remind self that Jafo is now on the LIST!!!

I've ALWAYS been on a 'list'....

....somewhere....

This is how Object Desktop has worked for the past 11 years.

Huh?  So if you buy World of Warcraft and your subscription runs out are you going to angry with Blizzard too?

When you buy Object Desktop you get Object Desktop plus a subscription to Object Desktop Network.  When the year runs out, you can renew your subscription or choose not to.  If you choose not to, you can keep using the software indefinitely but you no longer get free updates to it.

I'm not sure what this has to do with Steam (or Impulse for that matter).  If you buy a product like say WindowBlinds from Impulse you can redownload it forever.  But if you SUBSCRIBE to something via Impulse, you get access to it during your subscription.  In the case of Object Desktop, all your software continues to work after your subscription but you don't get updates or re-downloads of it.

What I can do is ask IT to have a DVD image of the most recent yearly image of Object Desktop available for people to download.

You still have this feature for purchase, but not with the subscription.  Most DD services don't offer subscriptions in the same sense.  If you buy WindowBlinds today you can download it forever, but if you have a subscription and let it lapse you won't have download access anymore.  Previously we offered our own archives as a courtesy for those who had system crashes or what not and needed to redownload.  This is what is no longer being offered.  Otherwise, the service is as it has been for the last 11 years as Frogboy said.

Ahh, Archive application?

Trying it now...

Edit: Ok, where does it put them?

Open the impulse preferences (button on uppper left) > preferences > folders > archive file location. I have mine set to backup to my external. Set it to wherever works for you.

O.K. This is just ridiculous. SD forces you to use their client to dl and install instead of just providing setup files if you have ODNT but then cuts you off? Way to go guys! This of course makes ODNT a horrible value: value = getting all those programs for the price of $49.99. value != renting software for that price.

A few things that need to be done if this fiasco is to be saved:

1. This has to be clearly spelled out before someone buys "a subscription". I.e. that you are renting software, yes you can use it forever after your subscription if you archived everything and don't loose your archive and the dl files are not corrupt, but nonetheless we don't give you physical media because we want you to keep paying yearly.

2. Clearly explain how archives work: do I need to have impulse re-installed every time I wan to install my archives? Are they standalone installs?

3. Whatever happened to the DVD image idea? Something that should have been offered from the get-go. If you want to do it right (I am guessing it won't be since the idea is to produce more subscription renewals not serve the customer) Impulse should warn you that your subscription is running out: you can then press a button and impulse will dl ALL of your subscribed items at their latest version at that time (e.g. the day your subscription is going to expire) and then setup an ISO image with all the files plus whatever installer necessary for them. Later on you just pop in the DVD, put in your (now expired) license info and you get nice menu to install the applications off the DVD. No need for the clunky impulse client and its ads. But that is just a pipe dream!

TheRealFEI: This is how Object Desktop has worked for ELEVEN YEARS.

I think in this case you go with the percentages, in eleven years it has work pretty well for just about everyone else.  No, you can not please everyone all the time, you just try to do the best you can.

I think because most people don't know about it. The SD customer group breaks into a couple of stereotypical categories:

1. Rabid Fans: renew subscriptions "just because" even though they don't use the programs anymore, worship the ground the developers walk on. Theses guys don't care one way or another. They will have a subscription until the end of time so who cares what happens. This is a significant minority.

2. Average customer: These guys bought the software for a while used it. It runs and they don't care about it anymore. If it stops running they just stop using it. They are not power users but casual users who never get everything working because they don't care. They are also the group who bought the programs but noticed that there was no real content (lets face it 10K skins? Who has time to go through all of them to find a gem that is not surprise a "Master skin" req. more money) and is now probably not using them anymore. This is the majority of the customers -> This was the cash cow that allowed them to grow in the so called third age of skinning and is now disappearing ushering in the so called fourth age where the milking of group 1 continues.

3. Power users who are not fans: This is where I sit. I don't think everything SD does is good or right. I think they screw up royally on a regular basis. I also think they make some good/inter sting programs and that they are the only game in town. So I am willing to pay down cash for the goods. We are the insignificant minority. We expect quality for our hard earned cash. But because we are probably <=1% of the customer base we get flippant remarks like this is how we have done it for eleven years.

I was not even asking for much, a simple autoarchive option would have been enough in the next impulse (how much coding do you have to do to have a check box whihc when is checked will simply copy an already dled file to another location). But that would be customer service that does not generate revenue so why do it?

No its not: The archive application before updating is a backup mechanism. I.E. in case a new version does not work for you you can then have the old version because it was backed up automatically. Although, it makes no sense to allow you to check both boxes as they serve different functions (i.e. you can't make a backup at the same time as you are erasing the backup). If you install a new application (which I just did) with those options checked it will not be put into backup folder UNLESS you manually archive it. Go ahead check it for yourself.

Ideally you should get two folders an archive and a backup folder:

Archive: anytime you dl or install application a copy of the latest version is put in there (so when your sub runs out you have the latest versions of the SW at the time of your sub all in that folder). Since there is a daily auto update function, when combined w/ auto archive,  you could be pretty much assured that the latest versions will be in this folder.

Backup: Here you can keep as many different versions of the programs as you want so you can go to an earlier version in case of problem.

This is not the PERFECT solution but it is the easiest and cheapest method for SD to provide CS. You could probably do it all in less then 200 lines of new code.

EDIT: Look most of the stuff is in place. Hell even the archive option is good in that it save the program with the ProgramNameVersionBuild format. SD just didn't bother to put it all together with a couple of more hours of programming. The ISO image would be perfect and that is where digital downloads need to go. Just because SD goes bankrupt and I don't have access to impulse or impulse servers should not be an excuse for me not to have access to what I paid for. This is the part the majority of people are missing with digital downloads and DRM. No matter how good it is now once the compnay is gone so is your investment: no more accessing your music, games, programs, wahtever.

1. No it doesn't because if you just overwrote your backup you no longer have a backup. Its a classic palm-face-slap moment when you realize the new version doesn't work and you just overwrote the old version taht did work with the new version.

2. Ahh because my life doesn't revolve around imppulse no matter how much SD wants it too. I haven't marked my subscription expiration date on my calendar so I can rush home ot archive everything before they cut me off. Good CS would have them do it automatically. Now, if they simply let you dl your version anytime you wanted after your subscription ended then this wouldnot be necessary. This all stems from not having any real media.

3. Hmmm.. So let me see if you had autoarchive why would you be daily archiving things? Autoarchive would kick in on the first install then from then on you would only auto archive eachtime a new update was released.