New Message: Manila Pricing

Fri Dec 12 17:51:31 PST 2003

A new message was posted:

Address: http://manila.userland.com/discuss/msgReader$205

By: Jake Savin (jake at userland.com)

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Subscription pricing
   Frontier is licensed on an annual subscription basis. Subscribers are automatically entitled to all Frontier fixes and feature enhancements while their subscription is active. If you choose to let your subscription lapse, you may continue to use the software, but you will not receive updates. You can rejoin the subscription program at any time and get your Frontier installation fully updated.
$899 per copy
   The price is $899 per subscription with a discounted price for academic users of $299 per subscription.
How to purchase
   Please visit the <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/store">UserLand Store</a>. 
Renewals
   Renewal notices are sent to subscribers one month prior to the expiration of the subscription. The cost to renew is $899 for a year. 
   Renewals are handled thru <a href="http://store.userland.com/renew/">this form</a>.
Academic licenses
   Academic licenses are available to faculty, university staff, and non-profit charities.
   Academic licensees may use Frontier for personal, non-commercial purposes only. A photocopy of a current student, faculty or staff ID, or tax document proving non-profit charitable status is required.
   Districts and Schools using Frontier for their operations or to provide sites to multiple schools or teachers do not qualify for the Academic pricing.
   There is a <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/academicPurchase">special order form</a> for Academic licenses at the UserLand Store.
   Academic licensees can renew for $299 for one year.
Support
   Current subscribers can participate in a private UserLand-hosted mail list where questions are answered by UserLand personnel and by other people who are using and learning Frontier.
   We also encourage licensees to use the <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/discuss/">Frontier Discussion Group</a> to ask questions. This will help us build a better library of documentation for all Frontier users.
Membership
   Starting on 9/1/99, when you use services on UserLand.Com, our software will know that you're a Frontier user, and we can and will offer special (optional) services that leverage your use of Frontier.
Trial Window 
   You can download a 60-day trial version of Frontier/Manila from the <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/download">Download page</a>.
FAQ 
   The rest of this page answers frequently asked questions about Frontier pricing.
Do I have to pay for an entire year, even if I don't want updates? 
   Yes. There is a minimum one year subscription. We chose this pricing model because it best reflects our cost of doing business and our customers' need for frequent updates, features and fixes. 
   We have a strong track record in updating and improving our software. People who started subscribing in the summer of 1998 received updates that included the following features: guest databases, XML database and RPC features, membership, preferences, storage, discussion groups, caching, virtual domains, subscriptions, a search engine, calendars, cookies, logging, news sites, file uploads. And those are just the big features. There were dozens of smaller features and fixes, and this year's Frontier can handle bigger tasks and support more users.
   Frontier 6.1, released in November 1999, includes Manila, "content management for the rest of us." Frontier 6.2, planned for release in 2000, will include new groupware functionality, connections to writing tools and syndicators, and unprecedented ease of use. 
   Frontier is going to keep moving forward, bringing new power to a broader market than any other content management software. We believe that that our product is the <i>process</i>, not just the software, and have designed a pricing program according to that belief.
   Our goal remains to make Frontier users the most powerful developers and communicators on the Internet. 
If I don't renew, what happens at the end of my subscription term? 
   You may continue to use the software under the terms of the license agreement. 
   It works like a magazine subscription, when it lapses you will no longer get updates.
   You can renew at any time.
I purchased a commercial version in May, 1999. Do I need to get a new subscription now? Or am I good until May, 2000? 
   You do not need a new subscription, your subscription is good until May 2000. 
Why not separate bugs from feature enhancements and offer fixes for free and charge for features? 
   We considered separating updates into fixes and feature enhancements, but decided to use this model instead. It saves us the impossible job of deciding if an update is a fix or feature, and it matches our economic costs. It costs us just as much to fix a bug as it does to add a feature. 
Is Frontier too expensive? 
   We don't think so. We looked at pricing for competitive products and we priced well below those products, even though Frontier is a better solution for most large dynamic sites. And Frontier offers an integrated object database and tools for creating content and scripts that the other products don't offer. 
   We see Frontier as similar to Director or Quark XPress or a powerful database -- a high-end product designed for professionals. We will have other products that focus on ease of use and will be more broadly applicable, and those products will cost less.
   Further, if you're using Frontier to its potential, it will save you a lot of money. The cost of the software is much less than adding a member to your team, but the effect on the productivity of your team should be as great as if you did add a member to your team. If it's not, then Frontier probably isn't for you.
Is the price per website or per user? 
   The price is per copy of Frontier. Each copy of Frontier gets its own unique serial number and subscriptions are tracked by serial number.
I'm interested in 5 or more licenses for my business is there a multi-license discount? 
   Yes. If you're purchasing between five and fourteen licenses, we offer a ten-percent <i>per-order</i> discount. Fifteen to twenty-four, fifteen percent; twenty-five or more, twenty percent.
   This discount does not apply to Academic licenses.
I'm working on a server, do I have to pay full price for a second license? 
   Yes. If you're doing server development in Frontier, you need two licenses, one system for development and another to run your server. Frontier is licensed per copy. 
What happened to the personal, partner and server licenses you used to have? 
   They were eliminated on 9/1/99. 
I'm interested in suppling my clients with copies of Frontier, is there any kind of VAR program? 
   Yes, please contact customerservice at userland.com for details.
What if I have a Mac and a Windows machine, can I use Frontier on both? 
   Yes, but you must license both versions. Each version cost money to create and maintain, so this pricing structure reflects our cost of developing the software, our cost of doing business.
Is there a free version? 
   Yes. The last free release of Frontier, version 5.0.1, for Mac and Windows, is <a href="http://www.scripting.com/frontier5/downloads/">still in distribution</a>. Anyone may download and use that software according to the terms of its license agreement.
How does the private mail list work? 
   We see the mail list as a UserLand-provided service, and therefore want it to reflect our values of professionalism and mutual respect. It's a problem solving list for busy professionals. Announcements are not permitted.
   We encourage others to host community mail lists for people using the free versions, and to support a free exchange of ideas. The UserLand-hosted list will be for support questions and answers only.
Do you offer a student, faculty or non-profit discount? 
   Yes. We have a special low subscription rate for students, faculty and staff to encourage educational institutions to teach Frontier. Further, we have decided to support non-profit charities who provide assistance and information to their communities by allowing them to license Frontier at the same low rate. Details are at the top of this page.
Will I be notified when my subscription is about to expire? 
   Yes. You will receive a renewal notice in advance of your subscription expiring.
Can I renew before the notice? 
   You can <a href="http://store.userland.com/renew/">renew</a> as early as 6 months prior to the expiration of a license.
How do I update my information if I move or change email addresses? 
   Send us an email with your serial number and the new information to customerservice at userland.com.
How can I find out more about Frontier? 
   Start with the <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/">home page</a> on the Frontier website, and follow the links from that page.
More questions? 
   If you have further questions please email them to customerservice at userland.com or post them on the <a href="http://frontier.userland.com/discuss/">Frontier Discussion Group</a>.