I own 3 (three) lifetime licences, Please explain?

[Lindy]

No, we can keep your renewal date the same. We can also convert the license in a dormant/expired state and you can use the credit at a later date if you wish.

I understand it's a disappointment -- let's be honest, getting something free forever and ever is a great deal and at the time of offering, it was something many companies, large and small, thought would be viable in the long-term via upsells, support offerings, etc. The reality is, the "extras" didn't materialize for any of us and it was not sustainable model. We've made a much larger commitment to honoring it as long as we can.

I want to be careful so as not to give the impression that we do not value you legacy holders, as we truly do - but legacy licenses represent a VERY (less than 3%) small percentage of our overall customer-base, yet an immense amount of effort and development time spent trying to "shoehorn" accommodations into the software and systems. Unfortunately, we just need to move forward and we knew going in that we would very regretfully cause some natural ill will for some. Again, I think we're being as fair as we can beyond giving the farm away for free indefinitely, which, if you've followed along causes ill will with other/current customers who feel they're funding all these new fancy things that weren't even on a roadmap at the time of your purchase and certainly not "forum only."

[media]

IPS reserves the right to change the terms of this Agreement at any time.

Sorry, Aiwa; I have looked at the term of Agreement when I signed up (I still have a copy - original), I do not have that line, it is clearly saying that LIFETIME...

I am very happy that I opened this topic, I have learned a lot and I know what to do right now...

Thanks

[Cyrem]

it is clearly saying that LIFETIME...

You'll probably find it says 'lifetime of the product'. In which case maybe you can get away with getting just the forum app based on 'it looks and has code similarities to IPB3' (I doubt it though), but even if you did, you can't use it, IP.Forum needs the core to work. IP.Core is new and is not part of that license.

What would you do without IP.Core?

AFAIK, from IPS4, IP.Board no longer exists. IP.Forum is a new product and is simply and addon app to IP.Core. In which case, yes, you got IP.Board for it's 'LIFETIME' and they delivered what they said. But lovingly they've given old license holders options if they wish to use their new product line... and the options are a pretty good deal, plus you get the extras.

[steve00]

For what it is worth (although I do not have a lifetime or perpetual license, but I did at one time so am thinking as if I still had the license)

I feel IPS are being fair, they are offering to convert licenses AND give a credit to the accounts

I have no idea what the original cost was for those licenses but feel that although some paid extra for support (believe $30 year) they have been able to download newer releases for however many years it must be now since those licenses were available.

So, if the license holders take the offer of converting AND accepting the credit offered they are then able to use their 'credit' to renew every 6 months which in effect could mean up to 2 years of further downloads/support

Overall I think a good offer from IPS as you could effectively say you have been using the software for number of years (costing you maybe $30 year, what is that ...0.60c week) and still get up to a further 2 years of support/downloads before having to pay $25 from your own pocket every 6 months

Yes, I know the original license cost more than they do now so would have to add that factor onto the 0.60c week but feel still works out that in some cases the amount you paid for license was less than the credit IPS are offering (I did say in some cases, not all)

Not sure have explained as well as I would like, but wish I had a few of those licenses to convert over as would do so

Would like to give IPS top marks for the way they have handled this situation as no doubt it could not have been an easy solution for them

[.Ian]

Can only speak for myself but it sounds very fair to be offered $100 "cashback" instead of like with many companies it just becomes "end of life" and that's it.

Personally I have a licenece which in honestly is now surplus since I recently made the move to IPS hosting, so why would I want or need to keep a seperate licence ?

Good idea on IPS's part i'd say

If you use the licence on your hosted site, then you can have un-encrypted software

That might be a benefit to you or not.

[media]

No, we can keep your renewal date the same. We can also convert the license in a dormant/expired state and you can use the credit at a later date if you wish.

I understand it's a disappointment -- let's be honest, getting something free forever and ever is a great deal and at the time of offering, it was something many companies, large and small, thought would be viable in the long-term via upsells, support offerings, etc. The reality is, the "extras" didn't materialize for any of us and it was not sustainable model. We've made a much larger commitment to honoring it as long as we can.

I want to be careful so as not to give the impression that we do not value you legacy holders, as we truly do - but legacy licenses represent a VERY (less than 3%) small percentage of our overall customer-base, yet an immense amount of effort and development time spent trying to "shoehorn" accommodations into the software and systems. Unfortunately, we just need to move forward and we knew going in that we would very regretfully cause some natural ill will for some. Again, I think we're being as fair as we can beyond giving the farm away for free indefinitely, which, if you've followed along causes ill will with other/current customers who feel they're funding all these new fancy things that weren't even on a roadmap at the time of your purchase and certainly not "forum only."

Hi Lindy,

When would be this official announcements available (after the release of 4.0 or before ?)

Thanks

[Invisionary]

I want to be careful so as not to give the impression that we do not value you legacy holders, as we truly do - but legacy licenses represent a VERY (less than 3%) small percentage of our overall customer-base, yet an immense amount of effort and development time spent trying to "shoehorn" accommodations into the software and systems.

Yes, it is disappointing and I'm probably going to say farewell to IPS but, as a matter of interest, what accommodations need "shoehorning" into the software and systems? I'm guessing you're referring to the billing/client side of IPS' system and not to the product?

Beyond setting up a unique usergroup, I can't help thinking it shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate less then 3% of a huge customer base.

[Joey_M]

Yes, it is disappointing and I'm probably going to say farewell to IPS but, as a matter of interest, what accommodations need "shoehorning" into the software and systems? I'm guessing you're referring to the billing/client side of IPS' system and not to the product?

Beyond setting up a unique usergroup, I can't help thinking it shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate less then 3% of a huge customer base.

I said this, when you think that you get IP.Content, IP.Blog, IP.Gallery etc - It adds up and legacy customers are more likely in my opinion to stick with the product, you see so many sites switches to the brand that's popular at the time. In fact I've seen them switch from IP.Board to vB and then to Xforo. For me it makes sense to stick with a quality product but I am guilty of moving from IP.Board myself.

Mind that was when I started using MyBB.

If legacy users get what Lindy's mentioned, for me it calms the situation down.

I am impressed with 4.0 on the mobile and tablets, it looks smart but on PC I do not like it. I think a good skin will change that, though I'd revert to many similarities to 3.4.

I wish the product all the best, I haven't decided which of my sites are staying or leaving. I can only afford to keep "some" with IP.Board due to the pricing.

[Lindy]

Yes, it is disappointing and I'm probably going to say farewell to IPS but, as a matter of interest, what accommodations need "shoehorning" into the software and systems? I'm guessing you're referring to the billing/client side of IPS' system and not to the product?

Beyond setting up a unique usergroup, I can't help thinking it shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate less then 3% of a huge customer base.

Both. I explained the product aspect earlier in the topic, but the IPS system limitations are amongst the biggest issues. All licenses since 2006/2007 have been either "active" or "inactive." Legacy adds a complexity to nearly everything we do from a systems standpoint. Our value adds such as spam mitigation (and more are planned) are based on active/inactive licenses. For each service such as that, we have hackery in place that tricks the system into thinking a legacy license is inactive for something like spam or chat, but active for downloads and community permissions. Billing is messy to a point of buggy because of the completely different structures (legacy can download and be active, but perpetual doesn't get support. That sort of thing.)

So, the choices when we ventured into this for IPS4 and client systems rewrite were:

- Expend enormous amounts of development time rebuilding client systems (including license servers) to accommodate less than 1-2% of our active customer base to factor in all of the whats, ifs, thens. This would also mean sacrifices to the product structure for reasons mentioned previously in this topic.

- Simply sunset legacy licenses altogether and make the new offering of IPS4 the "cutoff" for legacy holders. To upgrade would require a new license purchase.

- Recognize that our early adopters did a fantastic job at supporting us in our infancy, we've done a fantastic job at rewarding their loyalty and will continue to do so by bringing them with us to the next generation of IPS, which after customer feedback and discussion, amounts to two free years ($100 credit) on the new structure, while allowing us to move forward with a uniform structure.

I wouldn't expect everyone to agree it's the perfect option - it's obviously a leap from what one believes should be "free forever and ever" - but it's unfortunately the best we can offer. The IPS of a decade ago is much different than the IPS of today and unfortunately, a compromise is needed. I feel we've reached one of fairness, but again, recognize some won't agree. All I'm left to say in that case is, we truly appreciate your past support and are proud to have given you unparalleled value for your purchase all of these years; I hope you'll reconsider and take advantage of the offer.

[Invisionary]

Thanks Lindy, I appreciate all is not as straightforward as it might seem from the outside looking in but I still fail to see how "shoehorning" and server tweaks can be so difficult for your talented group of staff.

I'm sure IPS will do very well and won't miss the less than 1-2% that might give up on the product - and I'm sure the majority of that minority will stay with you (it was less than 3% earlier - are we shrinking that quickly?).

All I ever needed was plain and simple forum software. Gallery, Blogs and Content all proved wasted expense for me as my users just weren't interested in them - they just wanted somewhere to make simple posts. So, I didn't need or want all the bells and whistles that have been added over the years and to some extent I have been sorry to see IPS become "bloated" and branched as much as it has.

Thank you for the great software. The last 10 years have been a blast but, personally, I won't be taking you up on your offer.

[media]

Hi Lindy,

When would be this official announcements available (after the release of 4.0 or before ?)

Thanks

May be you missed it

[tAPir]

- Recognize that our early adopters did a fantastic job at supporting us in our infancy, we've done a fantastic job at rewarding their loyalty and will continue to do so by bringing them with us to the next generation of IPS, which after customer feedback and discussion, amounts to two free years ($100 credit) on the new structure, while allowing us to move forward with a uniform structure.

Could you tell Support of that offer please because it's at odds with what they're quoting and I can't afford that until payday :)

You have a couple options, however.

One would be to convert your Perpetual License to a Standard License, which would allow the 5-user Chat.

There is no charge to do so, and we'd include a free 6-month renewal ($25 value) with the conversion. After that renewal expires, you'd need to renew support to continue use of the free 5-user Chat. Renewal is $25 for 6 months.

I don't have a "Perpetual" license but a Lifetime one so is the same offer available to Lifetime licenses?

[Lindy]

May be you missed it

We'll be contacting legacy holders and extending the offer before the release of IPS4 to allow ample amount of time for those customers. It's on my list and will hopefully get pushed out in the next few weeks. We're looking to semi-automate the process to make it easier for customers.

Could you tell Support of that offer please because it's at odds with what they're quoting and I can't afford that until payday

I don't have a "Perpetual" license but a Lifetime one so is the same offer available to Lifetime licenses?

This hasn't been announced and pushed out officially so not all staff are aware. Please feel free to ask that your request be escalated to me and I'll be happy to take care of you.

[media]

We'll be contacting legacy holders and extending the offer before the release of IPS4 to allow ample amount of time for those customers. It's on my list and will hopefully get pushed out in the next few weeks. We're looking to semi-automate the process to make it easier for customers.

Great; I need a written official statement that shows this is the only offer for Lifetime license holder...

Thanks

[Lindy]

Great; I need a written official statement that shows this is the only offer for Lifetime license holder...

Thanks

You can certainly print the e-mail you receive if you prefer. As an aside, that's not your only option. Your other option is to keep the legacy license as it were and continue to use IP.Board 3.x. IP.Board as an app will not exist after 3.x, so if you do wish to use the new suite + forums component, you can take advantage of the upgrade offer. It's not being forced upon you.

Feel free to reach out via the client center with any specific account questions. Thank you.

[media]

You can certainly print the e-mail you receive if you prefer. As an aside, that's not your only option. Your other option is to keep the legacy license as it were and continue to use IP.Board 3.x. IP.Board will not exist after 3.x, so if you do wish to use the new suite + forums component, you can take advantage of the upgrade offer. It's not being forced upon you.

Feel free to reach out via the client center with any specific account questions. Thank you.

Thank you for the clarification, but I meant going further with IP Board (Or whatever IPS name the product). It is the only option for US.

[KT Walrus]

How do I "convert" my Lifetime license to IPS4? I can't download the latest Pre-Release anymore since you require "active" licenses to do so.

Also, what happens to my Copyright Removals that is on my Lifetime license? Does this "convert"?

I also have inactive IP.Blog, IP.Gallery, IP.Nexus, and IP.Content licenses that are "attached" to my Lifetime license. Do these inactive licenses "convert" also so I only have to pay a small fee to activate these for IPS4?

I also have 2 Permanent inactive licenses that don't have Copyright Removals attached. I have never successfully established a community based on the IPB licenses I hold (I tried several times, but all were failures). I want to give IPS4 a try basically because I can implement my own custom app rather easily to build the type of community that I think will be successful.

If you don't mind, could you briefly describe the fees (both initially and ongoing) that I am going to incur to deploy a community based on IPS4 under the new license structure assuming I get credits applied for my old Lifetime license (and 2 Perpetual licenses and the inactive other licenses I hold) and I will be using Copyright Removal, IPS4 Forums, Blog, Gallery, Nexus, and Content on my new site.

[Pete T]

How do I "convert" my Lifetime license to IPS4? I can't download the latest Pre-Release anymore since you require "active" licenses to do so.

Also, what happens to my Copyright Removals that is on my Lifetime license? Does this "convert"?

I also have inactive IP.Blog, IP.Gallery, IP.Nexus, and IP.Content licenses that are "attached" to my Lifetime license. Do these inactive licenses "convert" also so I only have to pay a small fee to activate these for IPS4?

I also have 2 Permanent inactive licenses that don't have Copyright Removals attached. I have never successfully established a community based on the IPB licenses I hold (I tried several times, but all were failures). I want to give IPS4 a try basically because I can implement my own custom app rather easily to build the type of community that I think will be successful.

If you don't mind, could you briefly describe the fees (both initially and ongoing) that I am going to incur to deploy a community based on IPS4 under the new license structure assuming I get credits applied for my old Lifetime license (and 2 Perpetual licenses and the inactive other licenses I hold) and I will be using Copyright Removal, IPS4 Forums, Blog, Gallery, Nexus, and Content on my new site.

to convert submit tickets into client centre might need get Lindy to sort the offer out but deal that in support tickets or directly PM him.

[Nukeproof Mega]

I understand this is a very touchy subject and for me I really can see both parties points, As a "Lifetime Perpetual Licence" holder you would expect that you would be getting exactly as worded but IPB has also come along way from it's origin and intact the entire structure has changed but if Lindy is right:

I want to be careful so as not to give the impression that we do not value you legacy holders, as we truly do - but legacy licenses represent a VERY (less than 3%) small percentage of our overall customer-base

Then would it really hurt to honour such a small percentage on this occasion?

[media]

I understand this is a very touchy subject and for me I really can see both parties points, As a "Lifetime Perpetual Licence" holder you would expect that you would be getting exactly as worded but IPB has also come along way from it's origin and intact the entire structure has changed but if Lindy is right:

Then would it really hurt to honour such a small percentage on this occasion?

Well, we all are going to see what happens at the end of this negotiation... Wait and see... :)

[KT Walrus]

I did submit a Support Ticket to get access to the Pre-Release download for working with the IN_DEV mode this weekend, but no response from IPS and I fear that I won't get access to the download tonight since it is 6:30pm ET on a Friday here and I bet all customer service people have taken off for the weekend. My current 1.0.12 install had some reported issues with IN_DEV and Designer's Mode which I believe might now be fixed in 1.0.16.

I think IPS could have handled this better. My suggestion is to automatically add a free 6 month IPS4 Suite license to all "legacy" license holders. This would have smoothly transitioned us to IPS4 and then IPS could offer to "convert" existing Lifetime/Perpetual licenses to IPS4 licenses for a further $75 account credit (or whatever $100 minus 6 month IPS4 license is). That way, we wouldn't be inconvenienced by the new license policy and would have the time to decide whether we want to keep an IPS4 license active.

[Cyrem]

IP.Board has finished. Your license has been for-filled. IPS4 is a different product.

Unless your license states you get ALL future products of IP, you are not entitled to IPS4 as part of your old license.

They don't have to offer you anything! and yet they did.

[media]

IP.Board has finished. Your license has been for-filled. IPS4 is a different product.

Unless your license states you get ALL future products of IP, you are not entitled to IPS4 as part of your old license.

They don't have to offer you anything! and yet they did.

Thank you for your input... As I said, We will wait and see... :)

[AlexJ]

If it's just a small percentage, I would wish IPS would give Perpetual license holder IPS 4.0 for free as they have done so far as a good gesture if possible and if it doesn't hurt IPS income by long shot.

Good things count long way down the road. I don't have so called lifetime license but it's always good to see company still supporting early adopters. Not saying they are not supporting but whoever is reading this you got the point of what I mean to say.

[xtech]

Yeah i agree. Selling perpetual licenses was a fundamental move for further growth. Those 3% were the ones that took the risk of putting money on something that was not known if it would be successful or not, and the ones that IP should be "perpetually" grateful to, because without them, IP maybe would not have succeded.

A little gratitude for the old customers would be deeply appreciated by everyone, and would contribute to the company reputation, which is much more valuable than the money IPS will get with upgraded licenses for those old customers.