How long will the annual versions of PhotoRAW be updated with bug fixes?
I ask only because I still get crashes when exporting images, mostly .PSD's.
As yet the problem is not fixed. Will it ever be fixed in PR2018 or are we being forced down the 'not a subscription, bit it is really' route to get fixes for problems in the older versions?
What if we have no need of the 'new functions 'n features', but we want what we have bought to work?
Personally, I have paid for PR2017 and never used it, it just never worked. I upgraded to PR2018 and all the various updates, but still I get crashes when exporting.
It's not unreasonable to expect a software product to perform as described. In some areas PR 2018 doesn't.
Will it? Ever?
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Official comment
Please note, we release many free updates throughout each program's product lifecycle. These updates (i.e. 2018.x to 2018.x.x) are free upgrades for all ON1 Photo RAW 2018 owners. However, we do release one major version once a year, and the upgrade to the next generation (i.e. 2018.xx to 2019.x) is a paid upgrade. The updates for the 2019 version (i.e.2019.x to 2019.xx.x) will be free for all Photo Raw 2019 owners. Please understand, if we upgraded all of our previous owners to the latest generation at no cost there would be no more engineers to develop future ON1 programs! :(
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If I'm not mistaken, there will be one last update to 2018 at some point. Whether or not it will fix all of the problems you're having remains to be seen.
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Sounds like you buy the product for life, but buy a warrenty (support) contract for one year. Many software vendors have a similar construction, but charge only 10-30% for an extention of the support contract for a year.
It is a business strategic decision how to balance between attracting newcomers (one-time purchase) and stayers (yearly fee). With a relatively low purchase price and high extention fee, ON1 focuses on newcomers. However there is a risk that satisfied customers have no need for the new version (i.e. no purchase of next version) and dissatisfied customers are not willing to pay almost the full price for another version (i.e. no purchase of next version either).
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Makes one question whether or not subscription is not the better option. I think ON1 goes from strength to strength but if one sticks with the annual upgrade is it any cheaper than the Adobe LR/PS plan?
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I think the point is that if you decide not to upgrade, your current version will continue to work whereas with a subscription, if you cancel, it won't. You also have the option to skip versions if you like.
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An 80.00 dollar a year fee to upgrade to the next version is still cheaper than paying 9.99 a month for Lightroom/Photoshop.....or you can just keep using your current version of ON1 and pay nothing more. At least there's a choice. With Adobe if you choose not to pay you get locked out.
I personally don't mind a bit supporting ON1 and buying a new version every year. I love their software and want them to continue improving it.
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I think the question is how long will 2018 be supported after the release of 2019. Will there be further bug/os compatibility fixes going forward? I suspect not so how long one will be able to continue using 2018 remains an open question, but it is unrealistic to expect it to be forever.
The options seem fair enough to me - subscription and stay permanently current, annual upgrade and stay permanently current or make your own decision when/if to upgrade. Personal choice.
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I agree that the policy of free upgrades during the year, and paid upgrades per year with a perpetual license is fair.
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I suppose we could say ON1 also offer a subscription model via Plus and it is better than Adobe in that the software remains operational should the plan be cancelled. It is however more expensive I think (?) and there is no monthly plan. I might actually be tempted if a monthly plan existed.
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To James, you mentioned "each product's lifecycle" but failed to mention how long that actually is, and you failed to answer my question.
As an owner of PhotoRAW2018 I want to know for how long it will be maintained with bug fixes. Please answer that question, or ask somebody who knows to answer it.
Does PR2018 die (in the development sense) once 2019 is released? It shouldn't, but I suspect it will. You see, the additional features that will be in the 2019 version are not necessarily needed by version 2018 owners. There are other options for portraits, focus stacking, etc. which we've all been using for many years.
With the problems we've all faced with PR2018, especially Windows users, I would be inclined to pass on the 2019 release if I hadn't already paid for a Plus Pro membership. I expect others who have experienced the hardship of 2018 ownership might do the same.
So, my question, again is, how long will the 2018 version be maintained? Will all the existing bugs be fixed? If not, why not? Right now, PhotoRAW 2018 is an incomplete product, it has flaws. WIll these flaws be fixed?
I can't state my concerns in any simpler form.
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Peter, it's already been answered. There will be 1 last update to 2018.
Personally I think it should continue to be updated in parallel with 2019 since they both initially have the same bugs and I agree, all of the bugs should be fixed since that's what you paid for.
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Is it any different in respect of other software that upgrades on an annual basis? There is a need to generate cash flow and that can only come from increased prices or some sort of subscription model. What you say re bugs is reasonable but the industry does not seem to work that way nowadays. Indeed ON1 has a competitor that has an awful track record in delivering in line with expectations. Personally I don’t like it but accept it. As I have said before, subscription is possibly the only way it will work for all, love it or hate it. 😋
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You pay for the product as you purchase it, and the service for getting updates for a year. You did not pay for getting all bugs fixed.
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You pay for a product that does what it says on the tin. I do anyway.
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Rick, if by "it's been answered" you are referring to your post starting "If I'm not mistaken", where did you get that information? Where can I see it?
James had an opportunity as an On1 employee to answer my question directly, but he didn't.
I want to know from On1 that the product I've bought will be maintained and all reported bugs fixed. I'm finding new bugs every day, and now I'm reporting them because to me, it seems not much is being done to make the 2018 version work as it should.
EG: My system crashed recently after trying to export a .PSD file. It crashed repeatedly with the same file and after each crash I got the "it's crashed, send us feedback box" which I did. After sending 3 or 4 notifications I decided to add "Does anybody actually see these reports" to my comments. I've had no reply and no indication that anybody actually does see the crash reports.
I think On1 are so wrapped up in getting the 2019 version out that they've abanded the existing product and user base.
You say there will be one more update to 2018, but you're not sure if all the bugs will be fixed. I say, there should be enough updates to fix all the bugs that are reported for at least 2 years of the product's life.
Hence my question to James, how long is the product's lifecycle?
I fully understand On1's need to generate cash with new software offerings but at the same time PhotoRAW 2018 is a standalone product, and it should work. Most of it works well at the moment, but not all of it does and On1 needs to remedy that.
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I just checked the release date of the final maintenance update for PhotoRAW 2017, it was December 8th 2017. Does that mean there will be no more updates for PhotoRAW 2018 beyond the end of 2018, even if bugs still remain?
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Personally, I was never expecting anything else. The license might be granted in perpetuity but the software itself will not last that long for sure.
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To Frank:
Seriously? That may be what you are happy with. I'm not.
I bought a product to do a job and if it doesn't do that job as it should I want it fixed or my money back, all of it. The initial cost of PR2017, PR2018, and a PlusPro subscription are what I've invested so far and if the software I have bought is never going to work as described, I'll have my money back and invest it elsewhere.
I put up with the disaster that was PhotoRAW 2017, it was wholly unusable for me and many others, a total waste of money in my opinion but we gave On1 a break and hoped that the 2018 version would be better. I will not do it again with PhotoRAW 2018, it's still broken and it needs to be fixed and If I discover it's still broken in some obscure way in 2019 (the year, not the product), I'll still want it fixed.
I'll state right now that I actually love PhotoRAW, or rather, what I expected PhotoRAW would be, what it was promised to be. If PR2019 is going to give us the same or similar experience that the 2017 and 2018 versions have, we are never going to get a fully working photo editing tool from On1, there'll always be 2020, 2021 etc. versions to contend with, and it seems we are the beta testers.
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Peter, Dan mentions it in this video at the 38:15 mark. The last 2018 update will be in Dec.
https://www.facebook.com/on1photo/videos/1864925250289578/
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