Hello Peter, Wednesday, January 5, 2005, 8:54:58 PM, you wrote:
PM> Hi Stuart, PM> on Wed, 5 Jan 2005 19:20:00 +0000GMT, you wrote: SM>> I agree that the support on this mail list is absolutely SM>> excellent. I just do not think it appropriate for a software SM>> developer to take money for a business/pro version and not provide SM>> some degree of support without depending on unpaid volunteers. PM> What's wrong with that, as long as there *is* support? Firstly I think that it is unsustainable as a commercial proposition for the long term growth of a software house (i.e. they will be capped by the customer base willing to accept this model - regardless of the merits) and secondly I believe that direct and significant involvement in support is fundamental to the improvement cycle of software development in a commercial model. (The open source model has a different and viable approach to this feedback loop.) Having read through this mailing list and a lot of the beta list I personally believe that I see evidence of this weakness manifesting itself within the RITLabs approach. PM> In my view, this is a formalism. RITlabs could hire an extra support PM> person, which would increase their costs and in consequence the price PM> of the product. All this person could do is read everything in all TB! PM> lists (because no-one can imagine all possible conjunctions and PM> interferences on the users' PCs with their programs and The Bat!). PM> This can be done much better by the users themselves. So, RITlabs PM> actually *has* a much more efficient support than usual. :)) Indeed. I would have paid more for better support. I had, wrongly, assumed that in purchasing the Pro/Business version I had already done so. PM> I'd love to be paid for my participation, but I volunteer anyway like PM> many others. I just think it's worthwhile. :-) I understand this and appreciate your contribution. I too contribute voluntarily to many causes. I suspect that we are not going to agree. -- Stuart ________________________________________________ Current version is 3.0.1.33 | 'Using TBUDL' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
