Empirical evidence suggests Devonthink’s principles are in full force. Just one of many reasons to like Devonthink.
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Why I believe that personal data should never maintained or stored in a subscription App:
While the subscription paradigm may be acceptable for services that are used on a repeating basis they are never ok for storing personal data unless the data is stored unencrypted in a universal format that can be read without conversion by another common easily obtainable app. An example of this would be that the data exists within the subscription app file as rtf and could be easily read and interpreted without the subscription app by TextEdit or Preview.
Subscription models primary benefit the developer with little to no benefit to the user other than perhaps a lower entry price. It benefits the developer as it insures a constant cashflow and consistent profits so long as users continue to use the app. However it also discourages bug fixes and product improvements for so long as the money keeps rolling in their is little incentive to improve or fix the app unless competition demands it. Moreover the user is locked into using the app in order to access their data which makes it far more challenging to switch to a competitive app without complex steps or loss of their data. It is congruent to setting up your email account with your internet provider and then after a few years attempting to switch internet providers. Additionally it allows a developer to make substantially more money/profit as the lower cost over time amounts to substantially more cost for the product they the developer could get for it if it was available for purchase.
As for the user the risks are huge. First of all they must continue to pay for the app on a regular basis in order to access their own data for as long as they wish to be able to access it. Otherwise in most cases, if the subscription is not paid the user is denied access to their own data. This could mean that that when choosing to use such an app they may be entering into a lifetime subscription contract and be paying the developer until they die with the only other option is the total loss of their personal data related to the use of the app. In fact if they wish to pass the data on to family or friends they then become committed to continue the payments or lose the data.
What if the developer/company ceases operation or abandons the app. Users are now dependent on the good will of the developer to unlock the app from the subscription before sunsetting it in order to be able to continue to access perhaps years of their own data. Otherwise that data is likely out of their reach forever.
Suppose the developer, going through multiple upgrades, decides to abandon older operating systems or computers. Now, in order to continue to access their data, the user must upgrade their operating system, switch to a new one, or buy a new computer. If the app was purchased they could simply keep running it on their old machine.
Additionally their is nothing to prevent the developer from raising the subscription price to a level that it becomes unaffordable to the user. Good by access to their personal data.
Some of the subscription models require regular/frequent internet access to validate the subscription. What if the user is in a location or situation without internet access and validation is needed? The answer to this is obvious.
One other “fun” fact. If the subscription is on autopay and the user expires, the developer can continue to collect payments until the estate executer becomes aware of the payments or happens to close the account which could be months after the users passing.
Some developers to provide export tools as part of the app programming. However the catch here is that you likely have to be subscribed to use it. How is that going to work if the company has gone bankrupt or abandoned the product and the app is locked by the subscription?
Such are the reasons I highly recommend that subscription apps never be used to store personal data.
Not a subscription issue
My notes/documents/files are stored/organized in Devonthink databases
but I do a weekly export for backup purposes (data files, tags, folder structure)
perhaps a lower entry price
That works for me
The full purchase price is a barrier
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There is no universal format that can be read without conversion by another common easily obtainable app. There are many formats that can be read by many applications, e.g., Markdown files. They’re not universal, but they’re widely supported.
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DEVONthink does not modify the documents put into your databases. There is no secret conversion to some proprietary format only used in our applications. This is well known and well documented.
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DEVONthink doesn’t keep your data locked away in such a fashion that the documents are irretrievable in case of emergency or contingency. We also provide mechanisms for exporting files out of the application for a variety of purposes.
Suppose the developer, going through multiple upgrades, decides to abandon older operating systems or computers. Now, in order to continue to access their data, the user must upgrade their operating system, switch to a new one, or buy a new computer. If the app was purchased they could simply keep running it on their old machine.
This argument doesn’t just apply to subscriptions. It has to do with technology moving forward, as life goes on. No developer worth his salt is going to support OS X Snow Leopard still, even if it was the crowing glory of the post OS9 operating systems. Technology moves on, hardware improves, and the old must be shelved eventually and be replaced by the new. As they say, “Nothing lasts forever.”
So you shouldn’t treat this as the behavior of unruly or unscrupulous developers. This is how things work. We support five operating systems back. From a hardware and software standpoint, it makes no sense to support 6, 7, or 10 previous operating systems.
PS: Professional software development isn’t a charity. It’s a business, a for-profit business. A business that requires revenue to continue development and improvement, creation of new products, etc. And it also need to make money to support the people running the company and their families. Without those people, there are no products.
Think about this: DEVONthink 2.x was around for over 11 years. If people bought a license at the beginning, they got 11 years of free updates, fixes, improvements, etc. People may have purchased an upgrade from Personal to Pro, Pro to Pro Office, etc. but looking at it broadly, existing users didn’t generate new income for those 11 years. Fortunately, our products and reputation helped us beat the odds when many companies folded – even ones larger than us. But what other company – a for-profit company – have people benefitted from in the same way… for 11 years? And that is not the standard in business. We, once again, are the exception to the rule. But as the old movie said, “That was then; this is now.” Just some thing to ponder.
PPS: This isn’t trying to make the case for or against subscriptions. It’s just responding to some of your commentary with the realities of business in the software world.
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When composing this DT was not even considered to be an issue as, at least the Mac version, is not a subscription paradigm, thank goodness.
Regarding the Snow Leopard (SL) example; I would not ever expect a developer would continue to support SL in 2023. If it was a purchased app a user could continue to use the product on the SL machine so long as the machine worked. With a subscription model, it is likely that the updating model would eventually break the ability to use the App on the SL machine.
With the purchase paradigm I have no issue for major paid upgrades for as you stated it is a business and needs to make money to survive. However I do have an issue for paid updates when the core reason is to fix bugs and then add some ‘frosting’ improvements to try to justify the fee. A quality developer will continue to not on improve the basic functionality of the product, but listen to their customers and add desired features and new functionality for which they can then charge a fee which also encourages more interest in the product and increased purchases. Additional sources of revenue could be customized and targeted tech support for a users special issues in the form of templates, customer database design, similar to what FileMaker developers do, special conversion tools, specialized scripts, extensions, etc.
In fact, in my opinion Devon is pretty much doing things right.
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I’m not keen on subscriptions. Devonthink, by subscription or conventional license, is not a risk to data.
As more of a testament to my timid rabbit-like nature than mistrust in DT, I think I’ll add export as web site to my weekly backup ritual.
Or, maybe not. Data has been at risk since we stepped away from iron gall and nervous geese. At some point, accessible enough is accessible enough.
I never used any app that is subscription based. I always make one time payment. If DEVONthink doesn’t offer one time payment, I won’t be using them. I don’t have any iOS app I use as subscription.
So instead, what I suggest is that usually with app development, it takes effort to support additional OS. New macOS or iOS releases add or change different features, deprecate different APIs. So there is additional work involved in supporting new OS releases. May be we can have new version that will run on new OS which can up upgraded for existing users. For those who cannot upgrade, they can use the app with bug fixes and maintenance release that would not make the app obsolete. Only thing is it should be stable. I experienced issues with DTTG 2 last version when searching as the app crashes. So it’s not very usable. Later I upgraded anyway.
But I think it all depends on the company and business model and competition.
Or you could do like what Sketch app does. With one purchase you get a perpetual license and 2 or n years worth of updates. I think this is a good business model. I am a fan of Sketch as well.
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That’s indeed a nice alternative to subscriptions and fair for both sides, IMHO.
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Agreed! I would argue, that most fairness comes from clear communication upfront and no change of the conditions after the fact (such as making a feature included in a perpetual license a subscription only feature).
I would say currently you are getting it right. Making it an expensive piece of software (by a good margin my most expensive software for sure) which has tremendous value and you can make a living. Also I like the options for OTP and/or subscription you provide in DTTG. Maybe consider offering a subscription alternative for DT on MacOS as well?
This is probably self-evident to everyone in this thread (especially @Amontillado), but if you feel that you’re not paying enough for DT, there’s already an existing option that will support the product, boost functionality, and reward development at the bleeding edge of the feature set: upgrade to Server. Immediate benefits include unlimited devices and seats, mobile access to massive databases too big for DTTG to handle, and giving DEVONtech more of your money.
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Ha! Actually, I have the server edition. It’s not something I use often at all, so you might consider it a pure donation to DT.
Except that when I don’t actually enable the web server, it still adds value.
I’m treasurer for a small non-profit. The organization’s books are rigorously honest. A thief would say the same thing, of course, so being able to instantly open our records for remote audit without appointment is cool.
It’s a peace of mind thing (and my expense, not the non-profit’s).
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I consider Devonthink Pro to be the ultimate repository for all my files. My data totals over 1TB, and I have saved a large number of smart rules to process information. The subscription model means that my efforts are in a state of great uncertainty. I hope Devonthink will provide additional data processing services, such as integration with ChatGPT, and make it a subscription item. Ultimately, I think a buy-out model + subscription model for advanced service processing services is the right choice.
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