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Pre-release and expired subscription

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    Pre-release and expired subscription

    Like many I didn't realise that if you install a patch that is 'pre-release' and your subscription expires then you are forced to update your subscription or revert to the last official release before your subscription expired.

    That's fair enough, however its not very clear that this is what happens and I've had many unhappy customers to deal with as a result of the app server telling them the server is not licensed.

    Also - in my case the pre-release fixed a fatal bug so now I am forced to update my subscription or have a version with a fatal bug.

    It's Sunday and I'm screwed ! ;-(

    Very disappointed - I would have updated if I'd have known this, but as a small company I have to watch my expenses carefully, I assumed any patches loaded before the expiry date would continue to work.

    #2
    Re: Activation woes

    Originally posted by mikew2 View Post
    Very disappointed - I would have updated if I'd have known this, but as a small company I have to watch my expenses carefully, I assumed any patches loaded before the expiry date would continue to work.
    The only subscription benefit is bug hunting from pre-release builds. But Alpha seems to change license policy once a year on the fly so lets again wait what happens in the future.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Activation woes

      The way it *should* work is that Alpha should prevent you from installing a non-qualified patch. That's what some other programs do. OTOH, I do think it is self-evident that if you "subscribe" to a service, and that subscription expires, you will no longer be eligible for releases following the subscription expiration date.
      Peter
      AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

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


      Comment


        #4
        Re: Activation woes

        Surely if the patch was to fix a bug and it was provided before the subscription expired he should not be penalised because Alpha hasn't got around to doing a formal release ??

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Activation woes

          The pre-release is provided for early adopters and is not an official release as Alpha clearly states. They could just as well keep the pre-release hidden from the public until they get around to making an official release. I don't think anyone is being penalized. The release "schedule" is what it is.
          Last edited by Peter.Greulich; 08-28-2016, 05:57 PM. Reason: typo
          Peter
          AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

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


          Comment


            #6
            Re: Activation woes

            Thats a fair point Peter, I think my disappointment is with the way that the subscription expiry is handled and the effect that it has had on my customers.

            I assumed that any patch installed up to the point of expiry would be safe and I was aware that unless I renewed any future releases would not be available.

            What makes it a little more difficult to accept is that I had to install the pre-release because of a bug discovered several months before the expiry date. I should say that the bug was fixed and a release made available within 24 hours of reporting it - truely remarkable response in terms of the patch but months later I still have no idea when it will be 'officially' released.

            I've been working with Alpha for almost 10 years now and my experience has been really positive, I love the product and there is much to admire about the way they deal with development and bug fixes.

            I understand the subscription model, I just didn't expect my server to close down and all my client applications fail.
            Last edited by mikew2; 08-28-2016, 05:48 PM. Reason: typo

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Activation woes

              I don't disagree that it could be handled much better. Failed web sites reflect badly upon Alpha.
              Peter
              AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

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


              Comment


                #8
                Re: Activation woes

                Originally posted by mikew2 View Post
                I assumed that any patch installed up to the point of expiry would be safe and I was aware that unless I renewed any future releases would not be available.
                Actually, this is a bit of an eye opener! I was under exactly the assumption as Mike that until your subscription ran out that you would have access to any available builds, not just official releases.
                I have looked on the Alpha Anywhere site and could not find this spelled out anywhere. It is certainly something that should be make very clear.
                Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Activation woes

                  Originally posted by iRadiate View Post
                  Actually, this is a bit of an eye opener! I was under exactly the assumption as Mike that until your subscription ran out that you would have access to any available builds, not just official releases.
                  I have looked on the Alpha Anywhere site and could not find this spelled out anywhere. It is certainly something that should be make very clear.
                  Pre-release build is for testing not for production purposes. It is said clear in pre-release notes: "This is not an official patch, so you should not deploy this update to a production environment". So if your subscription ends you lose your right to test and find bugs.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Activation woes

                    I have to sympathise with Mike W. It seems a pretty random way for Alpha to issue bug fixes. My own experience is as follows:

                    Purchase made August 2015
                    No official release until April 2016 - over 8 months from the previous release
                    A further release in April, followed by 4 more in May and another in June
                    Nothing more before my subscription expired.

                    I'm sure Alpha were busy developing and making fixes between July 2015 and April 2016, but NONE of them were released to the production environment during that period.

                    This is one of the many reasons that I have decided that AA is no longer the tool for me.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Activation woes

                      Obviously the development cost with Alpha and the yearly change in license policy means something today .
                      I have liked Alphas earlier decision to bring Nodejs available. But things are again with Alpha different like year ago. 1000 is now 2500 plus deploy. In fact I do not even know which version I have now.
                      But this all has had an impact to me. I still use Node to handle submitted form data and websockets. But now I am using Node with EvenNode stack and more changes is coming in near future.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Activation woes

                        The way I see it, AA Pre-release builds is one of those products where the cart is always before the horse, that is - it doesn't need to be pulled along as it's development force (momentum) is greater than the energy the horse (us developers have) to pull it.

                        Consuming change at his rate is always going to be difficult, for me - I jump on as soon as they are available, I put them into a test bed, see if they still run my benchmark components, and if they pass - then great if not, then I pass on them. This has worked for me to-date, in my spare time I revisit them and see what the issue was and when possible submit a bug report.

                        But the issue of bug fixes for issues being fixed from prior releases is indeed an issue in itself and should be addressed one way or the other - as one person put is once - 'it's an inconvenient truth' - if something has a flaw, and the source of the flaw was discovered, and a fix was created to resolve the flaw, then the fix should be applied. – But it’s not necessarily the case.

                        The issue here is, it's made clear that when you subscribe, you get a product, you get support for the product, you get revisions - when you subscribe, you subscribe to what is being offered to you at that time - if its 6 months old at that time and bug fixes during that period supplied or not, then that is what it is, else customers could wait (defer use) until the new model comes out, and then purchase - just like buying a car, if you are happy to walk or take the bus for six months, then wait for the latest, if not a second class ride is better than a fist class walk – so you could decide get it now.

                        I have to say - I once took a hard line on this matter - the it's not fair - how could this be, but not anymore - AA helps me earn $200k + every year - and one of the reasons for that is I like seeing the cart in front of me, not behind me. So do my clients.
                        The solution
                        Here's what you do if you develop in AA and struggle with cost of development and server licenses - shift cost to your prospective client in the very first meeting - if they can't handle it, then you need to go figure why you’re at the meeting.

                        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


                          #13
                          Re: Activation woes

                          Originally posted by kkfin View Post
                          Pre-release build is for testing not for production purposes. It is said clear in pre-release notes: "This is not an official patch, so you should not deploy this update to a production environment". So if your subscription ends you lose your right to test and find bugs.
                          There is a big difference between stating "This is not an official patch, so you should not deploy this update to a production environment" and "You will lose the ability to run the pre-release if your subscription expires."
                          That was not my interpretation and it sounds like Mike's understanding was also wrong. It should be spelled out clearly by Alpha to avoid this kind of misunderstanding.
                          Alpha Anywhere v12.4.6.5.2 Build 8867-5691 IIS v10.0 on Windows Server 2019 Std in Hyper-V

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Activation woes

                            Originally posted by peteconway View Post
                            The solution
                            Here's what you do if you develop in AA and struggle with cost of development and server licenses - shift cost to your prospective client in the very first meeting - if they can't handle it, then you need to go figure why you’re at the meeting.

                            Cheers Pete
                            ... or move to .Net and Xamarin !

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Activation woes

                              Originally posted by iRadiate View Post
                              There is a big difference between stating "This is not an official patch, so you should not deploy this update to a production environment" and "You will lose the ability to run the pre-release if your subscription expires."
                              That was not my interpretation and it sounds like Mike's understanding was also wrong. It should be spelled out clearly by Alpha to avoid this kind of misunderstanding.
                              It sounds different but in practice is same for those how develop for clients.

                              Comment

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