hosting out of my own pocket I need to recover the investment. Believe me, I pay more to maintain vroute every month that most people spend on FS addons per year.

 

 

Michal

Edited March 29, 2008 at 03:01 PM by Guest

[Adam Swartz 845235]

Ok reason I ask there was no announcement about this but ok just wondering.

[Michal Rok]

I was just too busy doing all at once . I'm sitting in front of the computer since yesterday 8pm with not more than 4 hours break for sleeping in the meantime.

 

I willl prepare a FAQ i guess. Actually, the upgrade you were all informed (or will be informed this week) is not from freeware to payware, it's a cute little thing called "Sky Blue Radio player". You will not get the payware version on your computer unless you consciously visit www.vroute.net and download it.

 

 

Michal

[Paul Heaney 879309]

I don't recall seeing anything about a Payware version coming out? Did I miss something?

[Michal Rok]

I did not want to use this forum to promote commercial products, hence no announcements.

 

 

Michal

[Paul Heaney 879309]

ahh makes perfect sense.

[James Kirkwood 953640]

This is a blow, I was actually really looking forward to the upcoming release, if you had said you needed donations to help with server upkeep then i would have happily donated what i could afford, im afraid the asking price is just too high. I always understood or believed to understand that anything Vatsim related would always remain freeware, i have to say i am disappointed.

[James O Grady 904153]

I understand that you want to make a return on your investment, however, you are using the services of VATSIM to make a profit which goes against VATSIM's own policy. Fair enough if you wanted to offer these services at a premium outside of VATSIM, BUT you are using VATSIM's data to do so which is completely wrong and completely against the ethos of the network.

 

I hope the network bosses prevent you from doing so because there are dozens, dozens more people who have put their time and effort into making this network better for everyone involved, but they are not making a profit out of their time and in many cases, money they put into it, so I don't see why you should.

[Michal Rok]

Dear Seamus,

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you spend 2000 euro on hosting and 3 years worth of evenings and then giving it away for free.

 

The current infrastructure of vroute includes three servers, two of them dedicated in a full blown commercial data center, all paid out of my pocket. This is sufficient to maintain 20.000 freeware users (this is the actual number!) plus some payware. The resource consumption of the new mapping feature is such that it would easily consume half of my "daytime" salary in hosting fees if I wanted to deliver it to 20.000 people at no charge. Donations are great, but FSUIPC is a good proof they cannot be sufficient.

 

As to the bosses of VATSIM, I discussed the matter in detail with Richard Jenkins well before undertaking the effort, and I believe i'm 100% compliant we the rules we agreed on. Most importantly, none of the extra features in "premium" are in any way provided by VATSIM, and none of these features uses any additional VATSIM resources. You can still enjoy all the freeware features of vroute that you had yesterday - and I have no intention to take them away.

 

 

 

regards,

 

Michal

[James O Grady 904153]

And what about everyone else who has put money from their own pocket into VATSIM? Should they not also be entitled to recoup the costs using the services of VATSIM and make a profit while they're at it as you seem to be doing? At the end of the day you chose to make the investment you did as a third party developer, nobody forced you to do so, so going by your logic anyone who has made an investment into VATSIM using their own money should be allowed to offer VATSIM's services in a commercial form in order to get a return on that investment, which is not in line with VATSIM's rules and regulations.

 

And if Richard Jenkins supports what you are doing then he should support anyone offering VATSIM's services in a commcercial form and making money out of it(which IMO he shouldn't).

[Richard Jenkins]

Locking the thread. This is a matter between VATSIM and Mr. Rok.