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Feature Packs

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    Feature Packs

    I am loving a lot of the new features that are available but help me out with something. If I order a new fancy Corvette from GM I don't think its possible to add any amount of features that exceed the value of the base model.

    Lets see I can buy a 2 for one copy of v10 last week for 199 if I am not mistaken. And I can add about 500 in features per license.

    Am I missing something here?
    Chad Brown

    #2
    Re: Feature Packs

    I think they are bits & pieces from v11 that you have to pay for if you want them early, hopefully v11 will include all of them at no additional price.
    Cheers
    Mauricio

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Feature Packs

      Originally posted by mmaisterrena View Post
      I think they are bits & pieces from v11 that you have to pay for if you want them early, hopefully v11 will include all of them at no additional price.
      Or maybe Alpha will have updated Feature Packs versions for Alpha 11. Users seems to love them so why not sell them again and again in upcoming versions.

      Ken

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Feature Packs

        If the upcoming V11 developer version sales price >= $600,00 incl. all the feature packs what would you do then strip, include or buy a other tool?

        I prefere to have a choice.

        m2p

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Feature Packs

          Originally posted by chadbrown View Post
          I am loving a lot of the new features that are available but help me out with something. If I order a new fancy Corvette from GM I don't think its possible to add any amount of features that exceed the value of the base model.

          Lets see I can buy a 2 for one copy of v10 last week for 199 if I am not mistaken. And I can add about 500 in features per license.

          Am I missing something here?
          Chad,
          Yeah, I think you are missing something. Feature packs are OPTIONAL software. I think the key is OPTIONAL. If one finds value in it and purchases it, great. If not, don't purchase it. It seems like a great way to offer people software, who see a value in it. Why should EVRYONE have to pay higher prices for the base model, so to speak, for things they will never use? I am sure Desktop developers are not lining up to pay Alpha for the majority of the feature Packs, athough there are some great ones for Desktop developers also.

          Going back to your vette analogy, not everyone is going to spend over a hundred grand (or 130,00 with more options) for a ZR1, but the base model at under 50k, may be just fine for most. BUT the options are there if you want them. It doesn't really matter what the cost is, if you need it and see the value in it. Having and offering options is just a smart way of doing business.

          Remember, Feature packs are offering options that you have lived without up till the point of there release. When I look at these feature packs, I first decide whether I think i will use it, and if the answer is yes, will it save me enough time ($$$$) to justify the cost($). If yes, it makes my decision pretty easy. I can honestly say that each FP I have purchased, has saved me enough time and allowed me to provide my users with better options.
          Last edited by Bill Griffin; 08-27-2010, 07:18 AM.
          Bill Griffin
          Parkell, Inc

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Feature Packs

            Originally posted by Bill Griffin View Post
            Feature packs are offering options that you have lived without up till the point of there release.
            Just with Alpha development.

            Ken

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Feature Packs

              If I purchase a feature pack now can I use it in the upcoming versions or do I have to repurchase them again? Or will there be an upgrade fee maybe?
              Chad Brown

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Feature Packs

                When I purchased v10, I paid something like $599, the other day they were offering it for $149. So the way I figure it, Alpha owes me $450. Based upon my calculations, that should cover all the feature packs for v10 and for v11 upgrade.
                Peter
                AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

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


                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Feature Packs

                  Unfortunately Peter that is a "client side calculation" and it won't work.

                  But In theory yes you are correct.
                  Chad Brown

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Feature Packs

                    Originally posted by Peter.Greulich View Post
                    When I purchased v10, I paid something like $599, the other day they were offering it for $149. So the way I figure it, Alpha owes me $450. Based upon my calculations, that should cover all the feature packs for v10 and for v11 upgrade.
                    I concur Peter.

                    When buying into a proprietary software development environment/method such as Alpha, we become a captive audience.

                    We do so because of 3 tenets:
                    1. The development/deployment advantages offered by the technology.
                    2. The cost/benefit ratio compared to another technology path.
                    And most importantly:
                    3. An expectation of improvements and increased feature richness over time, delivered at a reasonable cost.

                    As a member of a 'captive audience', I am continuously evaluating whether the 3 tenets above are holding true. After all, I feel I have bought into a method, not just a 'version'.

                    I must temper this by saying that Alpha has every right to profit from their efforts and regarding Tenet 3, I concede that there is a lot of wriggle room in the term 'reasonable cost'.

                    However, I am also starting to get uncomfortable with the amount being charged for the feature packs when I view many of these as 'reasonable improvements'. Add to this, the level of discounting available in never ending 'special offers' and Alpha is seriously close to insulting its front-line buyers in the pursuit of the business model.

                    Of course my discomfort will disappear immediately if I am offered the v11 upgrade for $50!:D

                    Manifold System GIS, albeit with probably a larger user-base, does exactly that. There are feature packs that you can buy, but the core product upgrade cost has historically been $50.

                    Come-on Alpha, whats the plan? I like your feature packs, they raise apps to a new level, but I am loathe to keep paying if you are going to ask me to pay again!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Feature Packs

                      I've noticed that the 30 day trial comes with all features enabled. This is good for showing off, but since you can actually create something useful in 30 days, there are going to be people who find their shiny new app won't work unless they fork over more money to turn the features back on!

                      There is also a risk of people getting so much invested in extra features that if they have to purchase again for V11, they may just stick with V10.

                      I hope Alpha announces what they are going to do about the packs in the future. It would make me more likely to buy one now. So far, the only one I can't live without is the export to excel pack.

                      Pat
                      Pat Bremkamp
                      MindKicks Consulting

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Feature Packs

                        Originally posted by Peter.Greulich View Post
                        When I purchased v10, I paid something like $599, the other day they were offering it for $149. So the way I figure it, Alpha owes me $450. Based upon my calculations, that should cover all the feature packs for v10 and for v11 upgrade.
                        Peter, I think you may be comparing apples to oranges

                        The $599 you paid was not just for the developer version but included other licenses.

                        These feature packs are optional features that each developer decides upon and presumably bases this decision on a very simple cost vs benefit (time saved) calculation.

                        In defense of our our pricing - let me start off by stating that we appreciate the support of the Alpha user community.

                        Pricing in any market always has to be looked at in terms of the market. In this context,check out out the InfoWorld review of tools for building Web apps rapidly http://blog.alphasoftware.com/search...myclicker.y=12 (where Alpha Five was rated #1 independent of price)

                        You will see below that Alpha Five's pricing is a small fraction of our competitors. In fact we are often asked by people who are new to Alpha why are prices are so low??? ( because they know the cost of our competitors.) We tend to respond that our philosophy is to keep our product affordable and within reach of developers of all sizes
                        1. Iron Speed: $2,795.
                        2. OutSystem Agile Platform: $49 per user of an application per month. Equals to $6,000 a year for 10 or $60,000 a year for 100 users.
                        3. Visual LANSA: Not posted on their web site, but we were given a quote by the company which stated "about $15,000 for first deployment server, and $5,000 for every additional server. "
                        Richard Rabins
                        Co Chairman
                        Alpha Software

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Feature Packs

                          Hi Richard,

                          These are good points and apply to me as well. Alphas reasonable pricing in general is certainly appreciated.

                          I guess the main issue for me is uncertainty regarding future costs and cost structures and whether being an existing license holder and early adopter of improvements, no matter how they are packaged, makes economic sense.

                          Chris

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Feature Packs

                            I m a big fan of a subscription based model. Pay a set annual fee (or monthly payments) and get all updates and new releases. The cost is something that you can budget for and you don't feel like you are being taken advantage of as a captive customer.

                            It's a win / win situation for all parties concerned.

                            Autodesk used this technique quite successfully for it's upgrades.
                            Bob Moore


                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Feature Packs

                              Two points....

                              1. You might want to have multiple versions of the product...Personal, Professional and Enterprise. Where the Enterprise version contains all feature packs at a slightly reduced cost

                              2. I like the concept of feature packs but I do feel some of them should have been part of the base system. For example....the ability to export to excel and the advanced search features should be built into Alpha Five by default. But having the Up Size Database Genie and Flying Start Genie as a feature pack makes sense.

                              Comment

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