CC’s that participated in NV2 training at our office were offered 3 days of training, 3 licenses (i.e. serial numbers), and free updates for those 3 licenses for the first year after the ship date (which turned out to be April 25, 2005).
Q.W. Page provided the training, pre-release versions for more than a year, and 3 serial numbers of the finished product.
We are not in business to “make extra money from the CC’s”, per se. But we are in business to make money from all NV2 users.
Three licenses was the number offered because this is the minimum number required to test, use and support multi-user NV2.
We suspect the biggest source of confusion is evident in the phrase “to service a client, 5 licences are needed”. Technically, no licenses are needed to service a client. If a client has NV2 (one, or more licenses), any assistance can be provided. If a CC wishes to access a client’s books, this can be done using any of the three licenses provided to CC’s (either on the client’s site, or via the Internet – as long as the client is running a server).
Let’s be perfectly clear about this point… Any serial number (running as a workstation) can log into any serial number (running as a server and offering databases). Therefore, a CC requires only one serial number to access every client’s database(s). A CC does not need a new serial number for each client serviced. In the example given, the client would purchase 2 licenses – the CC does NOT need to purchase anything. Ditto for the next client, and so on.
To push the point to it’s logical conclusion, a single user client can boot their serial number as a server and offer their database(s) via the Internet to the CC. The CC can work in the database(s), and after logging out, the client can shut down NV2 running as a server and reboot NV2 as a single-user system, and continue as normal on the serviced database(s).
As for larger clients, these companies typically have the resources to purchase several copies of NV2, and given the robust features and capabilities of multi-user NV2, it’s a bargain. NO technology we are aware of can do what multi-user NV2 does, at any price. And annual maintenance, though strongly recommended, and necessary to receive free upgrades, is not mandatory.
Given that it took 10 years to develop NV2, we had some time to ponder our licensing and business practices. We think they are fair and reasonable.
Q.W. Page
Post Edited (04-27-05 18:03)
