Perpetual License or Annual Cloud Subscription.

[Damo]

So, I've been having a chat to my reseller about subscriptions.
As I have been off subs for about 6months now and have since discovered I cannot access the final SP's for my current version without an active subscription.
My reseller has been tempting me to re-enlist in ongoing payments.
I've been informed that as of Jan. 2023 perpetual licensing subscriptions will be only available in 4yr increments..!?
And I am also informed there will be a noticable price increase for it too. Add to that backdating fees and this can get quite costly.
I have been offered a one time "end of year/black friday sales" price to get me all-subbed-up untill dec 2025 for close to the cost of 2 yrs regular subscription. (mind you, my Subs here in Aus are almost AU$2800PA)
I think maybe it's a good deal and just maybe I'm going to take it.
But... they have also been touting their new wares (3DE) and vociferously extolling the benefits of the online platform over the desktop.
Coupled with what was demonstrated as cheaper subs and the higher cost of desktop subscription that is absolutely designed to steer customers in the direction of the cloud. And a small side-note I picked up in the discussion was that, if I felt so inclined as to move forward into the cloud, then my perpetual license would transfer into yearly subscription and if I failed to pay these fees I would indeed lose my access to my own desktop install.!?
(I was actually unaware of this.)

I am seriously wondering how many of you here have gone, or will go, this way.?!

[Peter De Vlieger]

Yeah, it sucks. SW is doing stuff that even mobsters are starting to think it's taking things a tad far.

On the one hand they expect you to pay for services not received. That's after all the entire deal with charging returning customers for the period they weren't on subscription. Now they even expect you to pay in advance for services (4 years) not yet provided. On top of it you don't even know what you'll be getting for that payment if anything. In short, they want all the money while not doing anything that you the customer actually wanted.

The alternative is their cloud thing. As a gamer I know that cloud services are pretty stable... until they are not. And although frustrating when your favorite online game is not available for a day or even a few days it's hardly the end of the world. SW being what they are and having the Quality Control (or rather lack of) that they have.... I for one wouldn't want to bet a company's lively hood on SW's shenanigans. And on top of it, once you stop paying you not only don't get more SP's you won't have a working program anymore. To put it differently, they truly have you by the short and curlies.

All I can hope for is that I'm retired before they don't give any choice anymore and force all customers to enroll into their bend over and ask for more BS.

[gerard]

...
I've been informed that as of Jan. 2023 perpetual licensing subscriptions will be only available in 4yr increments..!?
...

Whisky Tango Foxtrot?

You have to buy a 4 year subscription? Wow. That's ballsy.

As it turns out, I'm going to renew in January, and that will be it for me. My employer has been paying for my subscription and I'm retiring at the end of the first quarter next year, so that gravy train is coming to an end.

Pretty certain I won't be ponying up $1,300/year in the future when I'm not actively employed.

[AlexLachance]

They're just teasing you because they know you're biting your lips over a tough choice, don't let them have the last laugh.

[Frederick_Law]

See if you can get a trial on the cloud thing.
There are installation problem.
Login problem.
Payment problem.
Connection problem.
Update and nothing work problem.

[Frank_Oostendorp]

See if you can get a trial on the cloud thing.
There are installation problem.
Login problem.
Payment problem.
Connection problem.
Update and nothing work problem.

can't end subscription problem
did pay but no subscription renewal problem

[Damo]

See if you can get a trial on the cloud thing.
There are installation problem.
Login problem.
Payment problem.
Connection problem.
Update and nothing work problem.

Honestly, this is about what I'd expect too.
Sadly, if my experience so far with my own reseller, (I refuse to refer to them as a VAR anymore) is anything to go by,
it will very likely be a most unhappy experience... (Yes.. I'm a bit pessimistic about it all now)

On the one hand they expect you to pay for services not received. That's after all the entire deal with charging returning customers for the period they weren't on subscription. Now they even expect you to pay in advance for services (4 years) not yet provided. On top of it you don't even know what you'll be getting for that payment if anything. In short, they want all the money while not doing anything that you the customer actually wanted.

Quite.. Services not rendered indeed. Imagine if the Motor Reg office tried that..
(A late fee would be understandable. But they literally charge the same rate for the duration of time that I wasn't using them... .)

Whisky Tango Foxtrot?

You have to buy a 4 year subscription? Wow. That's ballsy.

Yup.. This is what I am told... I would like to hear from anyone else here who may be able to confirm or deny this..!?

... and I'm retiring at the end of the first quarter next year, so that gravy train is coming to an end.

Congats mate.. Well done.. I still have 15-20 years left to serve before I can get out.
Fairly certain I'll have done some serious reconsideration of my options loooong before then...

[bnemec]

At the risk of arguing with Fred more than one time in a day:

See if you can get a trial on the cloud thing.
There are installation problem.
Login problem.
Payment problem.
Connection problem.
Update and nothing work problem.

I highly doubt there will be much problem with handing over of funds. I'm pretty sure they've got that working. All the rest are comparatively insignificant. Unless you're a customer, and who cares about paid up customers?

[Frederick_Law]

At the risk of arguing with Fred more than one time in a day:

I highly doubt there will be much problem with handing over of funds. I'm pretty sure they've got that working. All the rest are comparatively insignificant. Unless you're a customer, and who cares about paid up customers?

There was a few post in the SWYM.

Also this is another thing to deal with:

[jcapriotti]

Also this is another thing to deal with:
3DEX-update-01.jpg

See, this would be a deal breaker for our company. We "must" have control over updates and upgrades to the software. It must be fully tested with our customization before rollout to production. I just don't see how their cloud platform allows this unless I'm missing something. The wrong thing broken could shut down our production at the factory.

[Frederick_Law]

Many cannot login after update.
Many didn't know there is update.
Watch the firework in the SWYM on Wed

I think you can put it on offline mode for a month.
What if they can't fix it in a month?
Like it never happened before

[bnemec]

Many cannot login after update.
Many didn't know there is update.
Watch the firework in the SWYM on Wed

I think you can put it on offline mode for a month.
What if they can't fix it in a month?
Like it never happened before

3DX.1

[acmall]

Also this is another thing to deal with:
3DEX-update-01.jpg

If the same happens on the business side as on the makers side that would be fun for customers in the European time zone. No access for a full working day.