How do you assess the first 5+ months of the new era in Capture One's evolution?
I downloaded my permanent license version of Capture One 23 on November 8, 2022. The company's new approach to licensing launched, in some sense officially, in mid-February. So a bit less than six months have elapsed since the debut of CO 23, and a bit more than two months have elapsed since the debut of the new approach to licensing.
In those time frames, CO has released one "major" release (16.1) and five "service" releases, the relevant difference between those two types being that under the new licensing scheme, permanent license holders receive all - but also only - the "service" releases associated with the "major" release for which they purchased a license. Since I purchased CO 23 before mid-February, I will have permanent license access to all releases - major and service - issued before October 1 of this year.
ALL OF THAT SAID!. . . I'm curious about your reaction to CO's output in these first six months since version 23's release? Only one "major" release, which didn't deliver a very heavy load of new features, in my view (your mileage may vary, of course). If the remaining five months of my permanent license access to new releases produce no more than the first six months have, I can't imagine buying another permanent license. What's your view of the application's progress since version 23's launch?
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I didn't find the article right now but I think one of the reasons they changed the license policy was to enable them to bring new features quicker to the market.
I don't see any acceleration though, rather a similar amount of users having problems as with most major releases. But the year is not finished yet.
I am stuck with 15.2 (perpetual) which is the last stable version for me personally. And all newer features I don't need.
Let's hope they not only change(d) license policy and pricing but also speed of development, quality and / or they catch up with other market players or their own innovations. Because there's still much to like about C1 software (mostly features from the older versions though).
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Looking back, it appears that for version 22, release 15.2 was in April 2022, and then 15.3 was in July 2022, and then 15.4 in October 2022. (Hope I have got the dates right!)
So it isn't very far out of line with last year if there isn't a .2 release by this time of year. They have tended to be at irregular intervals, depending on what new features there are and when they are ready to release, I think. So only time will tell what comes before October 2023, and whether the new features are ones that we want. (There is always controversy about the value off new features - some users say they are of no interest to them while others say they are something they have been wanting for years.)
Ian
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BeO posted:
I didn't find the article right now but I think one of the reasons they changed the license policy was to enable them to bring new features quicker to the market.
I don't see any acceleration though, rather a similar amount of users having problems as with most major releases. But the year is not finished yet.
I recall the claim CO made regarding its desire to bring new features to market more quickly. I've never quite understood how the new approach to licensing equips such innovation, however. Subscribers receive all new features without additional cost, and therefore, without additional revenue to CO. Is it then that after the change, permanent license holders will provide increased revenue by purchasing new permanent licenses multiple times per year as new features come to the product incrementally, and in so doing provide the funds to underwrite additional R&D? Whatever the rationale, so far in this cycle I've seen no more evidence of acceleration than you have.
Ian Wilson posted:
So it isn't very far out of line with last year if there isn't a .2 release by this time of year. They have tended to be at irregular intervals, depending on what new features there are and when they are ready to release, I think.
A good point, Ian, except that as noted above, CO's rationale for the licensing change was that it would accelerate the arrival of new features, something that has yet to happen. That since version 23's debut CO has one "major" release and five "service" releases makes clear, I think, that the company's efforts to-date have been on fixing bugs, not producing innovation. In my view, they could have produced that track record without changing the licensing model.
(There is always controversy about the value off new features - some users say they are of no interest to them while others say they are something they have been wanting for years.)
How true!
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Hard to say since CO23 crashes every time I try to open it, making my entire catalogue of Phase One images useless.
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