Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Anyone who currently purchases MikroElektronika development board or a compiler gets a Product DVD with 4GB of different stuff:
1. Software setups and programmer drivers
2. Examples for all products
3. Documentation
Keeping DVD updated is not easy
As number of products grows, the size of the content grows as well. It will overgrow the size of a standard DVD by the end of the year.
Users only need a tiny part of this enormous repository. On the other hand, always delivering a fresh Product DVDs with up-to-date content is not an easy task.
We can't just burn 10K of Product DVDs all at once, because they need to be updated every week.
Trends are changing
Nowadays software is delivered electronically. Modern laptops have no optical drive. Apple removed DVD drives from iMac as well.
When was the last time you used a CD/DVD on your computer?
Internet connection is mostly available across the globe. Downloading documentation, drivers, examples is not so hard.
Everything you need is available on product webpage and at our downloads page.
Questions
Two questions I would like to ask are:
1. If we decide to leave out Product DVD from the package - will it affect you in any way?
2. In case it's not delivered by default, and you don't want to download content or don't have internet access, would you be willing to pay $9 for it?
Thanks for your valuable feedback.
Best regards,
Aleksandar
Anyone who currently purchases MikroElektronika development board or a compiler gets a Product DVD with 4GB of different stuff:
1. Software setups and programmer drivers
2. Examples for all products
3. Documentation
Keeping DVD updated is not easy
As number of products grows, the size of the content grows as well. It will overgrow the size of a standard DVD by the end of the year.
Users only need a tiny part of this enormous repository. On the other hand, always delivering a fresh Product DVDs with up-to-date content is not an easy task.
We can't just burn 10K of Product DVDs all at once, because they need to be updated every week.
Trends are changing
Nowadays software is delivered electronically. Modern laptops have no optical drive. Apple removed DVD drives from iMac as well.
When was the last time you used a CD/DVD on your computer?
Internet connection is mostly available across the globe. Downloading documentation, drivers, examples is not so hard.
Everything you need is available on product webpage and at our downloads page.
Questions
Two questions I would like to ask are:
1. If we decide to leave out Product DVD from the package - will it affect you in any way?
2. In case it's not delivered by default, and you don't want to download content or don't have internet access, would you be willing to pay $9 for it?
Thanks for your valuable feedback.
Best regards,
Aleksandar
Web Department Manager
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- Posts: 11
- Joined: 06 Aug 2008 08:29
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Dear sir,
I have one doubt, can the updates will available for offline systems. Because in our office we don't connect internet to the development system(since security policy), but we have internet system(which is not the development system), can we download offline package and update to the actual license system.
I have one doubt, can the updates will available for offline systems. Because in our office we don't connect internet to the development system(since security policy), but we have internet system(which is not the development system), can we download offline package and update to the actual license system.
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Hi Aleksander
Regarding your questions:
1-No, it wouldn't affect me in any way.
2-No, I'm not willing to pay extra 9$ to get the CD.
I download everything I need from your extremely organized website!
However, I'd like to ask you to make that search go faster.
All the searches (Products - News - Downloads - LibStock projects and libraries) in the link you provided are a little slow.
It's quite a funny coincidence that you posted this issue today Aleksander!
Today, I gave the Ready For PIC (40-DIP) board as a gift to a friend of mine. He opened the box, saw the CD, and asked me about it.
I told him that he shouldn't even bother to exhaust his CD-ROM driver by inserting the CD. I said that all its contents are available to be downloaded from the website.
You just won another member in your family
Regarding your questions:
1-No, it wouldn't affect me in any way.
2-No, I'm not willing to pay extra 9$ to get the CD.
I download everything I need from your extremely organized website!
However, I'd like to ask you to make that search go faster.
All the searches (Products - News - Downloads - LibStock projects and libraries) in the link you provided are a little slow.
It's quite a funny coincidence that you posted this issue today Aleksander!
Today, I gave the Ready For PIC (40-DIP) board as a gift to a friend of mine. He opened the box, saw the CD, and asked me about it.
I told him that he shouldn't even bother to exhaust his CD-ROM driver by inserting the CD. I said that all its contents are available to be downloaded from the website.
You just won another member in your family
My hobby is collecting MikroElektronika products.
Gotta catch them all!
Gotta catch them all!
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Hi,
1) No
2) No
I download everthing from the internet.
I never use any DVD.
Good luck
1) No
2) No
I download everthing from the internet.
I never use any DVD.
Good luck
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
1) No
2) No
Down load from web ,never used any of the DVD's
2) No
Down load from web ,never used any of the DVD's
P.Erasmus
Saratov,Russia
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Saratov,Russia
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Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
1) No
2) No
Download is more convenient.
2) No
Download is more convenient.
Serge T.
Learning is an endeless process but it must start somewhere!
Learning is an endeless process but it must start somewhere!
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
I say No and No
As long as you keep archives for legacy products on line. Manuals and examples, on board programmer drivers etc. I have noticed this information disappears with time.
No need for a dvd, in a few years discs will be a memory like cassette tapes.
As long as you keep archives for legacy products on line. Manuals and examples, on board programmer drivers etc. I have noticed this information disappears with time.
No need for a dvd, in a few years discs will be a memory like cassette tapes.
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- Posts: 37
- Joined: 12 Jun 2012 05:55
- Location: Moncton, NB, Canada
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Aleksandar,
As a complete newbie to C and micro-controller programming, I rely heavily on examples and peoples previous works (forums) to learn from. To answer to question 1, I haven't touched the DVD since I installed it to my system, however, I would still like either the option to download a DVD image (8 GB), or some form of reliable and quick ftp/http/sftp (I'm a heavy Linux user) server and only capture what I need. For question 2, I find that 9$ is on the high side for an individual (cost of a music CD), for a corporation it is not. I would point one thing out, and that is, if someone doesn't have the internet, how do they order your products? (your stores are, to my knowledge, all e-stores)
As someone else has also pointed out, a easy to navigate online repository is great (maybe use a tree structure?) and would probably serve most users.
As a complete newbie to C and micro-controller programming, I rely heavily on examples and peoples previous works (forums) to learn from. To answer to question 1, I haven't touched the DVD since I installed it to my system, however, I would still like either the option to download a DVD image (8 GB), or some form of reliable and quick ftp/http/sftp (I'm a heavy Linux user) server and only capture what I need. For question 2, I find that 9$ is on the high side for an individual (cost of a music CD), for a corporation it is not. I would point one thing out, and that is, if someone doesn't have the internet, how do they order your products? (your stores are, to my knowledge, all e-stores)
As someone else has also pointed out, a easy to navigate online repository is great (maybe use a tree structure?) and would probably serve most users.
You don't know what you didn't know until you learn it!
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Download is fine, especially if it would knock $9 off products.
And frankly, I have hardly ever used the printed manuals, .pdfs are fine.
Without DVD and paperwork, the packaging may be become less expensive, and smaller and lighter to ship.
I would not care to pay extra for a DVD, as I do not need it. I suspect if you make it available free to a few who need it, there would be so few that it would be a minimal cost to you. If one had to email or call separately for it, it would avoid unneccesary orders by those who would not really need it but order it just in case...
However I would like to mirror the above comment about the need to maintain an archive for legacy products - that particularly applies to drivers.
When one day a crash occurs or an upgrade to a new computer and one do not remember where the backup is, it would be essential to be able to still have access to the drivers. To illustrate: I am still running my EasydsPIC2 board and while there has without doubt been released a lot of newer better boards. there is nothing wrong with that board (and in one respect it is better - the SD card slot). Luckily I have taken good care of the divers as they are no longer available for download as fas as I know.
And frankly, I have hardly ever used the printed manuals, .pdfs are fine.
Without DVD and paperwork, the packaging may be become less expensive, and smaller and lighter to ship.
I would not care to pay extra for a DVD, as I do not need it. I suspect if you make it available free to a few who need it, there would be so few that it would be a minimal cost to you. If one had to email or call separately for it, it would avoid unneccesary orders by those who would not really need it but order it just in case...
However I would like to mirror the above comment about the need to maintain an archive for legacy products - that particularly applies to drivers.
When one day a crash occurs or an upgrade to a new computer and one do not remember where the backup is, it would be essential to be able to still have access to the drivers. To illustrate: I am still running my EasydsPIC2 board and while there has without doubt been released a lot of newer better boards. there is nothing wrong with that board (and in one respect it is better - the SD card slot). Luckily I have taken good care of the divers as they are no longer available for download as fas as I know.
mikropascal dsPIC, Visual TFT, MMBdsPIC v.105, 1.10_9A, mikroProg, "Big"(P30F6012A)EasydsPIC2
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Hello,
You asked three questions.
>When was the last time you used a CD/DVD on your computer?
Two days ago to make a source code backup that is stored in a bank safety deposit box.
>1.
Probably not. I have used the CD in the past. If there was a wizard to download and setup the computer for any new users it would be good.
>2.
I would not pay for the CD unless that was the only method and then under protest.
Mark
You asked three questions.
>When was the last time you used a CD/DVD on your computer?
Two days ago to make a source code backup that is stored in a bank safety deposit box.
>1.
Probably not. I have used the CD in the past. If there was a wizard to download and setup the computer for any new users it would be good.
>2.
I would not pay for the CD unless that was the only method and then under protest.
Mark
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
Interested in downloading only.
Not interested in CD option.
Best Regards
Not interested in CD option.
Best Regards
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
1-No
2-No
Why should i pay for DVD as long as i can have access to the site and download again ?
In what concern the issue no INTERNET access, in this case who does not have INTERNET access cannot read your question and cannot respond and express their point of view.
But in these days, i will be really surprised for a programmer with a computer to do his programing, as not having INTERNET access.
If he is traveling, can always go to INTERNET café, airport, library and so on , where it always a free INTERNET access.
2-No
Why should i pay for DVD as long as i can have access to the site and download again ?
In what concern the issue no INTERNET access, in this case who does not have INTERNET access cannot read your question and cannot respond and express their point of view.
But in these days, i will be really surprised for a programmer with a computer to do his programing, as not having INTERNET access.
If he is traveling, can always go to INTERNET café, airport, library and so on , where it always a free INTERNET access.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
1-2 ) No
Internet is good
Internet is good
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
1) No
2) No
Up to date download is perfect PROVIDED legacy versions are still available.
2) No
Up to date download is perfect PROVIDED legacy versions are still available.
Re: Getting Product DVD vs Downloading?
If I bought something like Microsoft office, I would want a DVD as they provide updates as 'updates' rather than a complete new version of the software whereas MikroE's updates are actually complete standalone applications.
Providing each release continues to be a complete release there is no need for the original DVD as you say it will almost always be out of date.
Why not have a boxed copy at a premium price with a DVD and a cheaper download copy without a DVD?
You could have 3 versions:
1 - Boxed Dongle with DVD included.
2 - Boxed Dongle only (no DVD and an online download link)
3 - Online download and License
Personally I would go for option 3
Providing each release continues to be a complete release there is no need for the original DVD as you say it will almost always be out of date.
Why not have a boxed copy at a premium price with a DVD and a cheaper download copy without a DVD?
You could have 3 versions:
1 - Boxed Dongle with DVD included.
2 - Boxed Dongle only (no DVD and an online download link)
3 - Online download and License
Personally I would go for option 3