License, Support and so on...

[Maiskolben]

First: I'm not willing to use the google shit anyway, so thanks for sending me the correct apk a few weeks ago.. (But I just cannot understand, why you were not serving the apk for downloading it directly from your server or a cloud. You force your users to be dependent from another software they might don't wanna use. Erg, thats a very destructive behaviour for a software-company, don't you think?)

And do I understand correctly, that I have to pay again for a license upgrade half the price from v2 to v3? In this case I'm not willing to use Birdiesync anymore.

I was glad before the thunderbirdupdate to v38x. Obviously you were slightly overchallenged with this. Sad, but the use of Birdiesyn is quiet a bit much since then; every now and then an update, beta, ceta, joining groups, leaving groups, pay agains, evaluation-timeouts, not functionings.. My result: using your software for 2 years costs me 20€ and some nerves until weeks, and I definitely won't pay again anything. I started to use my oldschool calendar-book. I'm tired of Birdie-not-sync, so thank you and,

have a nice day,
Maiskolben

PS Hey, guess what? I found a good freeware solution, and I take the 10€ now and donate it to the developer of this nice software! Just wondering, this guy is a single developer and has no problems to get all the stuff working...

PPS Sorry, I didn't see that you just added a link to download the apk already! My fault and a good choice of yours! Thanks for that!

[Birdy]

Hello Maiskolben,

I'm aware that the switch to this new version, especially during the beta, has not been as easy as it should have been. And I'm grateful to the users who installed the beta and gave some feedback. BirdieSync should continue to evolve and improve in the future.

Without all the users who registered and upgraded their license, the development of BirdieSync and a careful support to users would not have been possible all along these years. And renewing a license, is also a way to support and allow a product to continue to be developped. BirdieSync requires constant adaptations to Thunderbird, iPhone and Android. And regularly users send suggestions of new features or possible improvements which I would really like to see implemented. But to achieve all this, license upgrades are simply a necessity. Now you may disagree with this and prefer to stop using BirdieSync, which I'll regret.

[Maiskolben]

Sure, I think the problem might be, that at the moment where I bought the Software, I had no clue that I have to pay twice (or on a regulary basis for future updates).. It might be helpful to inform the users about this fact at the beginning.

Personally I find it more attractive when developers put out free software and give the opportunity to donate, instead of argue that for a "careful support" it's neccessary, that the user is paying again and again. See, maybe a developer is much more after his software, when he has to convince with quality only. The mentioned software in my post above is not trying to force them users with regulary fee-based updates and survived in this "business" for years. And the people are paying, because they know: developing software is not an easy business at all and need to be payed. If they are convinced!

I'll stop that. You made your decision for commercial business, like thousands companies arround, and I have to accept that and shut the fuck up.

[Spider]

Sure, I think the problem might be, that at the moment where I bought the Software, I had no clue that I have to pay twice (ore on a regulary basis for future updates).. It might be helpful to inform the users about this fact at the beginning

Yes you had a clue read your screen

http://www.birdiesync.com/registration
http://www.birdiesync.com/is-it-possibl ... egistering

[Birdy]

Actually, when you go to the registration page, the conditions of the upgrades have always been mentioned and you also had an "Upgrade" frame on the right previously for BirdieSync 1.x. The conditions of upgrade are also mentioned in the FAQ. But you may have missed it. So it is not as if users were not informed that it was necessary to upgrade their BirdieSync 2.x license to 3.0. The policy of upgrades is specific to the version you register but there is no guarantee that it could not evolve regarding future versions, for necessity reason. Now you may disagree with these evolutions and decide to not upgrade your license. But again renewing a license is a way to support and allow a product to continue being developped .

Donations may work if you software is very widely used and has a huge number of installations. Actually very few people make donations. So you need to have a lot of users who download and use your application to make it a viable product. I may be wrong, but I don't think it could be the case with BirdieSync, especially when trying to offer careful and personalized support to users.

[servantoftheking]

I use BirdieSync since many years, I think since first releas of BrirdieSync 2.

Sadly most people, especially in Europe don´t donate.
And Birdy´s software is great and the support is also great. 20 Bugs for Birdiesync 2 was not much. And paining 10 € for the new release again after using BirdieSync for many years without problems is also alright.

So the decision of Birdie selling his software is alright.
And your decision not to use Birdies Software any more is also alright.

[philken]

I'm happy to upgrade - however I need to enter V2 license detail and I don't know how to locate it. Can you help?

[Birdy]

Hello philken,

Sure. Many thanks. Your previous license was sent again to you. If other users have similar requests, please directly send a mail to sales(at)birdiesync.com.
Thanks.