Quote Originally Posted by katemoir
Mike, what I'm wondering is which of the common alternatives you would prefer - the old system (no access to next year's features until next year) or an Adobe-like subscription (get new features as you go along but lose all installed versions completely at the end of 365 days)?
There are other alternatives, such as the scheme Corel is using for the last couple versions.
Quote Originally Posted by katemoir
We are trying to find a way of offering some of the advantages of subscription without actually making it a subscription, while still making it profitable enough for us to carry on doing anything at all!
I have two small businesses. I fully understand what it is like competing in today's ever changing marketplace. And to be completely accurate, I am happy that the software side of one of my businesses that ran from 1989 through 2005 is no longer a part of the business. I cannot fathom what that would be like in 2016.
Quote Originally Posted by katemoir
Now I have a little suspicion that you will not be completely happy with any answer I give, but fyi the reversion will include any bug fixes we've issued for that version.
No, this statement does make quite a difference. It's not fully what I would think is the forthright thing to do, but at least the application fixes are a great start to that. That we have a difference on what the forthright thing is, is what it is.

I would further expect that because the 365 subscription is being touted as a future cost/benefit as regards any added features/functions/content during the 365-day period, loosing those things at a potential reinstall for any reason past the subscription is wrong. In other words, I am not buying a license to a semi-static product as per the past. I would be buying a license to a semi-fluid product of unadvertised features/content. I would be trusting that Xara does add features/content during that 365-day period. If then those features/content which were valid during my 365-day period were withdrawn at any point in the future for any reason, then I believe that is wrong.

You mention Adobe CC. When Adobe introduced CC at the CS6 cycle, both perpetual and subscription licenses were available. I chose the perpetual license. What Adobe didn't do when CC became the only path forward was to remove features from CS6. My CS6 is the same as when they stopped updating it, which wasn't until the 2nd year of CC. Point being, that even though there was a single new feature added during CS6, it wasn't removed no matter how many times I have deactivated, reinstalled and reactivated it on new HDDs and computers.

Corel has both what they term "standard" and "premium" subscriptions for their perpetual licensees. (Terms were changed with CDX8 that was recently released.) The Standard subscription is a "static" product with the exception of bug fixes. The Premium subscription allows for new features to be rolled in during the release cycle (which is a longer release cycle than Xara's releases). If I pay for a year's Premium subscription, then cancel it after one year, then move to a new computer, all those features remain in-place upon a new installation. I don't loose them, the software doesn't revert to as purcahsed. (BTW, I also do not pay Corel's Premium fee, either.)

As I mentioned, we evidently have a disagreement on what is fair or ethical. For myself, loosing something in XDP will not have quite the impact as it does for persons using the web capabilities--God knows that there are not many drawing enhancements now and I cannot imagine these will be any more swiftly in the future. But if a new web widget appears and is used, then a reinstall following the expiration of a first install, I can see that having ramifications. It then more or less becomes a forced-upgrade, unless in-place widgets would work in that scenario.

I do wish Xara the best. I do want to see Xara succeed. I also want better print stuff--even certain things that do not work (and have not worked) properly to be fixed/added. But other than skipping XDP version 10 out of protest concerning OT feature support, I have upgraded since my first version as a means of demonstrably showing my trust and faith in Xara.

This will be my last post on this subject. I do appreciate you taking the time to respond. Releases are stressful and I suspect I have added to the stress.

Mike