From: Dave Goodyear <dave@kb2networks.com>
Date: August 7, 2012 11:51:04 AM MDT
To: "Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com" <Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Macs and Science
I have no issue paying for a support contract. Even in my field, that is the only way us mom and pop shop are staying open. We can't compete with "big " boys. (China is making sure of that) Even Cisco won't give me support without a valid service contract, even on a new item.
The Bisque Bros. do the same thing. To survive in this market you need a service oriented business model along with any sales. Here in the US anyways.
Dave Goodyear
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 7, 2012, at 9:44 AM, "Jim Chung" <jim_chung@sunshine.net> wrote:
I agree with Steve. This is what I was getting at in my earlier
message. If we view doling out an annual $100 as paying for "support
services" then we can keep it alive and perhaps Milton could further
mitigate his costs by no longer developing it but just maintaining it.
Jim
Quoting "Stephen W. Ramsden" <sramsden@natca.net>:
> I will definitely run the group for you if no one else wants to. I would
> love to tie it in to my 8000+ hits per day solar-chat forum and websites.
>
> I also need to buy a couple more licenses right away just in case I lose one
> or something..:)
>
> What's your paypal address?
>
> If 100 people on this list buy a new full priced license then you will stay
> in business for another year or two?
>
> Hello list members....time to pony up. This software is easily worth 3
> times what you paid for it.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Milton Aupperle
> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 12:20 PM
> To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Macs and Science
>
> Hi Stephen;
>
> On 7-Aug-12, at 9:47 AM, Stephen W. Ramsden wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I also went to all Macs in my outreach program (60,000 people yearly
>> at schools and almost every major asto event) based exclusively on
>> Milton's software. I invested over $8,000 in cameras and iMacs/
>> Macbooks based on this software as it is BY FAR the best live
>> broadcasting software out there for Mac or Windows. I also purchased
>> several copies as I wanted to keep him in business.
>>
>> I have to say I am sort of scrambling now as to what Im gonna do if
>> ASTRO IIDC is no longer available. Milton, I am assuming that the
>> software I have will still work if I don't change out any computers or
>> OS's right?
>
> As long as you don't switch hardware , Astro IIDC will continue to work and
> your keys will be viable. For Mac licenses, If the mother board dies and is
> replaced, that changes the serial numbers.
> Unfortunately, given the junk Apple ships now a days from a Q&A perspective
> - that is more likely to happen than not. Since switching to intel, I have
> issued 3 times as many replacement unlock keys than I ever did for PowerPC
> Macs - and sinilar numbers of customers too.
>
> And you can switch to windows with your existing camera gear if they do -
> I'm sure that's what everyone else will do. You can likely save yourself
> thousands of dollars (Ultra Books are 1/2 to 1/4 the cost of similar Mac
> products) by buying a Dell (or other) PC over Apple.
>
>> Is there anything that I can do to encourage you to at least keep a
>> shell going for a couple more years?
>
>
> Not unless we reach the 100 new full price licenses mark by September
> 15th. That will keep things running until January 2013.
>
> If I decide to go back to my "Geologist Roots", I could be living in
> places where we have no outside communication to the world for months
> on end. So it could be 6+ months before I get back to people on e-mail
> requests for new keys. That is not viable.
>
> Secondly, I am not going to partially stop - it isn't fair to me to
> continue keys and support with no source of revenue to back it. Doing
> key replacements and support does take a significant amount of time.
> So it's either all or nothing.
>
>>
>> By the way, I will be glad to host the listserve or website or
>> whatever.
>
> The Astro IIDC Yahoo Group is part of Yahoo and is hosted by them.
> Basically i need someone to take over the administration. That means
> you approve whom gets on the list (to prevent spammers) and remove
> people whom are being disruptive (like spammers etc.) In 8 years I
> have had to kick 2 people off. Yahoo notifies you when a person
> requests becoming a member and it's a simple matter of saying Yes or
> No. It frankly requires a few minutes a week - even less than that now
> a days.
>
> There is almost 8 years of support, tips and suggestions in this Yahoo
> Group, and I would like to see that preserved if possible. But if no
> one steps up, then it's lost.
>
> HTH..
>
> Milton Aupperle
>
>>
>>
>> Stephen W. Ramsden
>> Executive Director
>> Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project
>> 404-543-7616
>> <image001.jpg>
>
>
>
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