After several statements that new release will be ready 'next week', or 'at the end of the month' - no word on the new release of ThinDAC.
My current ThinDAC app is working fine, but I need a small new feature I asked for few months ago. Also, promised new features will come really handy.
Since it looks like there is little or no development, I am asking myself is this the beginning of the end for ThinDAC? Should I switch to kbmMW which by far beats ThinDAC in every aspect (for just a double of the price)?
I am not trying to be negative, but I am slowly getting tired of waiting...
Dears This is not a fair comparison for a new product. ThinDac is a completely HTTP based product and the strong points from my point of view are:
1. The freedom of the derivative products in deployment on the customer facilities.
2. The native ability to operate drilling/bypassing the client's firewalls (usually closed for outgoing traffic on all ports except the http ports.)
According to my experience the requirement of an open firewall port is the most suspending factor on the spreading of internet based products on medium or large corporate environments. The IT admins are always negative (or almost negative) on these requirements. Especially in our days where more MS oriented young engineers are in the IT depts. They see each open firewall port as an hole to their MS based security. They don't take easily the responsibility to modify the firewall rules. And this customer base of medium or large enterprises is an attractive piece of pie on the financial point of view for all of us.
5. The equal support of C++Builder from the early ThinDAC/RealThinClient steps.
6. The waiting Messaging features are natively http based, something that is not on the same way on the most known other products.
Finally as an satisfied ASTA user, i contemplated as my obligation to contribute to the ThinDAC product progress by buying the licence. Our reliance on new products and players in the vcl components arena will have positive impact to all.
So am still be patient. I encourage also the hard and business-risk effort (piracy, etc) of making -in our days- new, quality components.
These are the same reasons I bought ThinDAC. It is a great product and in combination with RTC it really makes a very good multi-tier solution. The thing I didn't like was lack of development. ThinDAC is a new product and there is a lots of room for improvement.
I'll wait for a while too. I like light footprint of ThinDAC as opposed to kbmMW (which BTW can be set to use HTTP protocol, among many others).
The Dmitry reply that promised ThinDAC 2 beta to the last week disappeared. That made me worried about ThinDAC future, because I don't see the reason to cancel it.
Dmitry could you please assure your users that ThinDAC life is not at the end?
1) I have canceled my previous message, because it is not well answering to your questions. 2) We have been working on some exciting stuff internally, please look out for a full and proper announcement before the end of the week.
Hi Dmitry, I saw the annoouncement about ThinDAC is a discontinued product. To be honest that wasn't the announcment I was expected Im not absolutely happy for that. What is the meaning we your user can have a free subscription fo six months to Data Abstract? maybe we can have a trial version that expire in six months? Please could you clarify?
RoccoNeri, What is the meaning we your user can have a free subscription fo six months to Data Abstract? maybe we can have a trial version that expire in six months? Please could you clarify?
sure thing. RemObjects products are sold on a subscription basis, where the initial purchase usually gives you one year of free upgrades (including major and minor new versions). After the subscription expires, your products keep working, but you no longer have access to *newer* versions of the product. To get new versions, a renewal (comparable to an upgrade) is required.
What we are offering to ThinDAC customers is a free 6-month subscription for Data Abstract and AnyDAC, meaning users will get the current release of the two products, plus any new versions released within 6 months. It's not a trial, and the products do not expire.
Given the pricing of Data Abstract for Delphi at $899 for a yearly subscription and the yet-to-be-announced price for AnyDAC 2, you're looking at something along the lines of a $650 value you are getting, at no charge.
If course, we realize that DA is not ThinDAC, but we're sure that you will find DA a very satisfactory product that thousands of developers happily use every day, and you get a free license to use it, if you chose to do so.
I hope this clarifies the issue; if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at <mh at remobjects dot com>.
Given the pricing of Data Abstract for Delphi at $899 for a yearly subscription and the yet-to-be-announced price for AnyDAC 2, you're looking at something along the lines of a $650 value you are getting, at no charge.
So, in essence you are giving us $775 (one half of $899 plus $650). And after six months we have to pay $1,549 for the next 12 months. And each year after that it is $1,549.
Not a bad deal. ThinDAC would cost me about $50 a year for updates. But your product has much more to offer.
My problem is that I really don't need, for now, any new features except simple notifications for all clients that database has been updated.
Zoran So, in essence you are giving us $775 (one half of $899 plus $650). And after six months we have to pay $1,549 for the next 12 months. And each year after that it is $1,549.
Not a bad deal. ThinDAC would cost me about $50 a year for updates. But your product has much more to offer.
My problem is that I really don't need, for now, any new features except simple notifications for all clients that database has been updated.
Thanks for the clarification.
While i really do not follow your math (a yearly DA subscription renewal would cost $599, not $1549, wherever that number came from), please be aware that no-one will force you to pay to renew DA, if you do not need it. We're giving you a free license, along with half a year of free updates and support, to do with as you please. You can use it to try out DA and see if it suits you, or you can file it away and not use it. If you decide to use it, it's still up to you whether you want to renew the subscription to receive further upgrades, or stick with the version you have.
Also, you're free to continue to use ThinDAC 1, which isn't going to disappear and no-one is going to take away from you - it just will not be developed further.
Basically, you own a license to ThinDAC 1.0, which will be yours forever. in addition, you're given a free license to Data Abstract 'Vinci' (which sells for $899, albeit that price includes with a longer upgrade subscription) as well as a free license for AnyDAC 2.0.
I realize that it is inconvenient to see a product that you use discontinued, and trust me that this was not a decision that was taken lightly. Such a decision is a function of the market, the user base, the work involved in pushing the product forward and the resources available to see the product through, and in this case, with all factors considered, the only viable decision was for Dmitry to concentrate on AnyDAC and the whole of RemObjects to concentrate on AnyDAC and DA. Once again, we do realize this is a decision some users of ThinDAC are not happy with, and we're trying to do right by those, by you, with our offer of a free DA license.
