Directadmin should charge yearly...

[Nexxterra.com]

I feel the the current billing model of paying for a lifetime license will cause problems in the long run, both for Directadmin and for the users.
Directadmin is a great product and run as a small operation, but in the future you will want to retire and most importantly, I will still want my directadmin always on the cutting edge.
I feel directadmin should start charging a yearly maintenance fee, small, like $20 but still enough to keep the doors open.
(this may be a great way to have a few new skins made too!)

 

[scsi]

Yeah right...horrible idea. Im sick of paying yearly fees to get updates to software I already paid a ton for. Directadmin does enough releasing updates in a timely manner. The have more important things to code besides skins.

 

[Nexxterra.com]

at what point

at what point are you going to continue to program and upgrade your own version of DirectAdmin?
I suggested this because the exact same problem you will have if you offered hosting for life packages.
A customer buys a $300 hosting account and then that account is good for life. You get NO money ever again, yet you still have to support every client like they were new.
The model direct admin is running on is unsustainable, unless the bulk of their customers have opted to pay a monthly fee for licensing.
I am more interested in knowing the company will be here years from now as a viable up to date product.
The comment re: templates was another suggestion of where some of the extra income could go. I do not care one bit if you like the templates or not, it is a factor that does effect the sales of DA to new users. I use a template offered by Martynas anyway.

Too many people here want everything for nothing.... we have got that so far, but someday it may not be there and I for one would never want to see that.

 

[Richard G]

A customer buys a $300 hosting account and then that account is good for life. You get NO money ever again, yet you still have to support every client like they were new.

If you don't want that as a company, DON'T offer lifetime licenses without yearly support pay in the first place.
Some company's start with a good idea, give something for free.. Other company's follow, don't think about it, and after a couple of years they start wining that they don't make money anymore.
Well, think about that before you start copying other company's then or starting to do "unlimited lifetime" things. It's not fair blaming the customer that they want everything for free if it's offered to them that way, that's not a nice attitude.
If you offer it for free, except the consequences or don't sell it that way.

I got mad when vBulletin changed their license stuff. I got a lifetime license and as a customer in that case I may expect that things stay the same for me as long as I use it and I can upgrade the way I always did.
Now to get new versions, you have to pay a complete new amount to get a new version, for something people should only pay support as is agreed in the buying agreement. So I stop at vb 3.8 with 3 forums, they won't get any penny from me anymore, and all best people went away anyway when vB was taken over so... It's a pity.

So I agree with scsi here.

However, I also understand your point. And since Directadmin has great service, I would not mind if there would be a kind of payment construction in the future. Like keep the forum support for free and the updates, but charge f.e. $ 20,- a year for personal support by email (except changing license ip's). And maybe charge $ 10,- transfer fee if you sell your lifetime license to somebody else, free transfers all year when you payed the $ 20,- support fee.
I don't think customers would see that as a problem if it was done like this.

But don't start an obligated yearly fee. I hate that too.