Question from a longtime user....

RazorEye · 09-18-2006, 03:34 PM

Hope I have the right area to do this in, and if not feel free to move elsewhere. First and foremost though, I'd like to thank Jim for the greatest screensaver I have ever owned and to hearty hello to my fellow users.

It is my understanding that all users of MA from the beta days were to get free updates as a sign of appreciation for their early donations. I went to google and found a few posts stating just that as well. After going over some VERY old e-mails of mine, I believe I have a serial from the .99L days, which I believe was a beta. I e-mailed Prolific about this, but nothing has been returned to me in days now and was wondering if either I was wrong in my assumption or if there is another way to resolve this if I am right.

Thanks to anyone who can help me resolve this.

feldon34 · 09-18-2006, 04:41 PM

It's a conundrum to say the least.

.99L was created by Jim Sachs. He was the artist, animator, developer, programmer, publisher, and tech support person.

Starting with 1.0, Prolific Publishing got involved. They did the tech support, the publishing, and started to help with some of the programming.

1.1, 2.0, and 2.6 are all running on a completely rewritten and refactored version of the Aquarium which is more of an engine than a hard-coded Aquarium. Using Jim's engine, it has been possible to create several different screen savers, add new fish, add a calendar/clock, add multi-screen support, etc. all in 1 product.

Prolific Publishing wants to get paid for this effort. As a result, upgrading from the .99 series to 2.0 cost $5.99. For a period of 3 months, many people were able to upgrade to it for free. Recently, 2.6 came out, which at $5.99 is a bit overpriced as an upgrade in my opinion since .99 -> 2.0 was major and 2.0 -> 2.6 gives most users 2 more fish and that's it (for those who care, 2.6 is a single download that gives you the regular, widescreen, dual screen, and clock/calendar features), but I guess they want to maintain the same pricing structure.

So the conundrum. Jim said that "regular fish" would always be free. Jim said that the 3D background would be free. So far, it has not been possible (nor do I think we'll ever see) to get .99K with the extra fish bolted on to it. You are getting the fish for free, in essence, but paying for all the other features. 2.0 was a substantial improvement in the Settings panel, no longer overheating people's CPUs and video cards, etc.

I think $20 + $5.99 is reasonable for 6 years of enjoyment. I'm guessing that 3.0 will be another $5.99. I really hope it isn't, but past history has been pretty clear. Prolific has to take Jim's development efforts and redevelop and refactor them to work on the 2.6 codebase. Some people might not want to pay another $5.99 for what will probably be the most incredible looking Marine Aquarium simulation. Those folks can vote with their wallet.

RazorEye · 09-18-2006, 04:47 PM

Thank you for the speedy reply. I did recieve the upgrade to 2.0 for free and am most pleased with it. I doubt at this point I will pay for the 2.6 version, although with the sounds of things I will gladly pay full retail for 3.0.

nicksteel · 09-18-2006, 06:23 PM

Originally posted by feldon30:

Some people might not want to pay another $5.99 for what will probably be the most incredible looking Marine Aquarium simulation. Those folks can vote with their wallet.

But the rest of us have our credit cards ready.

AudenTech · 09-19-2006, 04:45 PM

RazorEye,

Please send me an e-mail directly (audenr@serenescreen.com) and I'll check for your upgrade keycode.

Pax,

RazorEye · 09-20-2006, 09:48 PM

WOW!

I just recieved the e-mail from auden. Apparantly I was able to give him enough info to track my order down and see if I was included. Thank you so much man. I must say this is a shining example of great customer service, and having worked in the retail field for 10+ years, I mean that as a sincere compliment.

Keep up the great work and the great community you guys, and thanks again!

ESHIREY · 09-22-2006, 03:32 PM

Welcome RazorEye. And that's what they do. This is a great site and I hope you keep coming back. Again

09-18-2006, 03:34 PM	#1
RazorEye Registered Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Michigan, U.S.A. Posts: 3	Question from a longtime user.... Hope I have the right area to do this in, and if not feel free to move elsewhere. First and foremost though, I'd like to thank Jim for the greatest screensaver I have ever owned and to hearty hello to my fellow users. It is my understanding that all users of MA from the beta days were to get free updates as a sign of appreciation for their early donations. I went to google and found a few posts stating just that as well. After going over some VERY old e-mails of mine, I believe I have a serial from the .99L days, which I believe was a beta. I e-mailed Prolific about this, but nothing has been returned to me in days now and was wondering if either I was wrong in my assumption or if there is another way to resolve this if I am right. Thanks to anyone who can help me resolve this.

09-18-2006, 04:41 PM	#2
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	It's a conundrum to say the least. .99L was created by Jim Sachs. He was the artist, animator, developer, programmer, publisher, and tech support person. Starting with 1.0, Prolific Publishing got involved. They did the tech support, the publishing, and started to help with some of the programming. 1.1, 2.0, and 2.6 are all running on a completely rewritten and refactored version of the Aquarium which is more of an engine than a hard-coded Aquarium. Using Jim's engine, it has been possible to create several different screen savers, add new fish, add a calendar/clock, add multi-screen support, etc. all in 1 product. Prolific Publishing wants to get paid for this effort. As a result, upgrading from the .99 series to 2.0 cost $5.99. For a period of 3 months, many people were able to upgrade to it for free. Recently, 2.6 came out, which at $5.99 is a bit overpriced as an upgrade in my opinion since .99 -> 2.0 was major and 2.0 -> 2.6 gives most users 2 more fish and that's it (for those who care, 2.6 is a single download that gives you the regular, widescreen, dual screen, and clock/calendar features), but I guess they want to maintain the same pricing structure. So the conundrum. Jim said that "regular fish" would always be free. Jim said that the 3D background would be free. So far, it has not been possible (nor do I think we'll ever see) to get .99K with the extra fish bolted on to it. You are getting the fish for free, in essence, but paying for all the other features. 2.0 was a substantial improvement in the Settings panel, no longer overheating people's CPUs and video cards, etc. I think $20 + $5.99 is reasonable for 6 years of enjoyment. I'm guessing that 3.0 will be another $5.99. I really hope it isn't, but past history has been pretty clear. Prolific has to take Jim's development efforts and redevelop and refactor them to work on the 2.6 codebase. Some people might not want to pay another $5.99 for what will probably be the most incredible looking Marine Aquarium simulation. Those folks can vote with their wallet. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

09-19-2006, 04:45 PM	#5
AudenTech Customer Service Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Winnetka, CA Posts: 29	RazorEye, Please send me an e-mail directly (audenr@serenescreen.com) and I'll check for your upgrade keycode. Pax, Auden Reiter Customer Service www.SereneScreen.com

09-22-2006, 03:32 PM	#7
ESHIREY Smilie Dragon Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lebanon, PA Posts: 4,725	Welcome RazorEye. And that's what they do. This is a great site and I hope you keep coming back. Again Thank you for taking the time to read this.

09-18-2006, 04:47 PM	#3
RazorEye Registered Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Michigan, U.S.A. Posts: 3	Thank you for the speedy reply. I did recieve the upgrade to 2.0 for free and am most pleased with it. I doubt at this point I will pay for the 2.6 version, although with the sounds of things I will gladly pay full retail for 3.0.

09-18-2006, 06:23 PM	#4
nicksteel Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Mississippi (and no, I don't watch FOX!) Posts: 244	Originally posted by feldon30: Some people might not want to pay another $5.99 for what will probably be the most incredible looking Marine Aquarium simulation. Those folks can vote with their wallet. But the rest of us have our credit cards ready.

09-20-2006, 09:48 PM	#6
RazorEye Registered Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Michigan, U.S.A. Posts: 3	WOW! I just recieved the e-mail from auden. Apparantly I was able to give him enough info to track my order down and see if I was included. Thank you so much man. I must say this is a shining example of great customer service, and having worked in the retail field for 10+ years, I mean that as a sincere compliment. Keep up the great work and the great community you guys, and thanks again!