It would make sense if windows 12 came out, but this is nothing but scamming for money. Its the same fkn product for the same platform.
The list of changes from V1 to V2 is almost triple that of the Start8->Start11 changes. I mean ffs how much does a product have to change before it becomes worth the price of a damn soda?
It would need to be a different product. Improved versions of products are typically just that.
This ISNT new. Its the same fkn thing.
The assertion that improvements = a seperate purchase is idiotic.
Baldurs Gate 3. He latest version has LITERALLY thousands of improvements and changes from the original version. Should that now be purchased again for that?
Stardock are proving to be utter scum here. ITs the same bloody product that we purchase A LIFETIME LICENCE for. But they have broken that contract, and maybe it's time that was looked into because where I come from consumer protection is very strictly enforced.
I am sorry to hear you are upset about this, but this is entirely above board and Stardock are not acting in any unethical manner here.
Your lifetime license means your license is not a subscription one. I.e. it continues to work without us limiting it to work for a set period (like 12 months). Your Start11 v1 license continues to work and activate v1, v2 existing does not impact this. It does not mean (and never has) that you get all future updates, only those in the 1.x series. This is in all the EULA and the support documentation.
This is the business model Stardock have used for decades. WindowBlinds 1.x customers had to pay to upgrade to v2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 if they wished. It was optional. This is also how Photoshop 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, CS etc worked or Office 2016->Office 2022.
It is also worth noting that the number in the product name (Start11 / Start10 / Start8) is not tied to the OS itself. Start11 works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Start11 v2 also works on Win10 and Win11 and has a massive amount of new things.
Some companies have moved over to subscriptions for everything where your license works only as long as you keep paying. Upgrades are technically free but you have to keep paying to use the software. This seems unpopular with some people too.
Ultimately software development costs money and different companies are free to do whatever they wish. Some games for example fund future development from DLC or expansions or even microtransactions. Other companies like Microsoft may give away upgrades to Windows for free because they make their money from the other apps on the platform and need everyone to be on one platform to avoid fragmentation concerns.
