I think he was talking about software he has before the subscription expired. 

I have the same issue and this goes beyond a support issue, this is a legal issue unless rectified responsibly. I restored my old system and it wiped out Object desktop, no biggie I supposed, I'll download it like every other application that I purchased online. The download page shows the following below. I can get my serial but not the original software unless I pay the ransom fee? At the time it was a stand alone application, no download manager and no membership fee to allow access to the software, no disclaimer or warning saying that I will not have access to the software in the future, no mention that I will have to pay a membership fee to host the software. I don't want the new version, I want the version I paid for that's not available within the account downloads. Make it available as I paid for the software, not the rights to access your website via a membership fee.

To satisfy the situation is to provide the software through a secure channel to me. If you feel that disclaimers were sent, officially provide the supporting documentation and consent proving that I knowingly accepted the terms at the time of the transaction.

"Your Object Desktop membership has expired. To continue to have access to software downloads and updates please click here to renew your Object Desktop membership.

For additional information please contact support@stardock.com."

Kind regards

I've said it for years and I'll say it again . . . teh fact that it's a subscription could be more clear on teh product page.

Taht this topic comes up as often as it does (even if it's pretty infrequently) is indicative of an issue that could be fixed.

While I agree there's no reason SD couldn't make this more obvious, it is still incumbent on the purchaser to know what he/she is buying - that the Object Desktop suite is a subscription is disclosed.  Maybe not as 'loudly' as some might prefer, but it is disclosed.  Stardock can hardly be expected to restore apps to everyone who accidentally 'wipes out' the program without backups, unless the subscription remains active.  To the best of my knowledge, the Object Desktop suite has never been a 'stand alone application' - only individual component apps have been available for purchase on a stand alone basis.

There's also the fact that this problem is entirely avoidable with a minimal amount of effort.

0.02

You do not buy any subscription when buying Object Desktop. What you buy, are all the apps included and updates and support included for 1 year. After that period you own the apps, free for you to use for eternity, but you no longer get updates and support. It's not like they stop working after 1 year, is it? Nothing shady about Stardock's business practice at all.

Blaming Stardock for not having backed up your files seems very unfair to me.

This post is not an official Stardock post, the thoughts below may not represent Stardock

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ObjectDesktop should be thought of more like a magazine subscription in my opinion.  You get the updates and products released within the year like you get a magazine each month.  After the 12 month period you are free to continue to read the magazines but you do not get the new issues.

Obviously if you opt to store your copy in the recycling bin and it gets taken away then outside that 12 month period you are not provided with a replacement copy. (which differs a bit from a magazine subscription as they would not replace ever for free)

It is worth noting that some companies charge for extended download periods especially if they sell via the DigitalRiver online store system.  Usually unless you pay for the extended downloads service you are limited to downloading within the first 30 days only.  

For example : https://shop.nuance.co.uk/store/nuanceus/en_US/DisplayDownloadInformationPage/ThemeID.20545600/

Likewise if I purchase a copy of something in store and lose it I don't get a replacement copy.

The word subscription has gained a negative image after Adobe made its software subscription but that is different in that it is pay per month or the software stops working.  This is very different to ObjectDesktop.  There was an additional offering of ObjectDesktop like this once but it was discontinued as customer demand wasn't there for that business model.

Since I have had a subscription here, which has been many years, I learned the hard way to backup everything on separate hard drives. I have double backups of everything I've downloaded from my Stardock account.

BACKUP EVERYTHING. I can't say this enough. 

The OD renewal caught me off-guard too.  I thought I bought the app. At least I'm not the only one that didn't read the fine print and that makes me feel a little less Naive? Dumb? Sttopid? Less like a sucker? <-that'll probably work. .

I  have 45 days to renew OD by July 7th,2020. Something tells me if I renew now, I'll lose the 45 days I have remeaining. - I'm migrating to a "new" used box and doing fresh OS installs (mutli-boot). Haven't had any luck so far finding a promo code. I'll have to put it off until next payday if there is one IMO. $20/yr is too much considering the original cost of OD, if I renew this time I probably won't rent it again.

:Looks like I picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue.

-s:)

Yeah, I wanted to bring that up too. Had this a few years back when PowerDVD was the way to go for video players and was rather surprised that I couldn't download anything after 30 days anymore. That was a really bad practice imho.

The thing is, it would obviously nice to have a software that lasts and gets updates forever for just 30 bucks. Everyone can create an open source project at any time. But reality is, a lot of things just take ages with that, forks happen because people are not pulling on one string but rather want to continue their own vision etc ... nothing is perfect.

But for someone trying to do money and make a living off of it (not everyone is in high school having lots of free time and no liabilities or bills) it is unrealistic to have a cheap product and get endless support. People have to get paid, the alternative to a subscription based model is usually that products only hold like a year until support is cut off and no longer updated, then the next "version" comes out which you have to pay again for a minimum of added features and lots of new bugs. (like PowerDVD 1 to 20 ...)

To be honest, I like this model here better. If someone is disappointed because needed features are not implemented or bugs not solved in time or just dislike the product ... one is always free to cancel the subscription/not renew. In the end we all "vote" with our wallets.

So how does the licence part work after OD expires?  I've got 360-some days left. I can download every app toay, sure, no problem, but, that key to activate after expiry is whats tripping me up.  That key ONLY exists under that subscription.  I also ONLY USE like 2 apps because I have no interest in any other app provided in this pack.

If I were to (RE)buy the apps individually, are those mine for life?  Am I going to be bound to a subscription?

Just to clarify that bit....the Object Desktop 'key' applies to all the individually included apps...and continues to do so even after expiry/ending of the subscription.

What you won't get is access to download those applications AFTER the subscription ends, so you have the time until it does to download and save any you wish to keep to use.  Save those downloads to a safe place, along with your key...