Free download from MacHeist now asking me for registration after update!

Metalhaze, man, get the chip off your shoulder. MacHeist products are often limited in some way, and it pays to check the individual companies' web sites before you jump in. In fact, I'm pretty sure some companies in the past have limited their MacHeist products to all the 1.x versions of their software or whatever. You realize, right, that the Boinx software is their cheaper "Sponsored Edition," yes? And that you have to go to their web site to find out what that means? (http://boinx.com/boinxtv/sponsorededi...) Hope you're not going to yell at them if ads start popping up in your videos. Relax, man. I'm pretty sure your initial post could have been a little more polite, too. Props to Cosmic Machine for fixing the bug for us cheapskates, too. ( Delete or Edit)

very disappointing response by Elkaintmosse's - the sponsored version of boinxtv does not feature any mandatory ads that just pop up in your videos - if you actually look at the site, you will see that all you have to do is state that you produced your video with boinx - and that's really all based on an honor system ( Delete or Edit)

I actually agree with metalhaze. I will not buy the software (which is sad because I really like it) ( Delete or Edit)

Let me try and clarify a one point that might not be apparent. We did not give MH permission to sell our application, we gave them permission to give the MH edition away under the terms that no updates will be available and no official support (we've even answered quite a few support requests coming from MH users).

I acknowledge that we have a fault in not making it completely clear and obvious what those restrictions were when you started the application. We could have handled this better.

We've alerted MacHeist to update the binary on their website and to also make it clear what the restrictions are.

Regarding customer support, I might suggest asking some of our longer term users. Personally, I've tried to answer every single thread on these forums. Almost all emails and support requests get answered within 1 day (7 days a week) and we're very responsive on Twitter (you can see for yourself). We've had about 10-15 releases since we went public and all of them are driven by customer requests. We do listen to what people are saying. ( Delete or Edit)

Regarding your response to #3, the frustration I personally am feeling with this situation is that what you are providing is more like a demo. It isn't time limited, but by virtue of being unable to be updated, it is going to stop working completely some day from the fluidness of the internet, as we have already seen in this short time.

As a user, I feel as though I'm a victim of a terrible marketing scam, not as though I've received a nice freebie. I feel as though I've been tricked in to using a product which I believed was a full version I could depend upon, and have been forming habits around the availability and functionality of this software, investing time and energy in to learning the interface, under this expectation of future value. I would not have downloaded EventBox if all this had been disclosed correctly, and am left with an essentially time limited demo, and no money to buy a full copy, I will almost certainly have to resort to a service like save the coratee or broken stones in order to gain access to updates, or break all the habits I've formed. This means cracked versions of your software will be well seeded and more available.

I don't know if Sparkle allows for such advanced functionality, but it may be wise to consider revising your position on not providing software updates. I expect no support from free software, of course. The bandwidth cost in providing updates may be worth it from a PR perspective. ( Delete or Edit)

@Jenna Fox

Whilst I am sorry that you feel that you have been duped, that is most definitely not the case.

We took all possible measures to inform Mac Heist users that they were receiving a version that would not receive support or updates. I'm sorry that this information did not reach you.

Unfortunately, there can not be (and will not be) any leeway concerning this issue. If we were to offer free updates to all Mac Heist users, then why would anyone bother paying?

You might point out that Mac Heist users do not receive support, and that that would be an incentive to buy the official version yet I really don't think that would be reason enough.

Whilst Mac Heist apps are usually limited in some way, the Mac Heist version of EventBox is not a demo. At the time of its release it was a perfect copy of the official version (Ok, maybe with a few Mac Heist specific tweaks such as the update confirmation panel).

In trying to point out that while the app itself is not time-limited, it will stop due to changes in the way that the various services work, you forget that in general APIs are extremely stable. They have to be since hundreds if not thousands of apps are based upon them, and thus they change extremely rarely.
The case with Twitter a couple of weeks ago was an extremely uncommon event that took everyone by surprise. A majority of the Twitter clients out there had to modified in some way. The chances of something similar happening any time soon are quite low.

If, at the time you downloaded the app, you thought that the feature set that it provided was sufficient for you to be able to use it and depend upon it, then you should still be able to. Nothing has changed, and nothing will. Any habits you may have formed are still valid since none of the functionality that you use is going to disappear.

If you feel that you simply cannot continue using the current version due to it's lack of features (which were the only features you knew about when you first downloaded it) then by all means stop using EventBox or purchase an upgrade. If, on the other hand you find it easier to break the law than to break your habits then there is really not much we can do for you. ( Delete or Edit)

(Not an Official Rep)
@Jenna Fox

Wait, wait, wait. Are you threatening to steal a $15 piece of software that lets you read Twitter and Facebook posts, when there are plenty of free applications available, just because you've been "investing time and energy into learning the interface"?

If I were a software developer, I'd have trouble not sticking a pair of forks in my eyes after my first release, I think.

#1: EventBox, last I looked, isn't Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or even World of Warcraft. Many Twitter+ clients work the same way -- there's a window that lets you read posts, and a box to type in. I’ll bet you can learn another one without any major life impact.

#2: I'm thinking you did "receive a nice freebie," whether you look at it that way or not. It doesn't seem to me that EventBox was included in the main $40 package, but just appeared on the site one day as "Hey, you can also download a copy of this, if you want!" offer. (I think I’m remembering that correctly.)

As far as I can tell, you've got a piece of software that is fully functional, won't crap out after 15 or 30 days, and will continue to function just fine as long as the Twitter/Facebook/etc. APIs don't change. Do you get any fancy new features that may be added on in the future? Nope. Will your version quit allowing you to read and post on Facebook/Twitter/etc.? Nope. Want the new fancy features? Heck, plunk down $15/$20, if it's worth that much to you. The developers hope it will be; that's how they're, you know, hoping to make money -- by providing a service/piece of software people feel is worth $20 If it's not worth it to you, search Google for 'free twitter client' or something.

As far as I'm concerned, though, I *did* get a free piece of software that does what it says on the package, and I can use it as long as I like. Would I have paid $15 for it? Probably not; Twitter and Facebook don't really mean that much to me. Over time, though, it may -- and if I find I can't live without it, or they add some really cool features in a v1.5 or 2.0, well...I'll save up, or something.

#3: Honestly, you sound like you’re just whining because nobody’s uploaded a [k] to your favorite torrent site yet. Been a Mac-person long? As far as I can see, Apple has (sometimes in spite of Apple, Inc.’s best efforts, it seems) a seriously vibrant community of freeware/shareware developers who care a LOT about the platform, their customers, and making really cool apps. It’s a privilege, as far as I’m concerned, to support independent software developers who make cool stuff that makes my time with my computer more productive and more enjoyable. If I can’t afford it, I look for some replacement I *can* afford (which usually isn’t quite as cool, or flashy, or convenient, but still works), or really evaluate whether I need the thing as much as I think, if I’m not willing to fork over some cash for its development. Stealing software from independent developers? Come on.

Ay, enough. I’ve got to turn off my email updates for this thread. ( Delete or Edit)

@Douglas: Okay, that is fair enough. I was only really trying to provide you guys with a window in to the psyche of an annoyed user, and respect your decision. :)

The 'if you find it easier to break the law' thing is irrelevant though, as in these situations, people work of internal moral law, and that moral law is often incompatible with a nation's laws. With your present pricing model, I'm not at all your target audience. I'm sorry you feel the law should protect you, but that's just not how it works on the internet. Information flows freely, including your app. It's your job to convince people that your app, and you specifically, are WORTH paying for, at the price you set. Regardless of what choice people make in that regard, they can still use the app. You cannot control that.

Any law that says someone unable to pay for something, at all, is not allowed to make a copy of something, at no direct expense to the developer, is an immoral, and thus, invalid law, in my mind.

2dboy embraces piracy, and they are a company I would LOVE to give my money to. Pixelmator, Textmate, and others have offered me free licenses when I've enquired about a discount, and both of them have made at least one full sale directly from my endorsements as a happy user, in TextMates case, I can remember three sales from my enthusiasm. Another reasonable option is to offer lower pricing to anyone who can show a government issued card that entitles them to concessions like cheaper prescriptions and bus fairs in their home country, or a student id. This last solution though is bound to lock out some fringe users, and may frustrate some fully paying users who dislike the taste of socialism, particularly if your audience is largely American, I imagine. Perhaps the best thing is just to care about your users. Even the unpaid ones.

The language you are still using gives me the feeling that cosmic's policy is 'well, if you aren't giving us money, it's not our job to care about you'. But maybe one day I'll have a job and be able to buy software (and believe me, I would if I could), or maybe one day a friend is going to ask me if they should buy EventBox... Good PR takes effort now, and doesn't fruit for some time. You have to build on it as you go, but once you have it, it's worth a lot.

Whatever happens though, I want you and your company to succeed, because you're making good software that I care about, and I also care about the idea of indie software working, so please, consider this not as an attempt to change cosmic in to a hippy loving society of nudists, but just.. a hope to help you understand a fragile part of your potential customer base better, and the impact unpaid customers have on sales.

@Elkaintmoose: It is not at all a threat. It's simply a fact of life on the internet. Software sharing is an important thing to discuss because otherwise people end up working within a model of 'you pay for it or you don't have it' which simply doesn't apply online. Supply will always satisfy demand, because other people can supply cosmic or anyone else's software at no cost. It's important to consider that only some people are motivated by the law to buy something, and the rest will only feel they need to buy it if they feel the people behind the software are great awesome people who should have their support, and money. In some ways, it is more like the relationship in seeking an investor, than that of a retail consumer. ( Delete or Edit)

As a sidenote, @Elkaintmoose: I hadn't looked until now, but there are several cracked versions of EventBox available, with a total of 22 seeders, so this is certainly a way someone could obtain EventBox if they cannot afford to or do not want to pay the developers the particular price they have set for whatever reason. ( Delete or Edit)

My initial response probably started off with the wrong paragraph and on a second reading I can see why it sounds a little bit too harsh. Believe me, I'm not trying to blame you or anyone else for not reading my blog. I just wanted to point out that we did what we could to communicate the restrictions.

From our side, we did:
- Post on our blog the restrictions of the MH when MH launched
- Post on Twitter about the same restrictions
- Include a warning when you update the MH build
- Provide a bug fix for the MH version within 40 minutes of being notified of the bug

What we should have done is made it clear on the MH front page what the restrictions were. Unforunately, we do not have access to these pages but I do acknowledge that we should have pushed MH for the restrictions to be made explicit on their pages from start. ( Delete or Edit)

I do not have any problem with the single Macheist build, but just fyi I did not receive any warning when updating the MH build. Here is a screenshot: http://skitch.com/eatmytag/bk9we/soft... ( Delete or Edit)

The warning comes up when you press the Install Update button. Did you not get it? ( Delete or Edit)

Nope. I can try again to confirm.. brb.

Update: I installed the original MH version and updated. I did get a "Your 14-day trial will start if you update", but now I remember that I did not believe that applied to me since it did not mention MH. I just thought it was some kind of bug ;) (I even forgot about it didn't I ;)). I guess I expected it to be in the release notes - "This update is not free for Macheist version users". This is how I was informed when for other Macheist applications in the past such as Coversutra and Soulver. ( Delete or Edit)

I agree that we have a fault for not clarifying the restrictions from the start, I've acknowledged it.

I would also like to say that we didn't intentionally release the update today - we were forced by the circumstances. The reason it happened was because an API change in Twitter rendered EventBox unusable for Twitter. We had to release an update as soon as possible.

It is worth mentioning that our intention is not to make / force anyone to pay. The MH edition will be free forever, you can continue using it for as long as you like (that includes the bug fix release). We have a full-refund no questions asked policy so anyone who is not satisfied with EventBox can just return it. We're not interested in forcing users to buy EB if it doesn't provide value to them.

Again, apologies for the situation. ( Delete or Edit)

Some of us used the MacHeist offer because we don't have a job, and cannot afford to spend $40 on software. Some of us are disappointed and frustrated in the loss of software we thought had been very nicely gifted to us. Software we cannot replace. Not everyone is cheap.

I thought for a nice change, I wouldn't have to gain a copy of a product via file sharing. It felt really good while it lasted. It was nice to feel like a developer cared. I hope you can understand the angst in that having turned out to be little more than yet another marketing ploy.

Perhaps I'm too idealist. ( Delete or Edit)