I am an occasional user of AnyDVD, so when I went to use it recently and it prompted for updates, I was shocked (and disappointed) to find that SlySoft was no more. So disappointed!
I then had a search around and found to my pleasure that Red Fox had appeared and resurrected the product, so I installed the latest version, rebooted and double clicked on my key.anydvd file.
STOP - Not a valid AnyDVD key file...
Ah. So I browsed over here looking for a the 'redeem your old key file' button and alas, found nothing but ridiculous excuses as to why the 'new' company is different to the 'old' company and why giving some kind of free (or discounted - to the tune of MORE than 20%) is 'impossible'.
What. A. Load. Of. Rubbish.
Guys. If the company that you develop for is raided and closed down, that's one thing. I understand you are instantaneously up the creek without a paddle financially. I also understand the nostalgia you probably feel towards the product/project and admire the aim of keeping it alive...
But let's be honest.
You could have rewritten this software (copy+paste allowed), given it an entirely new, unrecognisable GUI and a new product name and floated it as a 'new alternative' to the much loved, now departed, AnyDVD.
We would probably have all bought it. But what you have actually done is take the old product, change the version number, add some new decryption types (granted) and then decided that you don't want to offer it to free to ex-Slysoft customers because they paid money to the OLD guy, who has now probably done a runner or gone to prison, and you can't (understandably) work for free.
I don't expect a product I bought 5 years ago to continually be updated for free forever, not many companies survive that long and I understand that resources into a company and resources out need balancing somehow.
But don't make up BS excuses about 'not all lifetime licenses being present and correct in the old database', because that's not our problem. It was incompetence on the part of Slysoft, and you all used to work there right? OK. So that's your problem then.
Many, many times I have reinstalled AnyDVD on my computer when the machine is completely offline, it has worked every time. The client never needed connectivity to a back end or an activation server because I don't believe there was one. The software merely ensures that the string contained in the registry is a valid license string, and that is it. So you could EASILY have asked people to upload their previous key file in exchange for a proper discount, stored them in a database so they're only used once, you just didn't WANT TO. Enough of the BS.
The price of your software now is, at best, prohibitive. Have you noticed that it's available on torrent sites? Of course you have. How infuriating for you.
But let me tell you a secret...
If you charge a reasonable amount of money for something (not what you think it's worth) far, FAR more people will purchase it from you. If the product was say $10, you would be inundated with orders that would probably pay your wages for longer than the lesser number of people willing to pay $109 for the same thing.
I have thought long and hard about buying a new license. I love the product, it's excellent because it allows me to 'back up my DVD collection', but frankly you've been greedy. We all know that public appeals like those that Wikipedia run don't attract many donations, I get that. People are totally unwilling to give money away for free, but had you made the charge fair and reasonable (like the cost of a DVD), and made it a yearly subscription, people would be biting your hand off.
Another mod pointed out that 'LTL are stupid' for any company. I agree, they don't leave the company with any long term options and that's probably why you've priced the license so high, so don't offer one, but also don't just sit there and turn two fingers towards all of your loyal customers (and they are still your customers because you named the product AnyDVD and used to work at Slysoft) and tell them that they need to rebuy something that they might've bought 12 months ago, thinking it had at least a reasonable shelf life. It just makes you seem like dick's.
Earn your living. Good look with the brand new product that you developed miraculously quickly, gave the same logo as the old product and then called it the same thing too, and my commiserations that you must've worked so long and so hard to make it work with our old license keys, what an 'impossible' task for you.
Anyway, all I really wanted to say is that I won't be buying expensive recycled software, even at a 20% discount.
*But, I would like to thank you all individually for your hard work. It was a great product.
I then had a search around and found to my pleasure that Red Fox had appeared and resurrected the product, so I installed the latest version, rebooted and double clicked on my key.anydvd file.
STOP - Not a valid AnyDVD key file...
Ah. So I browsed over here looking for a the 'redeem your old key file' button and alas, found nothing but ridiculous excuses as to why the 'new' company is different to the 'old' company and why giving some kind of free (or discounted - to the tune of MORE than 20%) is 'impossible'.
What. A. Load. Of. Rubbish.
Guys. If the company that you develop for is raided and closed down, that's one thing. I understand you are instantaneously up the creek without a paddle financially. I also understand the nostalgia you probably feel towards the product/project and admire the aim of keeping it alive...
But let's be honest.
You could have rewritten this software (copy+paste allowed), given it an entirely new, unrecognisable GUI and a new product name and floated it as a 'new alternative' to the much loved, now departed, AnyDVD.
We would probably have all bought it. But what you have actually done is take the old product, change the version number, add some new decryption types (granted) and then decided that you don't want to offer it to free to ex-Slysoft customers because they paid money to the OLD guy, who has now probably done a runner or gone to prison, and you can't (understandably) work for free.
I don't expect a product I bought 5 years ago to continually be updated for free forever, not many companies survive that long and I understand that resources into a company and resources out need balancing somehow.
But don't make up BS excuses about 'not all lifetime licenses being present and correct in the old database', because that's not our problem. It was incompetence on the part of Slysoft, and you all used to work there right? OK. So that's your problem then.
Many, many times I have reinstalled AnyDVD on my computer when the machine is completely offline, it has worked every time. The client never needed connectivity to a back end or an activation server because I don't believe there was one. The software merely ensures that the string contained in the registry is a valid license string, and that is it. So you could EASILY have asked people to upload their previous key file in exchange for a proper discount, stored them in a database so they're only used once, you just didn't WANT TO. Enough of the BS.
The price of your software now is, at best, prohibitive. Have you noticed that it's available on torrent sites? Of course you have. How infuriating for you.
But let me tell you a secret...
If you charge a reasonable amount of money for something (not what you think it's worth) far, FAR more people will purchase it from you. If the product was say $10, you would be inundated with orders that would probably pay your wages for longer than the lesser number of people willing to pay $109 for the same thing.
I have thought long and hard about buying a new license. I love the product, it's excellent because it allows me to 'back up my DVD collection', but frankly you've been greedy. We all know that public appeals like those that Wikipedia run don't attract many donations, I get that. People are totally unwilling to give money away for free, but had you made the charge fair and reasonable (like the cost of a DVD), and made it a yearly subscription, people would be biting your hand off.
Another mod pointed out that 'LTL are stupid' for any company. I agree, they don't leave the company with any long term options and that's probably why you've priced the license so high, so don't offer one, but also don't just sit there and turn two fingers towards all of your loyal customers (and they are still your customers because you named the product AnyDVD and used to work at Slysoft) and tell them that they need to rebuy something that they might've bought 12 months ago, thinking it had at least a reasonable shelf life. It just makes you seem like dick's.
Earn your living. Good look with the brand new product that you developed miraculously quickly, gave the same logo as the old product and then called it the same thing too, and my commiserations that you must've worked so long and so hard to make it work with our old license keys, what an 'impossible' task for you.
Anyway, all I really wanted to say is that I won't be buying expensive recycled software, even at a 20% discount.
*But, I would like to thank you all individually for your hard work. It was a great product.
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