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Sharing my thoughts as I consider this subscription model

Brian Tucker
Brian Tucker Member ✭
edited September 27 in SmartSDR+
Good Day. As I review my options with the new subscription plan, I have several questions for FlexRadio that I believe will help not only in my decision-making process but also assist others who are considering their choices:

1. Are there documented terms of the subscription available for review? If available, could you provide a link or a summary of the key terms?

2. Will FlexRadio be committing to a more frequent release schedule, such as quarterly updates?

3. Will FlexRadio share a roadmap of upcoming features? I am interested in both short-term and long-term planned features.

4. Are target release dates for these planned features available?


I fully understand the importance of supporting the software development lifecycle and am a frequent SmartSDR user. I am always eager to explore new features, but I would like to know what I am paying for, which is why I am seeking clarity on these points.

I believe these answers will help many users who are considering their options as the new subscription plan becomes available. Thank you for your attention to these questions.

Comments

  • Dan Trainor
    Dan Trainor Member ✭✭✭

    As we know, It is NOT a "Subscription" model. It is really a "Pay for a Feature" model. A feature that is so impactful that it would be hard for you to not pay for it. But, they can't force you to pay for it. When and if that feature is introduced, it would have to be so compelling that few people could resist buying it. We will have to see what the future holds. But, if Flex defines a feature as say, for example, an improved NR+ algorithm, then that would be horrific as customers expect them to fix / improve their NR function regardless. It is NOT what we would ever consider a new "feature". So, a lot of this comes down to how Flex defines a "Feature" to be. What is the definition of a Feature in this context? It is currently undefined by Flex and unknown to clients. So that's a big question. But, most importantly, this "subscription" model is NOT a subscription model. It is a "Pay for a Feature" model. What are these Features? Unknown. So this is a licensing model in which the center of the model is Unknown by definition.

  • JoeH
    JoeH Member ✭✭

    As a relatively new Flex user (6600) I'm learning about this subscription thing with great interest. I am truly disappointed in this choice made by flex. The software is old and like anything has bugs. I hate to be extorted for $200/yr for something I paid dearly for to begin with. Maybe if they finally get a Android version working I'd consider it. With the huge influx of funds they will get from subscribers they can finally do so. Maybe if the annual fee was more reasonable it wouldn't be so bad. Consider $100?

    And what will these features be? Pay now for unknown future features that may mean nothing to me. And bug fixes are not new features. Flex will continue to update the software fixing bugs for free (that is, what we already paid them), right?

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
    edited October 1

    @joeh and others — Internally, all of us are reading all these comments and they are being discussed at many levels. So, your words are being heard.

    I just want to confirm that you do not require to buy a subscription to use the radio, get maintenance updates, etc.

    No subscription is required at all if you don't want to and all the features and functionality are available exactly as the day you received the radio.

    I am not sure what you mean when you say the software is old? Can you take a moment and expand on that for us? We would really like to hear your thoughts on that.

    thanks in advance.

  • Brian Tucker
    Brian Tucker Member ✭
    Thanks Mike - It's good to know that the inside is listening. Coming from the IT industry, where I am involved in some levels of contract negotiation (foundation for my questions), I'm used to the subscription model - it's where everything is moving towards - cable tv to internet to desktop solutions from Microsoft, Adobe, Google, Apple, etc.

    I'm likely to sign up for the plan as I love to get "frequent" updates to enjoy the system to the fullest - I also understand the wariness of others. I'm hopeful some of my questions will foster some thought internally. I appreciate everything Flex is doing and am happy to have my 6600!

    Sidenote - it was great meeting you in Huntsville and I look forward to future meetings at future events!

    Brian/WD4DX

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