Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

[forskare]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Most people want a fast sports car that gets 60mpg while pulling a 5000 lb boat and carrying 15 passengers in full comfort and style. All this and fit a 200 a month payment with no money down for 60 months.

Don't forgert $0 interest!! I'll take it. Oh yes, I also want free delivery

[Paullm]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Dave,

Very true! However, if you have large applications that are running just fine under V11, you are unlikely to take the immediate knee-jerk action of redoing them in something else. You will probably wait it out ... at least for a time!

V7 was working just fine for me and there are many A5 users out there that are still running on earlier versions.

Of course, all this has to be weighed against what A.S. MAY do in the future ... and historically, more appealing offers tend to appear well after a new release date.

In some respects, it's a giant game of "Chicken"!

[DaveM]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Paul,
How many will not take any of those directions or another?

[Paullm]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

You see, the step before presentation and demonstration is qualification where you find out what the customer wants to spend, what they CAN spend, what they need and what they want. Simple process, right? Not really. But its what you have to do.

Users will merely go through a self-qualifying process, then take appropriate action based on their needs.

Many WILL upgrade to Version 12/AA (via subscription), IF they see mobile as an absolute necessity for what they are doing [i.e the application(s) they are creating using A5].

Others will merely wait it out ... maybe until the time they want/actually need to incorporate mobile functionality OR if they are happy with what Version 11 currently provides, BUT still keeping an eye on their email inbox, just to see what subsequent offers emanate from Burlington, Mass.

Those offers will typically start to get more "interesting" the further out we get after the release of V12/AA.

[DaveM]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

The release of Alpha Anywhere is fast approaching and it will only be available on a subscription basis. If you act by Friday, March 29th, we'll give you a $1000 credit, based on your previous purchase of Alpha Five v11, to apply towards the current price of a 1 year Alpha Anywhere subscription. With this credit you can subscribe now for just $699!

Doesn't this mean there will be more money due when v12 come out. as, 699 now and how much more if v12 comes out in 10 days?

This to me is too high and I am not sure what I am getting. At least it is something in black and white. This also does not assure me that I could get it for the same price next year. compound this with the fact that there is much in the subscription I will never use.

Brings me back to the car business where we do a walk around and demonstration. It is a proven fact that people buy what they are most familiar and comfortable with(as long as it fits the budget or close).
we simply walked them around, over and through the vehicle while explaining every feature, button, line, fabric and even the shortcomings (sometimes). The next step was a demonstration drive that usually took about 15 - 30 minutes. By then, we pretty much knew it was a sale or not.
Biggest problems came from showing a 40,000 dollar car when the client could only afford 20,000.00. I have seen people lose their jobs for making that mistake several times.
You see, the step before presentation and demonstration is qualification where you find out what the cusomer wants to spend, what they CAN spend, what they need and what they want. Simple process, right? Not really. But is what you have to do.

Most people want a fast sports car that gets 60mpg while pulling a 5000 lb boat and carrying 15 passengers in full comfort and style. All this and fit a 200 a month payment with no money down for 60 months.


We programmers are not much different.

I have sold cars for as low as $62.50 and have exceeded $210,000.00 . The car still went from point A to point B.

[kkfin]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

I did get also the offer of the subscription towards an Alpha Anywhere (Alpha Five v12) subscription. I must say I did read the offer many times.
But it is still unclear to me that does the offer in fact include v12 subscription.

Edit: We all know that version 11 will stay beside version 12. In my understand the offer did not include v12 subscription.

[bobalston]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Richard promised answers to the questions raised in the previous thread. Of course, that was before the thread was removed. So even if he posted answers, we don't get to read them.

bob

[SNusa]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

I would suspect ala-carte will be around as I believe Richard said. I also do not think alpha is dumb enough to rely only on their subscription plan.

"Moi non plus, mais ~ on ne sais jamais!....."
(It's amazing what comes back after a little vin-rouge, aka "red vino!")

[DaveM]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

I would suspect ala-carte will be around as I believe Richard said. I also do not think alpha is dumb enough to rely only on their subscription plan.

[SNusa]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

I doubt that there is any straight and clear answer to this at present. Even if there is one (at present), I wouldn't count on it being "absolute."

[jkwrpc]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Before this thread gets too far afield can we set it back on track. The remaining question I was seeking clarification on,was whether or not v12 will only be available by subscription? Such is the the pretty clear inference I read from the recent promo emails. I continue to hope we will also be able to purchase the v12 licenses via the old ala Carte method.

If and when someone can answer that with some degree of certainty I would appreciate knowing.

[DaveM]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Ken,

I am pretty sure that the name "alpha" was in use before our alpha went to the web. I tried a long time ago to find alpha on the web and the other alpha was what I found. I never thought of alphasoftware at the time. Of course, I could have registered many of the popular names of today and made a lot of money. Who knew then??

alphabasic would have been better to me?

[DaveM]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Well,

I have an application used by Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet, BMW, Dodge, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Saab, Cadillac, Jaguar, Buick, Hyundai, Lincoln, Kia, GMC, Mazda, and most others. Well........, The dealers use it. That's close enough, RIGHT??

[kkfin]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

There is a difference between brands Alpha5 and Alpha five. Bad choice from Alpha or they have not protected their brand as they should.
I must say same thing is with name : xbasic. Bad name.

I hope they have better luck with alpha-anywhere but I think they do not own anywhere.com. So At the moment seems to be bad choice again..

[mronck]

Re: Can anyone clarify the recent Alpha mailing

Well Robert, nowhere was ever stated that it were "enterprise solutions", now was it? Nonetheless, you use that words as to prove that the notations of Alpha that their product is used by (let's say) UPS is an "exaggeration" as you name it. Though Alpha never ever stated that their product was used in combination with any qualification or level of the resulting application. So yes, I find that belittling of Alpha of which really is no need and grew old long time ago.

Furthermore, every company likes to show itself from the sunny side. That's nothing special. I guess that you yourself will also not promote your developer skills by venting your biggest mistakes, would you?

I think there is nothing wrong by offering some counterweight to the always negative sense of your posts with regards to Alpha (humorous?). I think that Alpha is proud to be delivering to these companies (for whatever product it may be used) and I also think that our colleague developer is proud to have an application in the White House (for whatever function). And rightfully so.