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Yeah, that's another way to go, and I considered doing that. The main thing I didn't like about that strategy was how I'd be sitting on lots of unused code betw

Yeah, that's another way to go, and I considered doing that. The main thing I didn't like about that strategy was how I'd be sitting on lots of unused code between major releases. All the new features sitting on my SSD for months aren't helping any customers :/

jjnoakes 3y ago
Why can't you release features whenever you like under this model?
- ghaff 3y ago
  You can. But you also sort of want to hold anything really significant back for the next major rev.
- dceddia 3y ago
  I was thinking if the model is: buy Version 1 for $99... then next year, Version 2 is out with lots of new features for the upgrade price of $79 -- well, then nothing really stops you from releasing new features under Version 1, but at some point you kinda have to hold something back for Version 2, or there won't be any reason to upgrade. So it shifts the incentives toward holding back big new features, and away from incremental updates.
  - shagie 3y ago
    And if you need some money and have a few features, release version 3 - even if it doesn't feel like enough to really cut a new version for. Your cash flow for the software now becomes a big bang with then drawing on it until you run out and need some more. Subscriptions offer a more measured approach. "I have 10,000 people with subscriptions of $10/month - each month I'll bring in $100k which is then used for these expenses." There's no push to release a build because AWS changed their pricing or that you want to hire a new developer.
  - account42 3y ago
    That really depends what timeframes you need to be working with. Adding new features to version n for free still incentivizes users of version < n to pay for the upgrade.
JohnFen 3y ago
> All the new features sitting on my SSD for months aren't helping any customers But they can be used to build anticipation for the future release. One of the many downsides of "continuous release" is that it's changed the mindset about software in customer's minds. It used to be that a new release was a highly anticipated event. Now, when people think about updates at all, it's usually with dread.

jjnoakes 3y ago

Why can't you release features whenever you like under this model?

ghaff 3y ago
You can. But you also sort of want to hold anything really significant back for the next major rev.
dceddia 3y ago
I was thinking if the model is: buy Version 1 for $99... then next year, Version 2 is out with lots of new features for the upgrade price of $79 -- well, then nothing really stops you from releasing new features under Version 1, but at some point you kinda have to hold something back for Version 2, or there won't be any reason to upgrade. So it shifts the incentives toward holding back big new features, and away from incremental updates.
- shagie 3y ago
  And if you need some money and have a few features, release version 3 - even if it doesn't feel like enough to really cut a new version for. Your cash flow for the software now becomes a big bang with then drawing on it until you run out and need some more. Subscriptions offer a more measured approach. "I have 10,000 people with subscriptions of $10/month - each month I'll bring in $100k which is then used for these expenses." There's no push to release a build because AWS changed their pricing or that you want to hire a new developer.
- account42 3y ago
  That really depends what timeframes you need to be working with. Adding new features to version n for free still incentivizes users of version < n to pay for the upgrade.

JohnFen 3y ago

> All the new features sitting on my SSD for months aren't helping any customers But they can be used to build anticipation for the future release. One of the many downsides of "continuous release" is that it's changed the mindset about software in customer's minds. It used to be that a new release was a highly anticipated event. Now, when people think about updates at all, it's usually with dread.