Changes to Software Assurance
We are making some changes to both the offerings and method of sale for Software Assurance.
Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been telling you folks that there is only one kind of Software Assurance — Studio-level SA. Customers with Studio-level SA receive all upgrades and new features for all members of the Studio family: Delphi for Win32, C++Builder, and Delphi for .Net. All purchasers of Delphi 2007 have received Studio-level SA — there is nothing retroactive going on here. For anyone who has already bought SA, nothing has changed.
However, we’re now offering an additional SA option: Language-only SA. This means that if you buy C++Builder 2007, you will be offered either SA for C++Builder only or Studio-level SA. With C++Builder only SA, you will receive all upgrades and new features for C++Builder alone. If you buy Delphi 2007, you will be offered either SA for Delphi only or Studio-level SA. With Delphi only SA, you will receive all upgrades and new features for Delphi alone. Note, again, that you can always buy Studio-level SA for any product. In fact, we strongly recommend that you do that. The price is only marginally more, but the value is substantially more.
We are gradually migrating to this new system. Right now, only C++Builder is offering the new, language-only SA. (You can see it in action on the US shop site.) Delphi purchasers still are offered only Studio-level SA, but they will soon have the choice, just like C++Builder customers do, to purchase either Studio-level or language-level SA.
We think that Software Assurance is a good deal. We are working hard on the product side of things to make it a valuable investment. So far this year, Software Assurance customers have received Delphi 2007 and C++Builder 2007, and we are planning further releases this year. Software Assurance customers are eligible to receive features and updates that non-SA customers won’t be getting. Therefore, we continue to recommend that users get Studio-level SA to ensure that they have all the latest and greatest features and capabilities coming out of the RAD Studio family.
And let me be very clear about this: We have NO plans to charge anyone for bug fix updates. Bug fix updates will continue to be available to all customers.
I’m sure you will have questions, so I’ll do my best to answer them in the comments on this post, as well as update this post with common questions that arise.
I bought D2007 soley to fix a major memory bug in D2006 (it’s been replaced by a new nasty bug but that’s another story), so shouldn’t that have been a free bug fix update?
July 17th, 2007 at 3:37 pmNick,
First paragraph, third sentence;
"All purchasers of Delphi 2007 have received Studio-level SA — there is nothing retroactive going on here."
You may want to reword it. Not all purchasers have studio-level SA … unless you’re giving it away to those who chose not to purchase it.
Did you mean:
"This does not apply to purchasers of Delphi 2007 who chose not to purchase Studio-level SA — there is nothing retroactive going on here."
A bit confused, but I get it - well, actually I don’t, I didn’t purchase it
July 17th, 2007 at 5:24 pm–
DaveK
Correction [oops]:
July 17th, 2007 at 5:25 pmSecond paragraph, third sentence;
Yep, you’ll fix a few bugs for free but other important fixes are presented as part of a paid "upgrade"…
July 17th, 2007 at 5:33 pmI am pleased to see that updates for 2006 were shipped after 2007 was released (even if their descriptions are still wrong on the cdn site), and hope it is a sign of CodeGear’s commitment to improve their customer service policies in the future.
I am curious how this SA change will shake out in view of staggered releases like a lagnuage release of D2007 earlier this year and studio release later this year.
If there are any changes or improvements to the language/IDE made in the studio release that apply to the language product, I assume anyone with just language SA would have to wait for the next language release for it.
If that’s the case (seperate releases), the price difference between language SA and studio SA had best be significant, or the language SA would be undesirable (if the studio and language releases start to sync up again, obviously that would be different, but I think CodeGear still has too many pots on the fire).
July 17th, 2007 at 5:38 pm"Receive all upgrades and new features"
I think that is a high level marketing "Bubble Gum".
You talking about "Bugs updates" to a 2000$ software product sir, is that correct?
Can you tell us only 1 (one) "Feature update" in the last 15 year of yours products, sir?
July 18th, 2007 at 4:37 amIf you are examining possibilities for SA, how about a software-only package that eliminates the free support calls? I was under the impression that these were the reason for the (thankfully long-gone) minimum price that SA used to have.
July 18th, 2007 at 7:02 amWith C# gone out of Highlander will there be a separate product called Delphi .net or Delphi win 32 + Delphi .Net(which will include all .Net features like asp.net,ECO & Intraweb)
July 18th, 2007 at 7:22 amNick, I know you’re aware of this issue, but I’m still after a formal clarification:
You said: "Customers with Studio-level SA receive all upgrades and new features for all members of the Studio family: Delphi for Win32, C++Builder, and Delphi for .Net"
But, as I understand it, buying Studio-level SA gives you upgrades to "New" Studio family products, but not to existing ones. So buying Delphi 2007 with Studio SA does NOT give you C++2007, but it will - eventually -give you Highlander.
Can you please confirm or deny this, or get someone else to do so?
July 18th, 2007 at 8:09 amVenkatesh –
We don’t have plans for a separate .Net product.
Roddy –
Yes, SA only gets you /new/ products, not existing versions.
Nick
July 18th, 2007 at 9:11 amI thought I was upgrading my BDS2006 when I purchased D2007 but was told after the release of C++2007 that I would have to pay additional fees if I wanted C++ or any of the CDS studio products. So how is it that I paid more to upgrade a single product than it cost to upgrade a whole studio last year ?
July 18th, 2007 at 7:23 pmDavid –
How did it cost you more?
Wasn’t it clear that Delphi 2007 for Win32 was a single personality?
Nick
July 18th, 2007 at 10:29 pmThose who bought D2006 SA early were forced to renew it or they didn’t get nothing because D2007 and Higlander were late. Not a big deal at all.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:22 amThe company I work for was being acquired at the time and we were not able to renew it because the purchase office did not allow it until the acquisition was completed - and it was too late.
It’s better you clarify if SA is a bet or an insurance. It should cover "at least" a major upgrade.
Meanwhile D2006 keeps on trashing my RDMs type libraries, have to use D7 still to work with them.
Any news about Delphi and .net 1/2/3?
Thanks
AS
July 19th, 2007 at 8:53 amAntonio –
What news are you looking for?
Nick
July 19th, 2007 at 9:23 am–>How did it cost you more?
–>Wasn’t it clear that Delphi 2007 for Win32 was a single personality?
Nothing was made clear - SA was mentioned but I am not interested in this kind of licenseing. What is clear is that when I upgraded to BDS2006 enterprise I paid $1900, when I got the D2007 upgrade it cost $ 1870 after a special ‘product release’ discount made avaible to those that attended the Australian release seminar(that drama is a whole different story). So in 2006 for $1900 I upgraded 4 products now for the same sort of money I have one. Seems to me a major price hike, and one that I won’t be paying out for again.
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:29 amAdditional note- I was aware that D2007 was the intial release from codegear I was also very aware that it would be followed up with 2007 products that would fit together to create the Studio version. I even asked the question at the launch and at that time if I had been told directly that I would need SA to complete my Studio upgrade I would have saved myself a lot of money by not purchasing I product that I am forced to drop in favour of development tools that will allow me to actually make a reasonable profit from them.
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:46 amWhen Delphi will be 100% .net (1/2/3) compatible?
Thanks
Antonio Martins
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:33 pmSao Paulo, Brazil
We are ready to be charged for bug fix updates if that means we really get bug fix updates in a proper timeframe.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:58 amWith Oracle we spend 1500 euro per year plus about 100 euro per developer, but we are able to send a service request and have bug fixed. Last time it took about three months, but eventually they fixed a issue we had with DOA and XML fields.
With Borland/Codegear we have bugs that were fixed after four years (see QC 6094, for example, meanwhile we gave up TXMLTransform…), other like 6376 still wait to be fixed - and that’s just a "light" one.
Professional developers do not care to pay for proper support, if that means better quality and fast fixes. Unfixed bugs scare me much more than a support subscription.
I understand it could be bad for hobbyists and small developers, but again you have to decide what Delphi is and what markets it should cover.