All service packs should be useable for the version you own, regardless of your SSP status. Currently, service packs are only good if you have a SSP active or had enough forethought to buy it in the middle of the year between versions.
$10,000.00 for a bug fix is quite an exageration. SSP is nowhere near that cost per year for the base plan! Critical bugs are fixed by patches these are free. New products are Service packs or new versions (Free with SSP). How can you say you need to spend 10,000 to fix a bug for non-comercial use? If you are not charging clients....... What "critical" bugs have you been seeing that affect your profits? Or are they meerely annoyances that don't cost you a thing?
Bug fixes are not always free, because they tie them to service packs. I just think if you have a copy of a certain version of LabVIEW, you should be able at least to get the least buggiest version. Why would NI want users using versions with know bugs in it? Not everyone wants to upgrade every year, and they do not offer a long term stable version. Nor can you buy just the service pack upgrades (as far as I know). AND, if you let you SSP expire, it can cost a LOT to upgrade (I have almost everything):smiley:. I am just saying I would like to see upgrades tied to releases (like most every other software package I have) so everyone who has LabVIEW 2xxx has the same version. And if they think they can force me to but an SSP just because they will charge me a lot more to do it later, they are mistaken. When they had the co-op call me about my SSP, I asked why renew, i.e.., what new features are coming. They could not tell me, but the only reason she could give is we will charge you significantly more if you don't. Which is why I am happily using 2011 (SP1). I have a copy of 2012 but I put it by my 2010 that I never opened either. If people want to upgrade every year, more power to them. When I see a version that has new features I want, I will buy a new package (probably in June, so I can get the service packs). Otherwise, I am a very happy LabVIEW 2011 SP1 user.
1-year SSP is $7,100 for LabVIEW only here in Denmark. The least I could use would be LabVIEW + RT + FPGA which is $13,500 for 1-year SSP in Denmark.
For me a critical bug is for instance CAR 366331 that was only fixed in LV 2012 SP1. Let's say I had LV 2012 and used it commercially. If my former purchase didn't include 2012 SP1, I'd have to fork out at least $13,500 for my toolchain to get LV 2012 SP1, or I could abandon developing applications for my clients in LV 2012 altogether. No, as critical bugs are fixed in the service packs, they should be free. I can't get my head around the fact that you seem OK with the fact that critical bugs are fixed in service packs, while these service packs aren't free? There's no new functionality in the service packs (or there shouldn't be).
My mention of non-commercial use of LabVIEW was to your remark that you had a personal SSP for your own recreational purposes, even though you have access to LV at work also. Either you are made of money or you get a discount most don't (except Alliance Partners, which is also close to impossible to become in Denmark, compared to the US anyways). But forget the non-commercial use of LabVIEW, my point is in my first paragraph above.
OK Steen, I admit I've been playing the devil's advocate to some extent. Elsewhere you will find that I DO advocate forcefully for patches to be released for all supported LabVIEW Versions. The support plan that NI has adopted encourages upgrade and minimizes risk. "Which patch of LabVIEW 2xxx do you have?" is a nightmare scenario! Ask Adobe or Microsoft, managing updates is crucial. Just this weekend I got my new Laptop- Windows update alone installed 121critical updates requiring 5 reboots to configure (I bought referb'd- they are cost effective and I'm not made of money). I'm not 100% sure that a change is needed nor am I 100% convinced that the current plan is sustainable. I encourge the debate and know NI does debate these customer satisfaction issues internally.
You should be able to work with the team in Denmark to identify and remove barriers to Alliance Partnership. Yes, the current client is an Alliance Partner, and no, the personal SSP is not recreational! It supports my "Shield and Challice" efforts, it is not liscensed in any manner that would provide a commercialy viable business opportuity but keeps me posting and current with LabVIEW.
Initially I didn't bother answer your "absurd" comments. Now that you came down to earth, a little, let's suppose that because a defect ("bug") in LabVIEW used to create the software to a system delivered (for instance, an embedded system in a car) that stops working or behaves in a certain way that causes loses or damages. LabVIEW is suited to critical tasks, then safety may be at risk.
SSP includes support which costs a lot. I think NI should separate fixes (for free) from anything else (suitable of charge). In my opinion, any version of LabVIEW should have a clear lifetime, like Microsoft's Windows have. If somebody doesn't need new features, previous versions should have free fixes for that period.
I dont think many would like the idea of Microsoft charging for SP's of Windows (hi Apple). I'd say the same logic applies here. A license for LV ver X should include all patches and SP's (as they're basically a patch bundle) for that versions lifetime.
It feels like the honest and straight approach.
/Y
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I was just bitten by this issue. I installed LabVIEW 2013 SP1 as soon as it became available last week, and then discovered that since my company's SSP for the Professional Development System had just expired last month, that I couldn't activate 2013 SP1 and had to revert back to 2013. However, after uninstalling 2013 SP1 and reinstalling 2013, the NI License Manager only lists 2013 SP1 and I cannot reactivate 2013. I'm waiting for a reply to my service request that hopefully has a solution. It seems pretty crappy (and unwise) to me that bug fixes wouldn't be freely available. I'll keep this in mind the next time I'm able to justify to the higher-ups spending the money for an SSP renewal, that we should wait until after the service pack is released.
@arteitle, you might be able to delete the license file that was installed with SP1. They're located in C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\License Manager\Licenses (on Win 7 machines). Make a backup of all of the .lc files (just in case) and delete them. It has worked for me in the past.
Jim You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are. ~ Alice For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur? Eccl. 8:7
Yep, it's that time of year again when we hear all of these horror stories of SSPs expiring just before the SP1 comes out. Purely from a marketing point of view, if I have a license for LabVIEW 2013, I should be able to get 2013 SP1. Since I don't really have a license for it, it is completely misleading. Either change the name or expand the SSP to include the service packs. Consider it a bug fix for all I care. I'm just tired of hearing these complaints.
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