Questions regarding Licences and Future Version of FSUIPC

[wahltho]

Hi Pete,

first of all: Happy New Year to you and your family.

According to my impression there seems to be quite some confusion within the FS-community regarding the planned handling of FSUIPC-licences and future versions of FSUIPC.

My understanding is, that close to the introduction of the new version of FS also a new FSUIPC version 4.00, supporting the new FS version, will be available.

In order to be able to use the full functionality of FSUIPC version >= 4.00 it will be required to buy a new licence (which I will happily do to support you and your work). It will not be possible to register FSUIPC with an old licence key.

Existing licences will continue to work without time restriction with all FSUIPC versions >= 3.00 and < 4.00.

Is my understanding correct?

A clarification from your side would be highly appreciated.

[Pete Dowson]

According to my impression there seems to be quite some confusion within the FS-community regarding the planned handling of FSUIPC-licences and future versions of FSUIPC.

Really? no one has talked to me about this, yet. I believe you are the first to mention it.

My understanding is, that close to the introduction of the new version of FS also a new FSUIPC version 4.00, supporting the new FS version, will be available.

Well, two points of clarification there:

1. I cannot actually guarantee to provide a version of FSUIPC compatible with any new version of FS. That just isn't possible, as it may turn out that the things I do to hook into FS cannot be done with a new version. This happened with CFS3, for example. All I can do is promise to do my best.

2. Whilst I would try to make a compatible release "close to" (i.e. soon after) the release of a new version of FS, this does depend on many things -- like how much has changed, and whether I was lucky enough to be invited by MS to be part of the Beta team. If things are difficult and I am not involved before release, then there could be quite a long gap.

In order to be able to use the full functionality of FSUIPC version >= 4.00 it will be required to buy a new licence (which I will happily do to support you and your work). It will not be possible to register FSUIPC with an old licence key.

Possibly, or quite likely, yes. You are quite a bit ahead of me really. For instance, maybe a renewal of a licence will be possible at less than a full new fee. It really depends on the amount of work involved in making the new version, if it is possible in the first place. If it is as much work as FSUIPC 3 was, then, yes, I am more likely to say that renewals will cost the same as new sales, except possibly for sales in the few weeks or months leading up to the new release.

Existing licences will continue to work without time restriction with all FSIUIPC versions >= 3.00 and < 4.00.

Yes. Of course, though support for older versions will dwindle -- once Version 4 is out I shall not be adding new facilities to 3, that's for sure (just as I do not support version 2). But it also depends on what exactly version 4 is. I may even split off the user-facilities parts from the application interface part -- users only pay for the former in any case.

Is my understanding correct?

It seems reasonable, though very premature as no decisions have yet been made, nor can they be until I know more about the future. ;-)

A clarification from your side would be highly appreciated.

Could you tell me why? What is it that you are worried about at this point in time? Just because it is now 2006?

Regards,

Pete

[wahltho]

Hi Pete,

thanks for your clarification.

These discussion started this morning following the publication of version 3.53 within a German-speaking FS forum, which is hosted by Flightxpress (http://www.flightxpress.de), the largest FS-publication for the German language area. I think this was also linked to your announcement that people, which buy a license for FSUIPC now, must use version 3.53 or later to be able to register. Additionally one guy reported, that his registration was gone after installation of 3.53 (, which actually later turned out have been somehow a mistake).

Some people obbviously got the impression that they would have to buy a new licence immediatly and their existing licences might be timely limited.

You know how things like these tend to develop within forums, therefore I thought getting a quick clarification from the developer, would be the best way to get this sorted out immediately.

I assume that your clarification will stop these rumours immediately.

Thanks again :-)

[Pete Dowson]

Some people obbviously got the impression that they would have to buy a new licence immediatly and their existing licences might be timely limited.

Hmm. Someone must be rather poor at translating English into German then. ;-)

3.53 simply solved a problem with NEW registrations entered after 31st December 2006. It was merely due to the unexpected continuing development of FSUIPC 3 well beyond the two years I'd originally assumed would be needed.

Certainly once FSUIPC 4 comes out, if there will ever be one (still to be determined as I explained), then NEW registrations will no longer be sold for FSUIPC 3 -- unless I cannot for any reason keep FSUIPC backward compatible with previous versions of FS.

At present there is no thought of expiring existing registrations, it would only be the support and development which ceases as technology and software move on.

Regards,

Pete