Per the pricing plan, all licenses are forever licenses, but the lowest two tiers only offer 1 year of updates.

After that you can choose to renew, or continue with your current version.

If you do not like subscriptions, there still a lifetime plan, but at a higher pricepoint.

All existing plans are grandfathered in.

Full announcement form Lime: https://unraid.net/blog/pricing-change

Note: I have mixed emotions about this, but I’m seeing a lot of rage bait, and if we’re going to rage we might as well have our facts straight.

If you haven’t subbed already and are interested, check out the unraid community at !unraid@reddthat.com. We are already discussing it over there too.

  • Telodzrum@lemmy.worldEnglish
    682·
    9 months ago

    I’m fine with this. The old model was great and unsustainable. They are switching with the explicit goal of not taking VC money, which is a good thing in any context.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techOPEnglish
      451·
      9 months ago

      This is where I’m conflicted. Software development is hard and it’s expensive. I completely understand that the old model was unsustainable.

      HOWEVER - I’ve seen this a dozen times before. They make a move that’s not great but it is understandable with the community. It’s the next move that I worry about, when all of a sudden there is a subscription, or those old “lifetime” plans suddenly aren’t lifetime. I remember PlayOn TV suddenly saying “Well now it’s PlayOn Home. That’s a new product, so you did get the lifetime of the old PlayOn TV! So we didn’t really reneg on our deal!” Immediately in the garbage.

      So, I’ll be staying on for now… with a big “we’ll fuckin’ see” in the next few years.

    • tiramichu@lemm.eeEnglish
      21·
      9 months ago

      My biggest problem is security updates.

      The “x years of upgrades” model is okay when it’s for an app, where you can just keep using it with the old feature set and no harm is done.

      But Unraid isn’t an app, it’s a whole operating system.

      With this new licensing model, over time we will see many people sticking with old versions because they dont want to pay to renew - and then what happens when critical security vulnerabilities are found?

      The question was already asked on the Unraid forum thread, and the answer from them on whether they would provide security updates for non-latest versions was basically “we don’t know” - due to how much effort they would need to spend to individually fix all those old versions, and the team size it would require.

      It’s going to be a nightmare.

      Any user who cares about good security practice is effectively going to be forced to pay to renew, because the alternative will be to leave yourself potentially vulnerable.

    • dmtalon@infosec.pubEnglish
      13·
      9 months ago

      There’s all kinds of people being born every day, growing up and becoming self hosting unRAID users. Meanwhile current license holders are growing older and dying off.

      How is continuing to charge for new people to get into unRAID unsustainable? If it’s worked this long but isn’t now then increase the prices, or watch your overhead.

      I’m here until my pro license starts costing me again. If that happens, I’ll likely jump just like I have done with other products I paid for that changed our original agreement.

      • ahal@lemmy.caEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        But if you already have a license they aren’t changing the agreement with you? I also don’t think there was ever any agreement that everyone else would get the same agreement as you

        • CazRaX@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          I think they mean IF the license for old users changes, other companies have done that before. I’m on the same boat as him, if my UnRAID license suddenly means I need to start paying again I am switching.