Almost a year since the last update... Wow.

[nick7]

Yes, I didn't consider that point that you were funding it yourself, I'm sorry. That would also compound your decision to hand it over to someone else, reluctant as that is. I just sincerely hope that this isn't the death knell for SDS, it deserves far more than that and so do you for keeping it going all ths time.

[scoot395]

The whole funding issue could be easily solved if you would have chosen to operate a little differently. As it is, if someone buys SDS all future updates are free. A way that would be fair to you and your customers would be to charge for every major update. For example, if you buy 4.0 then minor updates like 4.01 - 4.99 are free. When 5.0 comes out, that is a major update so customers can choose to keep using 4.xx or pay to get 5.0.

From reading these posts, it appears that things may have been different in the past, but since I bought this program two years ago it seems like you don't give it much of your time. Two years ago, I made a post containing some feature requests I would have liked to see. Other users commented that they would like to see some of them too and you said they would definitely make into a future update. That didn't happen. Around the same time, someone asked you about fixing the Automatic Backup bug that keeps on nagging you every five minutes to backup even though you tell it no. You said it would get fixed. Two years later, it is still isn't fixed. Also about two years ago, someone asked you to rework the interface for adding contacts. You said yourself that it was very clumsy and it would have a major overhaul in a future update. That hasn't happened either. And there hasn't been an update of any kind in almost a year. It just seems like all we get are promises and it is very frustrating.

Two years ago I switched to your program because the one I had been using suddenly unregistered itself and demanded that I pay again if I wanted to continue using it for two more years. Nowhere on the product's website was there any mention of the fact that I was purchasing a license and not a product. Now, two years later, I have to start searching for a new program again if I want to have any kind of support for it. This is aggravating beyond explanation...

[dennisV]

I understand your frustration, trust me. It's not something that I was planning to do, but life changes priorities on you and you have to adapt. I have a long list of enhancements/fixes/suggestions - nothing is lost and it's all in the internal development DB. If SDS is transferred, that list will be transferred too. If I pick up SDS' development, I'll obviously go back to it too.

I do agree that charging a yearly maintenance fee would have helped, but I cannot introduce it for existing customers and building a new customer base is not something that I can undertake at the moment (not without a revamped SDS with new features). Perhaps if a new owner is found, that's the route they'll take.

[nick7]

Hopefully, if SDS has to be transferred to a new owner at least some of the enhancements/fixes etc will be implemented. I know there was a lot of user input regarding requests for new features and it does seem a shame that all of those may not now be used. If new owners are found they will have their own agenda for SDS and while that may not necessarily have a negative impact on it I do feel that unlike you Dennis and Psunrise any customer service will be rather less client focussed. You have always listened intently to your client base and you have implemented several ideas and features that users wanted and not only that but if someone was having problems with the software you jumped on it quickly and fixed things as a matter of course, not only that, but you kept us informed as to progress if the issue couldn't be easily fixed for some reason. I cannot see that happening with any new owner. You have built up a large following which have put their faith in you and your product (i.e. SDS), faith which was fully deserved because your product was unlike any other pim/diary software available elsewhere.
The financial implications as you have described I must admit I hadn't considered, thinking that SDS while perhaps not making big bucks for you may at least have been holding its own, that does not appear to have been the case for some while now sadly.

[quattrocchi]

I agree with scoot. I've sent in many fixes and suggestions for simplifications and received many promises of a 'future update'. I gave up. I'd be very happy if the medical and health parts were trimmed away and a decent workable scheduler/dairy, with To Dos, were to emerge from the ashes.

[LATER, MUCH LATER]
Dennis, how come I have no permission to post new threads anymore? ...
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I'm still interested.