Alpha Software Mobile Development Tools:   Alpha Anywhere    |   Alpha TransForm subscribe to our YouTube Channel  Follow Us on LinkedIn  Follow Us on Twitter  Follow Us on Facebook

Announcement

Collapse

The Alpha Software Forum Participation Guidelines

The Alpha Software Forum is a free forum created for Alpha Software Developer Community to ask for help, exchange ideas, and share solutions. Alpha Software strives to create an environment where all members of the community can feel safe to participate. In order to ensure the Alpha Software Forum is a place where all feel welcome, forum participants are expected to behave as follows:
  • Be professional in your conduct
  • Be kind to others
  • Be constructive when giving feedback
  • Be open to new ideas and suggestions
  • Stay on topic


Be sure all comments and threads you post are respectful. Posts that contain any of the following content will be considered a violation of your agreement as a member of the Alpha Software Forum Community and will be moderated:
  • Spam.
  • Vulgar language.
  • Quotes from private conversations without permission, including pricing and other sales related discussions.
  • Personal attacks, insults, or subtle put-downs.
  • Harassment, bullying, threatening, mocking, shaming, or deriding anyone.
  • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
  • Sexually explicit or violent material, links, or language.
  • Pirated, hacked, or copyright-infringing material.
  • Encouraging of others to engage in the above behaviors.


If a thread or post is found to contain any of the content outlined above, a moderator may choose to take one of the following actions:
  • Remove the Post or Thread - the content is removed from the forum.
  • Place the User in Moderation - all posts and new threads must be approved by a moderator before they are posted.
  • Temporarily Ban the User - user is banned from forum for a period of time.
  • Permanently Ban the User - user is permanently banned from the forum.


Moderators may also rename posts and threads if they are too generic or do not property reflect the content.

Moderators may move threads if they have been posted in the incorrect forum.

Threads/Posts questioning specific moderator decisions or actions (such as "why was a user banned?") are not allowed and will be removed.

The owners of Alpha Software Corporation (Forum Owner) reserve the right to remove, edit, move, or close any thread for any reason; or ban any forum member without notice, reason, or explanation.

Community members are encouraged to click the "Report Post" icon in the lower left of a given post if they feel the post is in violation of the rules. This will alert the Moderators to take a look.

Alpha Software Corporation may amend the guidelines from time to time and may also vary the procedures it sets out where appropriate in a particular case. Your agreement to comply with the guidelines will be deemed agreement to any changes to it.



Bonus TIPS for Successful Posting

Try a Search First
It is highly recommended that a Search be done on your topic before posting, as many questions have been answered in prior posts. As with any search engine, the shorter the search term, the more "hits" will be returned, but the more specific the search term is, the greater the relevance of those "hits". Searching for "table" might well return every message on the board while "tablesum" would greatly restrict the number of messages returned.

When you do post
First, make sure you are posting your question in the correct forum. For example, if you post an issue regarding Desktop applications on the Mobile & Browser Applications board , not only will your question not be seen by the appropriate audience, it may also be removed or relocated.

The more detail you provide about your problem or question, the more likely someone is to understand your request and be able to help. A sample database with a minimum of records (and its support files, zipped together) will make it much easier to diagnose issues with your application. Screen shots of error messages are especially helpful.

When explaining how to reproduce your problem, please be as detailed as possible. Describe every step, click-by-click and keypress-by-keypress. Otherwise when others try to duplicate your problem, they may do something slightly different and end up with different results.

A note about attachments
You may only attach one file to each message. Attachment file size is limited to 2MB. If you need to include several files, you may do so by zipping them into a single archive.

If you forgot to attach your files to your post, please do NOT create a new thread. Instead, reply to your original message and attach the file there.

When attaching screen shots, it is best to attach an image file (.BMP, .JPG, .GIF, .PNG, etc.) or a zip file of several images, as opposed to a Word document containing the screen shots. Because Word documents are prone to viruses, many message board users will not open your Word file, therefore limiting their ability to help you.

Similarly, if you are uploading a zipped archive, you should simply create a .ZIP file and not a self-extracting .EXE as many users will not run your EXE file.
See more
See less

Pre-release and expired subscription

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

    Perhaps Alpha would consider building in a three day grace period?

    Shut down the server as it does now, but when the developer goes into the server configuration to investigate, have a button next to where it says "subscription expired" to allow the developer a 3 day grace period that will allow the server to run for 3 more days.

    Yes, I know you get emails beforehand - but this would allow everyone to save face. The developer would have a couple days to get the server resubscribed or allow them to toggle it back to the previous release. The customer doesn't lose business because their website is down, and Alpha (and the developer) don't look like they are causing trouble because somebody ignored a subscription reminder.

    If Alpha had 24/7 service - or the ability to resubscribe over the weekend - this might not be necessary, but they don't - so it is.

    Three days is long enough to get the job done, but short enough so it doesn't cut into subscription profits. (And the new subscription can be renewed at the expiry date anyway.)

    Does that sound fair?

    Comment


      #17
      Re: Activation woes

      Originally posted by kkfin View Post
      It sounds different but in practice is same for those how develop for clients.
      Ken, I don't disagree with you. My point is that the way it stands people can and are misinterpreting the subscription. This shouldn't happen and it should be made crystal clear.
      Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

      Comment


        #18
        Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

        Well it is now crystal clear, Selwyn advised the following today.
        I think the real issue here is that we expect customers to have a valid subscription at all times.

        For historical reasons, the legacy customer base (i.e. customers who were v11 users before V12 came out) have a special type of subscription that allows them to continue using the product after their subscription end (but limits them to the last official build that was available at the time their subscription ran out)

        we no longer sell these types of subscriptions anymore.

        we only sell 'true' subscriptions which means you must have a valid subscription at all times in order to use Alpha Anywhere.
        Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
        Albert Einstein, (attributed)
        US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

        Comment


          #19
          Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

          But that is not true. I have a couple V12 servers working fine off of expired subscriptions. They are not using a prerelease and their patch date is old, but they are working. I DID have a subscription expire that was on a prerelease and that one failed - but fortunately it was during the week, so I was able to get it taken care of quickly. If it had been on a Saturday or Sunday it would have been bad.

          That is why I suggest a Grace period possibility - until Alpha can figure out a way to renew subscriptions on the fly.

          Note: Even with the Grace period, they server should be shut down first - otherwise people will just ignore it as they ignored the warning email. But you have to be able to turn a mission critical server back on - even if for a short time - so you can deal with the financials without going out of business.

          Comment


            #20
            Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

            Well i'm just passing it on.
            Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
            Albert Einstein, (attributed)
            US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

            Comment


              #21
              Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

              Thank you Peter passing the Selwyns statement (post #18). As you did say it is now totally clear. Selwyns statement : "...we only sell 'true' subscriptions which means you must have a valid subscription at all times in order to use Alpha Anywhere. "

              According to Selwyn there are also "legacy customers" that may have different valid license (but not anymore new licenses in the future.) I hope everyone knows at the moment under what kind of license their AA is.

              So in the future as a Alphas customer you have to pay what ever they ask at the end of subscription period or your Alpha Anywhere stops running. I would say fair play now when you know it forehand.

              Comment


                #22
                Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                Another reason I'm moving away from Alpha "we only sell 'true' subscriptions which means you must have a valid subscription at all times in order to use Alpha Anywhere." If I lease a printer I don't have to return the prints when the lease expires. Why should I lose the ability to run software I have built just because the tool used to build it is out of subscription?

                I'm a one-man band developing solutions on the desktop for a small customer base and don't need the latest 'bells & whistles' but am forced to pay $XXXX to Alpha EVERY YEAR just for the privilege of having the software run.

                And what happens if Alpha go bust? Does every copy of AA stop working because the authentication servers are taken down?

                Comment


                  #23
                  Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                  Well, like it or not, now we know where we stand!
                  Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                    I wonder of new users realize they must be hostages for life if they want to continue to use the software?
                    Peter
                    AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

                    [email protected]
                    https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


                    Comment


                      #25
                      Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                      Well - as I said, I only deal with clients that understand they pay the required licenses, I've come to undertand just how expensive it must be to run an entity like Alpha, and the terms are the terms - As a developer I'm happy with the service provided and the advances coming through. Fact is if they aren't funded - they don't continue, and that's not good. So everyone needs to adjust to the process by re-thinking their model, as I have done, it will help you.
                      Cheers Pete.
                      Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
                      Albert Einstein, (attributed)
                      US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                        The subscription model is what all software will move to eventually. Probably sooner than later.
                        Mike Brown - Contact Me
                        Programmatic Technologies, LLC
                        Programmatic-Technologies.com
                        Independent Developer & Consultant​​

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                          Pete,

                          I don't have any problem with a subscription model whatsoever. It makes perfect sense that if you want to continue to receive updates you pay. No problemo. The problem occurs when you stop the software from working at the end of a subscription. The software should continue to work, period. Stop paying and you don't get the benefit of new features, understood. But kill the software product; I just don't see how that is a winning model.
                          Peter
                          AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

                          [email protected]
                          https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


                          Comment


                            #28
                            Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                            It helps me understand what Alpha is likely to do by realizing that Alpha only has one version. The don't maintain V11, or V12.3 after they release V12.4. So, any fix that is in the prerelease will be in every future release, but will never be available separately in a past release. So, the policy is like a treadmill: keep up or drop out. It has always worked like that, from the $99 version I started with through today's $2000 + version.

                            I'm too old to start over, but I am hiring new programmers who know more than Alpha so we can start migrating to a new platform, and have cut back from 11 copies of Alpha to 3 and will probably cut that back to 2 when the next subscription ends.
                            Pat Bremkamp
                            MindKicks Consulting

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                              Lets hope that Alphas customer base is rock solid and also new customers understand the benefits they get from the new license model.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Re: Pre-release and expired subscription

                                if you go to Microsoft office, the subscription plan is spelled out: what happens when the license is not renewed, not in alphasoftware.com . there is no mention that the software will not work. anybody who feels that the "software should work, period" is in for a shock when they look outside. almost all the software is on subscription model now or will be there soon. if the terms are spelled out and gradually the software dies as in Microsoft office, then the people who want to buy let them buy or if that does not suit them they can walk away, and if they buy there is some time lag to gather themselves to new entity or whatever they want to do with their product. server stops working on the weekend with no hope of recovery is not good, not for the software company, nor for the developer who depends on the software company.
                                my two cents when I don't have the model that needs the subscription services.
                                thanks for reading

                                gandhi

                                version 11 3381 - 4096
                                mysql backend
                                http://www.alphawebprogramming.blogspot.com
                                [email protected]
                                Skype:[email protected]
                                1 914 924 5171

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X