At 01:24 PM 9/16/2002 -0700, Tony Karavidas wrote: >Like I said before, I think Altium is unique in this area and your >marketing team should take full advantage of that. It should be in your >new print ads, all over the website, etc.
Usually engineer/designer types have few good words to say about marketing.... Here we have several of us cheering them on! There are actually a number of unique characteristics of Protel software that have been under-marketed. For example, the database is open, humans can read it and easily write utilities and interfaces to it, and Altium has encouraged this. Try doing that with Allegro! The software is resellable, and typical resale price is at least half of the current cost. This means that, from an accrual perspective (in reality, not necessarily in financial statements and tax returns), much of the cost of the software is recoverable if one no longer needs it. Try that with OrCAD! In some cases, not even uncommon, one can sell the software for more than one paid for it originally. (I had a customer who had paid something well in excess of $10,000 for a package from OrCAD that was greatly inferior to the Protel product being sold at the same time (this was in Protel 98 days), and, once he realized it, it was too late to return it. Protel has generally allowed complete refund on return within a reasonable period of time, and so do many other companies. Essentially, the resale value of most other CAD software is zero, because it cannot be resold (except under narrow circumstances, if then). Protel maintains its value. Because we don't usually think of selling our software, because the recoverable value of an old license is very low for most programs, I get blank stares many times when I mention this. As to industry practice with maintenance, does the PADS license still provide that failure to pay maintenance allows the company to repossess the software, without refund? (As far as I know, they have never done it, but why was that in the license in the first place? The provision *could* be exercised by a receiver in bankruptcy, who could use the threat of it to force payment of some fee from lapsed maintenance accounts, and who would have nothing to lose. I bought a PADS license on the cheap when they had a ghoulish special offer, hoping to capitalize on frightened PCAD users after the acquisition by Protel; when I saw that provision, I returned it and got my money back! They were, at least, nice about the refund.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
