Technically, you don’t need to pay license to use or update sublime text, though.
After recent update I see LICENSE UPGRADE REQUIRED
Gatontillica
#175
I will go out on a limb and speculate that the people upset about this are not the same people who don’t care about software licenses.
2 Likes
bitsper2nd
#176
I am convinced that you people are simply overreacting and looking a a scapegoat for your problems. Instead of finding a solution, you focus only on placing the blame on either Sublime Text or SublimeHQ for the wrong reasons. Maybe you are having a bad day, maybe you simply hate any kind of change. It does not solve your problem playing the blame game.
1 Like
Gatontillica
#177
I’m not sure that you think that there are right reasons. Here it is: SublimeHQ rolled out an upgrade in a way that made it look like an update. Users are quite reasonably upset about this and are complaining loudly enough that maybe they will do the right thing next time. That’s “finding a solution.”
3 Likes
bitsper2nd
#179
Mozilla does the same with Firefox and Microsoft with Edge as well. Its pretty common and accepted in desktop. Nothing shady or nefarious about it. If SublimeHQ wanted your money, they would have already shut down downloads for earlier versions and forced users to actually pay a license to keep using Sublime Text. They didn’t. You are just overreacting and frankly reaching here.
2 Likes
Gatontillica
#180
No. They do not. The comparison is something of a non sequitur.
I never said that they did, so I am not sure who you are responding to with this. What I did say was the SublimeHQ made major changes to their software and particularly its licensing. Many users expect to be clearly warned when they are about to do a major upgrade. And there are pretty “common and accepted” ways to do this, which differ from platform to platform, but were not followed in this case.
You don’t seem concerned about the licensing issue…
But to some of us valid licensing is a big deal. SublimeHQ tells me that payment is required, but bitsper2nd tells me I don’t need to pay. Who should I believe?
1 Like
bitsper2nd
#181
they do. that is how it works on Windows. The OS most people use around world on the desktop.
No logical fallacy here. Its common practice to update desktop programs like that.
Most users don’t care about that. They accept updates willingly.
Read my comment on that again. This time slowly.
1 Like
peter3
#182
That’s fine and it was also fine for previous ST3 point updates. What’s not fine is showing a modal update dialog that looks exactly like previous point updates but actually upgrades the program to a version which is incompatible with the previously purchased license. Moreover, the upgraded version requires the purchase of a new license for continued use (as clearly stated on the download page).
Due to this deceptive behavior users cannot make informed decisions. As there was no action taken from the Sublime HQ team in response to the many people reporting this, one can only assume that this is very much intentional. Otherwise they would have disabled the update check by now to avoid misleading their customers. I am also very skeptical to the argument that this was an oversight. For the first major upgrade in years, the upgrade path of existing customers must have been clearly defined.
FWIW, personally I decided that the Sublime HQ team cannot be trusted anymore. Who knows what the next update will bring. This time we were lucky that many (not all) were able to downgrade to ST3 without issues. Next time they might break the configuration so no downgrade is possible anymore or change the license at will. It’s a good time to explore alternatives that actually respect their users/ customers.
1 Like
peter3
#184
What about them? None of them address the fact that the Sublime HQ team could resolve the issue by disabling the update check but seemingly decided that they rather want to continue deceiving their existing customers.
0 Likes
garek007
#186
Seriously why is he still here? If he doesn’t work for Sublime, does he have nothing better to do?
3 Likes
bitsper2nd
#187
I like to share the things I enjoy about ST too. Made thread about Themes and Color Schemes. Feel free to have look or recommend anything.
0 Likes
KeithDC
#188
Firefox and Edge do now do auto-updates, but neither have ever auto-updated their app, then splashed a license alert at me—but oh, I can go to their site and downgrade to their previous version to keep using their previous version. It’s a non sequitur. Guaranteed if they change their license terms to include or adjust pricing, we’re gonna see it prior to the install.
Sorry for the incorrect reply, @Gatontillica
1 Like
st.gothian
#189
So we have gone for the “nuclear option” … moved one of our projects to atom:
atom.io
A reasonably painless transition. And for those of us used to Sublime’s Monokai theme (like me) there’s an identical theme for atom as well (“atom-sublime-monokai”).
We do (mostly) open source, atom is open source. Logical move.
4 Likes
Mogeb
#190
At the beginning I wanted to point out that I am a longtime user, since ST2, paying for the license. And I like to pay for the good software I use - I like how authors are rewarded for their hard work.
However, version-limited or time-limited licenses are a bit of a problem for me. Mainly because it is often not known what we pay for. You then pay for a product that can actually be abandoned at any time and in any state. In extreme situations, it happens that companies offer theoretical lifetime support for a specific version, but they release another one and stop patching bugs in the previous one. Is it fair?
I think this worries ST users a bit, especially when looking at developer activity in different years and the number of versions (ST3):
2013 12
2014 1
2015 2
2016 4
2017 1
2018 2
2019 3
2020 0
2021 0
Without a formalized publishing plan, you don’t know what you pay for. For this reason, I have already given up several programs in favor of those where the situation is clear.
3 Likes
bitsper2nd
#191
I understand the concern. SublimeHQ is a developer focused and owned program. Communication is a weak point for them. Since they are literally 6 people. They don’t have a dedicated sales team and a dedicated communication team like you see with Mozilla, Google and Microsoft.
I also thought before ST was dying, but after searching the web, I stumbled upon a repo by @jfcherng that told the changelog about Sublime Text 4. They were testing on a discord group for months. I dont have discord, but they were communicating with there most loyal fanbase to squash bugs and get better feedback before this release.
I am writing this to you to tell that Sublime Text is alive and getting better. Just because you don’t you don’t see it in plain sight or see it frequently everyday, doesn’t mean there is no development activity. If you want to support SublimeHQ and their work, buy a new license for ST4.
1 Like
kanguru_au
#193
I was a loyal Sublime Text user, paying for licenses since early ST2 (and twice for ST3). Bought sublime SFTP and the Sublime Text Power User book. I organised to buy corporate licenses for my team and have always shown it off to people who were interested in my workflow. I was excited to see ST4, and thinking that I’d take advantage of the bundle/upgrade and get into git.
However, I turned up here looking for an Australian Dollar payment option and found this awful thread (with its very own troll). Mogeb’s updates-per-year shows most starkly that, even if one is prepared to put up with – indeed reward – the “sorry, not sorry” from the company and the tiny upgrade discount, there’s just not much to look forward to.
My last licence purchase was three years and three months ago, over which time I only saw a small handful of updates. People get passionate about their text editors, and I thought these days it was clear that companies had to get passionate about their customers (the other half of that parasocial bargain), lest they end up without any.
I’m torn; do I pay up and support behaviour I detest or vote with my dollars and attention for something else, perhaps the open source atom (thanks for the tip, @st.gothian)?
And damn the inept marketing that requires I make this decision; text editors shouldn’t be about moral choices, they’re more important than that!
3 Likes