My licenses are expiring what are my options?

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  • theologyonline
    Senior Member
    • Feb 2001
    • 110

    My licenses are expiring what are my options?

    OK, I am confused. I have three owned licenses.

    They are all expiring, but when I try to renew them the only option I get is to purchase the 4.0 license for $195. Isn't there a way to purchase access to the members area for my regular 3.x vbulletins?

    I certainly can't afford to pay $600 for new software. I already bought this software... do I have to buy it again?

    What are my options here?
    Discuss and debate theology at TheologyOnline.com
  • JamieinNH
    Senior Member
    • May 2004
    • 393
    • 3.8.x

    #2
    Originally posted by theologyonline
    OK, I am confused. I have three owned licenses.

    They are all expiring, but when I try to renew them the only option I get is to purchase the 4.0 license for $195. Isn't there a way to purchase access to the members area for my regular 3.x vbulletins?

    I certainly can't afford to pay $600 for new software. I already bought this software... do I have to buy it again?

    What are my options here?
    Sadly, having an owned license now is of no value.

    They changed the license scheme and the only thing you have now is buying the vB 4.0. You can either buy the Forums only which only gives support for 30 days and only the Forums, or you can buy the Suite which gives you the Forums, CMS and Blogs and unlimited support for the life of that line.

    The Suite is in my opinion very riddled with bugs and isn't ready for a live site (thinking in terms of the whole package) So what you would be buying would be the hope they get it right in the future or you would buy it just the 'rights' to run 3.8 for the life of that version. From my understanding you can run 3.8 until the EOL which would be when 4.2 comes out.

    You are stuck paying for three new licenses or finding another script to run your site I am afraid. I really like your site and think you need to read over these forums carefully before making your decision, things here are not what they used to be.

    Jamie

    Comment

    • Zachery
      Former vBulletin Support
      • Jul 2002
      • 59097

      #3
      Owned licenses are far from worthless. Please stop spreading fud around about licenses.

      You can upgrade from a v3 license to a v4 license for 175 USD per license, upgrades get bulk discounts if you upgrade at the same time. Any discounts in general are applied to the number of licenses you have.

      You do not have to upgrade to continue to run the software. What happens is after the download access expires you won't have access to newer versions. If you are happy with vBulletin 3 and do not need newer version you're not required to take any actions.

      Comment

      • s1dest3pnate
        Member
        • Aug 2009
        • 89
        • 3.8.x

        #4
        Originally posted by Zachery
        Owned licenses are far from worthless. Please stop spreading fud around about licenses.

        You can upgrade from a v3 license to a v4 license for 175 USD per license, upgrades get bulk discounts if you upgrade at the same time. Any discounts in general are applied to the number of licenses you have.

        You do not have to upgrade to continue to run the software. What happens is after the download access expires you won't have access to newer versions. If you are happy with vBulletin 3 and do not need newer version you're not required to take any actions.
        See, the problem with this is that people who bought an owned 3.x license merely 1 year ago or less feel that they are not getting a fair upgrade option to a 4.x license. We JUST bought a 3.x for $180 if I remember correctly and now we have to pay another almost $200.00? That's ridiculous. We aren't buying a totally new product (that's for sure), just simply a newer version (that comes with bugs and the same features - YAY!). $80-$100 would be much more logical and fair for both your business and the customer.

        Comment

        • Zachery
          Former vBulletin Support
          • Jul 2002
          • 59097

          #5
          You did get what you paid for, a license to run the software.

          Comment

          • dieKetzer
            Senior Member
            • Jun 2000
            • 242
            • 1.1.x

            #6
            i think the fact that people also bought into what they believed was a known upgrade cost is lost on you, zachery.
            Into the Void

            Comment

            • Zachery
              Former vBulletin Support
              • Jul 2002
              • 59097

              #7
              Originally posted by dieKetzer
              i think the fact that people also bought into what they believed was a known upgrade cost is lost on you, zachery.
              That is not part of the license, or license agreement though. I'm aware of the changes in the licensing and understand what was changed.

              Comment

              • feldon23
                Senior Member
                • Nov 2001
                • 11291
                • 3.7.x

                #8
                Originally posted by Zachery
                Owned licenses are far from worthless. Please stop spreading fud around about licenses.

                You can upgrade from a v3 license to a v4 license for 175 USD per license
                Very well. A vBulletin Owned license purchased as recently as 8 months ago is worth $10. That's a 94.6% loss in value.

                If I bought a car for $12,000.00 and 8 months later it was worth $648.69, I guess technically, it would be wrong for me to describe it as worthless, even though the average person wouldn't begrudge me the use of that vernacular.

                Originally posted by Zachery
                What happens is after the download access expires you won't have access to newer versions.
                Including security fixes, because security fixes are only released for the latest branch.

                I will stop complaining on the subject of licenses if vBulletin introduces a $30-60 vBulletin 3.x maintenance contract and fixes the End-of-Life at January 2013.
                Last edited by feldon23; Fri 16 Apr '10, 4:25pm.

                Comment

                • smiggy
                  Senior Member
                  • Jul 2007
                  • 175
                  • 3.8.x

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Zachery
                  You did get what you paid for, a license to run the software.
                  If this was the year 2008, I think all users would agree with that but since owned licenses were removed in year 2009 I find it hard how any of us got what we paid for or will be.

                  Originally we renewed our licenses for $60 knowing we'd get maintenance releases every 2 months (that's 6 in a year) and now you're asking us to fork out an extra $115 for quite possibly only one more maintenance release (3.8.6) since you're keeping tight lipped as to when and if there's going to be anymore maintenance releases for the 3.x series. To top off an extra $115 for a product vB4 which some of us never intend to install or at least for a long time. No, I don't think any of us paying an extra $115 will be getting our moneys worth.

                  That's a ridiculously pathetic way of conducting business and you guys ought' review this policy. Why not just decided how many more maintenance releases you're going to bring out and then charge us accordingly? Makes sense doesn't it?

                  Comment

                  • dieKetzer
                    Senior Member
                    • Jun 2000
                    • 242
                    • 1.1.x

                    #10
                    you may be aware of the legal liabilities of ib and whatnot, but youre obviously out of touch with the concept of value for money.
                    Originally posted by Zachery
                    That is not part of the license, or license agreement though. I'm aware of the changes in the licensing and understand what was changed.
                    Into the Void

                    Comment

                    • IB Adrian
                      Former Senior Operations Manager
                      • Jul 2008
                      • 1688
                      • 3.6.x

                      #11
                      Originally posted by theologyonline
                      OK, I am confused. I have three owned licenses.

                      They are all expiring, but when I try to renew them the only option I get is to purchase the 4.0 license for $195. Isn't there a way to purchase access to the members area for my regular 3.x vbulletins?

                      I certainly can't afford to pay $600 for new software. I already bought this software... do I have to buy it again?

                      What are my options here?
                      Ok, hopefully we can ease the confusion for you.
                      You essentially have 2 options - you are welcome to continue to utilize the software as it is, for ever and ever, this will cost you nothing.
                      If you would like to, you may purchase vBulletin 4.0 software, this will allow you updates for 4.0 and 3.8 until both become end of life respectively.

                      I hope that clarifies
                      Adrian

                      Comment

                      • s1dest3pnate
                        Member
                        • Aug 2009
                        • 89
                        • 3.8.x

                        #12
                        Originally posted by IB Adrian
                        Ok, hopefully we can ease the confusion for you.
                        You essentially have 2 options - you are welcome to continue to utilize the software as it is, for ever and ever, this will cost you nothing.
                        If you would like to, you may purchase vBulletin 4.0 software, this will allow you updates for 4.0 and 3.8 until both become end of life respectively.

                        I hope that clarifies
                        Adrian, I believe we are all fully aware of this. We are arguing about the unjustifiable cost of us 3.x customers purchasing vB 4.x. We aren't purchasing anything near a brand new or vastly different product, so why the hell would we pay such a price? It's an upgrade, and we should get a fair upgrade price.

                        Zachery, the way you talk to your customers is careless. If you were the owner of vB or anyone particularly high up in the vB hierarchy, I'd never purchase another vB product again (although I may not regardless due to the crazy cost). Just wanted to share that.

                        Comment

                        • IB Adrian
                          Former Senior Operations Manager
                          • Jul 2008
                          • 1688
                          • 3.6.x

                          #13
                          I understood what you are asking for, I can't promise anything, but I will see what I can do for those that are interested purely in running the 3.X series for some time.
                          Adrian

                          Comment

                          • feldon23
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2001
                            • 11291
                            • 3.7.x

                            #14
                            I will keep both eyes peeled.

                            Comment

                            • JamieinNH
                              Senior Member
                              • May 2004
                              • 393
                              • 3.8.x

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Zachery
                              Owned licenses are far from worthless. Please stop spreading fud around about licenses.
                              Zachery,

                              As far as I am concerned with the way you guys now treat Owned licenses, they are for the most part worthless..

                              Another user in this thread summed up exactly this in a car analogy...

                              As far as me spreading "fud", I only call it as I see it... Here's a thought, stop giving us reasons to spread "fud" and it will go away... (whatever 'fud' is...)


                              Originally posted by Zachery
                              You did get what you paid for, a license to run the software.
                              Originally posted by IB Adrian
                              Ok, hopefully we can ease the confusion for you.
                              You essentially have 2 options - you are welcome to continue to utilize the software as it is, for ever and ever, this will cost you nothing.
                              If you would like to, you may purchase vBulletin 4.0 software, this will allow you updates for 4.0 and 3.8 until both become end of life respectively.

                              I hope that clarifies
                              Adrian, of course what you left out was since he is running an Owned license, he is able to run to software as it it... without security updates, without patches... just as it is... (nice since it's an 'owned' license he bought to begin with...

                              You guys set the rules and then changed them mid way through the game... not exactly fair do you think?


                              Originally posted by IB Adrian
                              I understood what you are asking for, I can't promise anything, but I will see what I can do for those that are interested purely in running the 3.X series for some time.
                              It also interesting that you would see what you can do with this licensing issue since it's only been brought up for the last year... and now people are starting to figure out what IB actually did and are leaving in droves do you (IB) decide they better figure something out.

                              I would also suggest you train your representatives as it is Zack seems to think that everything is A'ok with the way licenses are now.

                              On one side we have you and a select few others trying to win us over with communication and then you have your reps pulling in a different direction.

                              Currently, the way it is the people that own a 'owned' license of vB has been cheated. Plains and simple. They have fulfilled their part of the bargain by keeping their license active and current and you guys are the ones that changed the rules and created this mess.

                              It will be interesting to see how it's fixed, if it's fixed.

                              Jamie

                              Comment

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