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deeswift
Junior Member
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Well, THANKS JV.
I remember someone on here mentioning that PowerTools was gonna remain a free app. Please tell us in future if you're gonna change your mind.
Sorely disappointed.. wha a letdown after such a long wait.
I'll stick with the free RC version and re-install every 30 days.
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Total Posts: 7 | Joined June 2003 | Posted on: 8:53 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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Limerick
Junior Member
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I previously said that I didn't want to argue about paying or not for PT.
In fact, I must say that, if I've spent such time for a software, I would be pleased (and quite proud) to earn some money with my work.
Especially when I was 20 years old.
Yes, what a pride to show to your parents, friends or related that you would be able to live by yourself, even if you could not be Bill of course.
Go on jv16 
(Edited by Limerick at 8:28 pm on July 18, 2003)
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Limerick
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Total Posts: 15 | Joined May 2003 | Posted on: 9:27 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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EDR
Member
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Limmerick!
Your above statement is most certainly correct! However, the manner in which this was handled is extremely unethical!
Hello JV!
I won’t be surprised if this post is deleted. And, if it is, I’ll know the true JV. I hope you will accept my comments with an open mind, and not be defensive, but really contemplate and sleep on it. In any case, please don’t take offensively, no hard feelings. I understand you’ve just turned 21, and made a major business decision.
As one who is 34 years of age, and has been in the business arena much longer, including the software industry – of which I own my own software business, I think you’ve handled this change inappropriately. Live and learn. Just don’t burn a lot of bridges on the way as it will come back to bite you in the ass down the road – it always does.
1.First of all, you did not tell anyone you were going to charge for JV16 until you let everyone go out of their way to help you, debug and post comments on errors and improvement suggestions and help you finish your product. As soon as your product was released, then you said, “Surprise!” NOT GOOD. You said you have given “everyone that helped” a free license, but I did not get one, despite the fact that I’m a member (I haven’t been a junior member for a long time) of the development forum and have helped considerably. I’ve sent two emails since yesterday to you personally, and I know you’ve received them, but you’ve obviously chosen to ignore my request for a free license. Maybe you’ve been too busy and haven’t gotten to them? If so, please forgive me for jumping the gun. In any case, I’ve been very kind and diplomatic in my request. Since you have implied that the purposes of the 30-day lock was to prevent people from using it as a final, you’ve known for a long time that you had intent to start charging for your product. The more ethical way to have made this business change would have to been to warn everyone up front when you started development of 1.4, that you were going to start charging, so those who wanted to continue to invest their free time could, and those who did not, wouldn’t have to as the premise of “freeware” was no longer valid. Or, you could have stated that those who participated would get a free license to provide incentive to do so. I know you had some “official group” of beta testers, but you never gave anyone else the chance to participate, and let everyone help you debug your product.
2.Most importantly, you’ve chosen to make the public representation twice, that “those that helped” (your choice of language) were rewarded with a free license. I am most certainly one that helped.
3.To be honest with you, and as I’ve posted in several threads, I use only your RegCleaner. And, I use it in automated mode, with several other products. You have now chosen to place yourself in a very competitive market, yet charge very close to the same price for your product as does TuneUp Utilities and AceUtilties. Those products (their total package functionality) are far superior as they do alot of tweaks, remove history and other kinds of things that JV16 doesn't. I think your RegCleaner is one of the best, the rest of your tools don’t compare to the competition when you’re talking price paid. I’ve spent considerable of my own time suggesting RegMonitor and other items to you, of which have not been implemented or poorly implemented. When I consider the competition, your product is not worth $29 at this time. Your RegCleaner is great. Perhaps you can consider selling the RegCleaner alone for a lower price. Im' sure down the road, with your new income, you will be able to beat the competition. For now, however, take care of your people.
4.I don’t take the time to make suggestions or report bugs to Microsoft or any other product I pay for. For one it’s too bureaucratic, and since I paid for it, my time is also valuable. I’ve invested my time in you, because of the freeware community you had available. I felt my contribution and reporting bugs and making suggestions HELPED YOU (which it most certainly does and did) as my contribution to your freeware and your time and development. But now I feel I’ve been slapped in the face.
5.Since more and more NEW people will always find out about JV16PT, you will make income from sales. However, at this juncture, I think the more appropriate thing to do, since you mislead most of us and kept us going and waiting for the new release, without telling us you were going to charge, is to enter a Grand Father clause. Perhaps all those members who logged onto the Development forum specifically, and actually contributed, either via bug reports or other suggestions to IMPROVE JV16, before a CERTAIN DATE should get a free license for this version only (since we all now know) and any new users that don’t fit under the Grand Father clause will have to pay. Using a Grandfather clause is very objective, appropriate and normal way of doing business. It’s the ethical thing to do. People that know they have to pay up front are psychologically prepared. People that work hard, report bugs and make suggestions to help you enhance your product, especially when you know they are waiting for the new release as freeware, are VERY LET DOWN when you’ve done what you’ve done, in the way you have done it – as others have stated in this thread.
Please do the right thing! I’m certainly one of those ones who “have helped”, in more ways than one, and I’ve also promoted your product like crazy (free advertising). I think a Grandfather clause is the most appropriate and ethical thing you can do to appease all parties, not burn any bridges and prevent the “bad mouthing” in the industry that may come as a result of your current business decision.
You have my email address. Please let me know where I can pick up my free license. Thank you for your time. In any case, good luck to you and your new venture.
EDR
(Edited by clawso1 at 11:56 pm on July 18, 2003)
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Total Posts: 49 | Joined Jan. 2003 | Posted on: 9:46 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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Tom121
Member
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Exactly!!! This was exactly the thing I tried to say!!! This was actually my point I wanted to post in the 11 pages long thread!!!
EDR you are the man!
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Total Posts: 52 | Joined May 2003 | Posted on: 10:01 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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guest for now
Junior Member
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installed 1.4 final.
impressed.
good software.
put the system clock 30 days forward and it says "expired".
no problem.
but why will the "free" 1.3 beta not work anymore either.
installing this will disable all previous free test beta versions ????
i was going to buy but not after this experience.
you made a bad turn in this.
marketing a tool you put so much effort into is good.
giving all the people who helped here a free licence is good to.
disabling previous versions is not.
grtz...............
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Total Posts: 2 | Joined July 2003 | Posted on: 10:03 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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KennyC
Junior Member
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Hi,
We all got shafted.
I said in a post as soon as the 30 day expiry appeared, he was gearing up to sell the product and I think my post back then got deleted.
Cheerz 
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Total Posts: 2 | Joined Dec. 2002 | Posted on: 10:40 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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guest for now
Junior Member
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request have been made to people who "deal" with shareware.
only a matter of time.
a "retail" version will become available.
goodbye.
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Total Posts: 2 | Joined July 2003 | Posted on: 11:05 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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deeswift
Junior Member
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EDR - good words, you echoed my sentiments exactly.
Whatever though, it's no problem for me to reinstall the trial version of PowerTools every 30 days. It only takes 2 or 3 minutes anyway.
As EDR said, the price you are now charging for PT is up there with more superior, more 'complete' software like TuneUp Utilities. You had an excellent product, I've personally recommended PowerTools to many people, citing it as the best FREE registry tool I've ever used, but now I think you have lost a lot of fans who've been here from very early on, testing your product and providing feedback and suggestions to improve PowerTools. I was one of the people checking this site on a daily basis, waiting for the final version to be released, now I wish I hadn't wasted my time.
As I said, you HAD an excellent product in PowerTools but it was only so great because it was FREE. Unfortunately, having to pay for it puts it into a slightly lower league. I won't be buying it.. A reinstall once per month isn't a real problem. It's only a matter of time before some crack team finds a way around it, and I'm sorry to say that I think you deserve for this to happen for how you've treated your 'fans'.
(Edited by deeswift at 11:57 pm on July 18, 2003)
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Total Posts: 7 | Joined June 2003 | Posted on: 11:53 pm on July 18, 2003 | IP
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deeswift
Junior Member
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Go anywhere on the internet and it's the same story. People are really pissed off about this!!
(Edited by deeswift at 12:08 am on July 19, 2003)
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Total Posts: 7 | Joined June 2003 | Posted on: 12:05 am on July 19, 2003 | IP
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anewuser
Junior Member
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I tried to install PT1.4 in a different directory than PT1.3.0.096 and PT1.4 didn´t show up. I saw the red light of the hard drive shine so after it finished, I press CTRL+ALT+DEL combination and I saw PT1.4 there, but no windows where showing so I don´t know what happened.
I will try uninstalling PT1.3.x series (for short), and then I will try to install PT1.4 again, if it happens again, I will try to download the .zip and .rar file to see if it works, if not I will just go back to PT1.3.x series.
btw, long life to Power Tools 1.3.x series!
(Edited by anewuser at 6:21 pm on July 18, 2003)
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Total Posts: 20 | Joined Dec. 2002 | Posted on: 12:11 am on July 19, 2003 | IP
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