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So, what's next after v18.10?
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Author:  Windy [ Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

After having a decent night’s sleep, I watched the Winstep Nexus Dock video again and decided to be more specific as to my view of what would make the video better able to showcase the product.

The intro is awesome, but a wee bit long. If it’s left the same way, not a major issue. Here are the things that I think should be left as is.

1. When the Shelf is moved around to showcase it’s floating ability at around 1:11.

2. 1:23 to 1:38.

3. 1:43 to 2:01. No need for the redundancy afterwards. I would then segue from there into something like what I have in the video I made years ago (that used to be the Featured Winstep video) that showcases animated dock icons. The person doing it can either chose all of the animated icons I have in the video and speed it up to reduce the time, or what he/she feels are the best ones. I also have several now that aren’t in the video that can be used for the video.

Also, it should show the top Shelf scrolling feature I have at the end of the video. That would make for an eye candy video that should be appealing and easier to understand.

Here’s the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laNfsIeJebY

Also, check out the follow-up video I made (after being asked to do one with music) and see if there is anything there that can be used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHWzlo0oFbA

Author:  toniostarcevic [ Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

Guys, aren't you overreacting a little? :D
I greatly dislike this style of music and the part about the launch effects is too extensive in relation to the length of the clip.
But all in all it's not that bad. I think you can clearly tell that it's some kind of Mac-style launcher with several options to customize it.

Author:  nexter [ Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

toniostarcevic wrote:
Guys, aren't you overreacting a little? :D
I greatly dislike this style of music and the part about the launch effects is too extensive in relation to the length of the clip.
But all in all it's not that bad.

I agree totally re: the music - loathe it. Effect, also, way too extensive and - for anyone not familiar with this sort of app - totally confusing. But yes, all in all, not bad at all - for a 'demo'. And by demo I mean the sort of thing that used to be common back in the 80s/90s, a demo of animation skills etc., that sort of thing.
toniostarcevic wrote:
I think you can clearly tell that it's some kind of Mac-style launcher with several options to customize it.

You can, but only if you are familiar or at least acquainted with this type of software and/or with the Mac UI. The average Windows user wouldn't have a clue what the hell this is about, sadly.

Author:  toniostarcevic [ Wed Nov 28, 2018 6:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

nexter wrote:
The average Windows user wouldn't have a clue what the hell this is about, sadly.


Probably. A little info about the program wouldn't hurt.
But someone who doesn't understand any of this at all probably wouldn't be able or willed to use and customize such a program properly anyway.

Author:  nexter [ Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

toniostarcevic wrote:
nexter wrote:
The average Windows user wouldn't have a clue what the hell this is about, sadly.


Probably. A little info about the program wouldn't hurt.
But someone who doesn't understand any of this at all probably wouldn't be able or willed to use and customize such a program properly anyway.

Ah but that is, or at least ought to be, the whole point of the exercise - to attract new users, who don't know yet that they need this app and convince them that they do! Or at the very least, to persuade them to try it.

Preaching to the converted is, as I already pointed out, pretty pointless. They either have it already, or are either going to get it or give up on customisation entirely. Winstep apps need to attract a new, extended user base in order to thrive, if not to survive even. And it needs to achieve this on an ongoing basis, even if it's a slow process. Better steady than a sudden rush and then nothing.

Anyway, it's pretty easy to configure a basic dock and can be learned very quickly by just about anybody. Anything beyond that, there are some tutorials and FAQs on the web site, and of course there are these pages right here. :)

Author:  winstep [ Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

The video is more than fine for the free version of Nexus, especially if you consider the video it will be replacing lol

That intro blew me away when I first saw it - that's how much I like it and exactly what I wanted.

You guys do have a point that he stuck too long on the mouseover, launch, etc, effects. I also share that opinion.

Any upcoming videos for Nexus Ultimate and Winstep Xtreme will focus quite a bit more on the functionality part of it - again, you have to keep in mind that these are 'trailer' videos, not 'tutorial' videos.

Again, let's not forget that if it's the content that makes you stay, it is the eye candy that sells.

Author:  oOSGearOo [ Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

oOSGear wrote:
Release
winstep wrote:
Soon...


Now Jorge soon was promised, and we wait/ed for it, we got side tracked by Videos and such.
Ive been checking for updates every day.

Author:  nexter [ Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

oOSGearOo wrote:
oOSGear wrote:
Release
winstep wrote:
Soon...


Now Jorge soon was promised, and we wait/ed for it, we got side tracked by Videos and such.
Ive been checking for updates every day.

Indeed. And sidetracked by a video that turns out to be nothing more than a vanity exercise. But I shall not comment any further at all on that whole matter, ever. I can waste my time more pleasurably.

Still, my guess would be that we may just see 18.11 today still.... Bet Jorge has been and is working on it feverishly.

Author:  toniostarcevic [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

Just renewed my subscription to keep you motivated, Jorge. :D
That being said - it would be great if there would be a two or three year license with a slightly reduced price.
I generally don't like the idea of choosing a "good time" for a renewal. I rather have permanent updates.
A longer license would reduce the gaps (don't always have the time to renew it immediately) and also the stress. (subscription reminder, purchase process, backing up the key, etc.)

Author:  winstep [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

toniostarcevic wrote:
That being said - it would be great if there would be a two or three year license with a slightly reduced price.


Thanks Toni.

Unfortunately that doesn't work for several reasons: first the application itself will not accept it (to prevent abuse).

But that is not even the main reason. The main reason has to do with customer protection - and my own too.

Limiting renewals to 1 year ensures nobody has reasons to become upset. You see, when you purchase the application for the first time, you are paying for something that already exists and that you download immediately. So, you are getting what you paid for, i.e.; you get *something* in return for your money.

Free updates for one year is not a right, it's a bonus. This means Winstep is not *obliged* in any way, shape or form to actually release updates during that period of time. Even if no update is released for one year or longer, you cannot say you got nothing for your money, because you actually got the version you initially paid for - and THAT is what your money was buying, NOT the one year of free updates.

The same reasoning applies for renewing: the version you have will NOT stop working if you decide not to renew. So, you only need to renew when you want to run a new version that is no longer covered by your current license key. Therefore, when you *do* renew, you again get *something* for the price of that renewal - and the further year of free updates you also get remains a bonus.

This whole dynamic would change if I started accepting renewals longer than 1 year. Imagine that you pay for 2 or more years and then, for whatever reason, nothing gets released during that period of time - you would have every right to be upset. You would have gotten nothing in return for that *extra* amount of money you paid in relation to the user who only renewed his subscription for 1 year in order to be able to run the latest.

Makes sense?

This way everybody *always* gets something for their money and I am also free NOT to release any updates for whatever reason, and for whatever length of time (obviously hurting myself in the process, but nobody else).

Author:  toniostarcevic [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

Well, that makes sense. It's just that - if there are always updates, you always have a reason to have an active subscription - what makes the software quite expensive over time.
But times have changed though. Perpetual updates are becoming extinct. And half the price for an update is much worse for really expensive software, that costs 500$ or 1000$.
I own a music software bundle (plugins) that has cost 1000$, which is an extremely fair price, since it includes about a hundred plugins that would cost about ten times as much if purchased individually.
But when the bundle gets updated, they add only 3 or 4 new plugins and the price is 50% of the full price. It's like 120 plugins for 1000$ compared to 3 plugins for 500$.
If you aren't rich and 500$ is a lot of money for you, you're basically forced to stay with the version you purchased originally forever. And a few years later, a new user will get a lot more stuff for the same money.

So, 20 bucks for an update plus a year of additional updates is acceptable.
And to be honest, meanwhile I'm happy enough if things stay as they are. (and don't become worse)

Author:  nexter [ Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

Wot, still no news of any kind?

Yawn. No news is bad news.

Author:  winstep [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

toniostarcevic wrote:
And a few years later, a new user will get a lot more stuff for the same money


You shouldn't think of it that way. Rather, think of it this way: if it weren't for all those users who kept renewing their upgrade subscriptions, THERE WOULD BE NO 'MORE STUFF' to get in the first place. You would be stuck with the first version you brought.

Yes, new users are getting more for their money than you did when you *first* made your purchase, but they too will, in turn (hopefully), contribute to the continued development of the software. It's an ongoing process.

Markets, especially niche markets, all have a saturation point. They don't grow forever, at a certain point expansion slows down exponentially and eventually that market may even stop expanding entirely. If your income relies solely on new users, the availability of new users will eventually decrease to a point that the income you get from them is no longer enough to support your monthly expenses (which remain fixed or even increase).

So, the only way to remain viable as a business is to rely not only on 'new blood' but also on repeated business, i.e.; your established customer base. Obviously, for that to work you must continue to provide value to that established customer base, or they won't support your work either.

This way everyone wins: established users continuously get new features, bug fixes, compatibility with new OS versions, etc, and in return the developer gets a relatively steady income which enables him to stay in business and to continue improving the software.

Author:  toniostarcevic [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

winstep wrote:
toniostarcevic wrote:
And a few years later, a new user will get a lot more stuff for the same money


You shouldn't think of it that way. Rather, think of it this way: if it weren't for all those users who kept renewing their upgrade subscriptions, THERE WOULD BE NO 'MORE STUFF' to get in the first place. You would be stuck with the first version you brought.

Yes, new users are getting more for their money than you did when you *first* made your purchase, but they too will, in turn (hopefully), contribute to the continued development of the software. It's an ongoing process.

Markets, especially niche markets, all have a saturation point. They don't grow forever, at a certain point expansion slows down exponentially and eventually that market may even stop expanding entirely. If your income relies solely on new users, the availability of new users will eventually decrease to a point that the income you get from them is no longer enough to support your monthly expenses (which remain fixed or even increase).

So, the only way to remain viable as a business is to rely not only on 'new blood' but also on repeated business, i.e.; your established customer base. Obviously, for that to work you must continue to provide value to that established customer base, or they won't support your work either.

This way everyone wins: established users continuously get new features, bug fixes, compatibility with new OS versions, etc, and in return the developer gets a relatively steady income which enables him to stay in business and to continue improving the software.


I understand you Jorge, but nevertheless the amount of things that you can afford gets reduced more and more. The worst model is the subscribtion model where you need an active subscribtion to use the software. It costs - for example - a quarter of the original price but per year.
A lot of things that you could afford back then is now out of reach. You also need some money left for things like, uhm, living. What the industry seems to have forgotten at some point.
It limits your amount of hobbies and interests, which is a very sad thing imo.

I'm ok with the price for Winstep and I will continue to support this software, as long as the price and subscription model doesn't change too much.
But you shouldn't justify the actions of the whole software industry.
There are some really greedy scumbags out there.

Author:  winstep [ Tue Dec 04, 2018 12:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: So, what's next after v18.10?

toniostarcevic wrote:
But you shouldn't justify the actions of the whole software industry.


I'm not. :) I'm just explaining why paying for upgrades is fair.

Also, greediness is relative: remember that the higher the risks, the higher the reward needs to be for people to be willing to take them. These days people have very high expectations (games, movies, etc) and therefore you can't really make an AAA game or movie without first investing MILLIONS of dollars in it. There is also a LOT of competition. Now imagine if it all goes bad: someone just lost a TON of money, maybe even their own house. Not like it hasn't happened before. :wink:

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