Does upgrade to vb4 forfeit owned rights of vb3.8.4?

[LTW]

Hello Support,

If I purchase the upgrade to vb4, do I automatically / simultaneously forfeit lifetime use of my vb3.8.4 owned license?

For example, I am thinking of purchasing vb4 at pre-sale prices, but may not choose to actually switch my forums over.

If I do this, buy now, do I forfeit the right to run vb3.8.4 forever?

I realize I can't run both, but I don't want to lose my option to run vb3.8.4, forever, as my owned license now allows.

Please advise. Thanks.

LTW

[cellarius]

No. You will be able to use vB 3.8 as long as you wish - just as you could download and install earlier versions than that right now. No one's forcing you to update your forums to vB4.

[LTW]

Cellarious,

Thank you for response, but I'd like an official response from IB Staff, hoping I'll be able to stand on it.

LTW

[Wayne Luke]

You can purchase the upgrade to the vBulletin 4.0 license and choose not to upgrade. You can continue to run vBulletin 3.8.4 under your current license without purchasing anything.

We are not removing your current license, we are just selling future software under a new license.

[cmmguy]

Thinking about this question....

If you buy the upgrade, it would seem that you should now have a permanent access to all updates to 3.8.x for the life of the product even if you never really exercise the 4.0 upgrade. I would like to hear an answer to this or pointed to a thread where it is answered.

[LTW]

You can purchase the upgrade to the vBulletin 4.0 license and choose not to upgrade. You can continue to run vBulletin 3.8.4 under your current license without purchasing anything.

We are not removing your current license, we are just selling future software under a new license.

Thank You Wayne Luke.

LTW

[Floris]

For some reason since the post I have received msgs on twitter, facebook, my forums and email about this thread.
There appears to be some confusion about having a 3.x license, and getting a 4.x license. Implying or it being assumed, that one has 2 licenses, and therefor can run 2 instances. This is not the case.

If you already have a license, you have permission to run one instance. This license can be version 2, 3, or 4 (when released).
If version 4 gets released when your license is still active, you will see it's .zip in the download area. This is the free upgrade they are talking about. Because once your license has expired, and you want updated, you will have to upgrade the old owned license structure to the new one. So, you have permission to run one instance, if you can download version 4 from the members' area, you can upgrade your 3.x to 4.x - it's still the same instance. Still 1.

If you decided to upgrade your current old license structure to version 4 new license structure, be it forum:classic or forum:suite you upgrade 1 license, so 1 instance, to another license structure, so still 1 instance. The members' area might list it with a new license number. But you should assume this is temporary or an error. It does not mean you suddenly have two licenses. The old license number has simply been upgraded to a new license number. They're still working on the site and have not perfected this. (hence the confusion with people).
You can decide to upgrade to forum:classic or forum:suite now or in the future.

Ok, so have a license, upgrade it, still one license. Not two. So you can only run one instance.

Now, if you have 0 or 1 or more licenses, and you buy a completely new license. This will be a second (a new) license. You don't pay the upgrade price, you pay the "sale" price or the full price (depends on the date when you buy it and which license type (forum or suite).

If you have a license, and you add another one to the pool, you have two licenses, so you are allows to run two instances.

Ok, I hope I am 100% right, and I hope this clears it up. (and now I can just link people to this post instead of typing it over and over again).

KAZZAAAZZazazzZ!

[zappaDPJ]

I raised a very similar question via a support ticket and the answer I received was at odds with what you have posted Floris. I'm not saying you are incorrect because I was surprised at the answer I received and it's entirely possible the vB representative misinterpreted my question.

I don't think it would be right or proper to post the contents of a support ticket but I do think it would be wise for an official response to this. Perhaps vB might also like to check the reply given to my Ticketid: 959891

[centris]

Never crossed my mind about buying various licences, but if you are buying a vb4 licence you can run that forever, when you buy a vb5 licence I see no legal reason for not running two forums as you have in effect purchased two licences for two distinct products. The post from Ray clearly stated that "vBulletin is changing to a one-time owned license fee for each major point release" In other words if I run my vb3X until its EOL, then buy a new vb4 licence I have two licences.

[Mark.B]

Floris's information is definitely correct. If you take the upgrade to a vB4 license, you still only have the right to run ONE instance of the software. That can be either version 4, or version 3, or even version 2 if you desire, but you cannot run more than one unless you buy an additional license(s).

It's definitely, definitely, just one instance.

[lapta06]

So...

If i bought a VB license on the 1st of October (for example) and on the 2nd of October there started the VB 4 offer, would this mean i just spent out for a 2 year license for dead software? Or will the license carry on to verison 4?
I am asking this as i renewed my license about 4 months ago. So will i be able to use VB4 under my current license? When i go the the main website it says the upgrade is free, but when you click on upgrade it only offers me the option of payong for a new license, there is no option for a free upgrade.

[Mark.B]

So...

If i bought a VB license on the 1st of October (for example) and on the 2nd of October there started the VB 4 offer, would this mean i just spent out for a 2 year license for dead software? Or will the license carry on to verison 4?
I am asking this as i renewed my license about 4 months ago. So will i be able to use VB4 under my current license? When i go the the main website it says the upgrade is free, but when you click on upgrade it only offers me the option of payong for a new license, there is no option for a free upgrade.

You'll be able to download vB4 (when it's out) using your current license. If it's an owned license, then when the support period expires you won't be able to renew that, but you will be able to carry on running the version of vB4 that is current at the time the license expires.

If you then want to continue to be able to download updates to vB4 you'll need to buy one of the new vb4 licenses at the prevailing price.

[lapta06]

so right now i am in good position, as i have 18 months or so left of my license, which means i get 18 months use of VB 4 and all the updates?

[zappaDPJ]

Floris's information is definitely correct. If you take the upgrade to a vB4 license, you still only have the right to run ONE instance of the software. That can be either version 4, or version 3, or even version 2 if you desire, but you cannot run more than one unless you buy an additional license(s).

It's definitely, definitely, just one instance.

What you are saying makes perfect sense but I have to repeat, that is not what I've been told via a support ticket. As I said previously I'm not prepared to copy the reply I received to the forums but I can link the questions I put because they were a direct c&p of a post I'd already made which was this: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...clarity-please

Specifically:

Assuming an upgrade is purchased now, is it correct that the duration to expiry of a current licence is disregarded even if it has just been renewed within the last few days? If this is the case would I then be at liberty to sell off the 3.8.x license in order to raise funds for the 4.0 license without breaking the EULA?

Based on the answers I was give I have advised my client to do exactly that.

[Steve Machol]

If you purchase vB4 as an upgrade to an existing license - you can only run one copy of vB, regardless of version.

If you purchase vB4 as a separate license then you can run it separately.