Xref: utzoo comp.databases:1446 comp.misc:3591
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!lsuc!dave
From: dave@lsuc.uucp (David Sherman)
Newsgroups: comp.databases,comp.misc
Subject: Empress pricing policy
Message-ID: <1988Sep28.150224.26393@lsuc.uucp>
Date: 28 Sep 88 19:02:23 GMT
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 35

I'm a little surprised at the pricing policy of Empress Software
Inc. (formerly Rhodnius) for their Empress (formerly Mistress)
database software.  I'd like to know whether others agree with me.

We obtained a license to Mistress version 1.13 in 1985.  It runs
on this machine, a Perkin-Elmer 3220, and cost about $4,500 at
the time.  We explicitly decided not to take maintenance at $1,300
per year, since we have a fair bit of in-house expertise.  The
version we have has a number of bugs, but we've been able to live
with them and work around them.

The database is used by staff for student records.  All of the
staff will shortly be moving to an AT&T 3B2/400, to reduce the
load on this system.  Thus, we need to move the database as well.
Since no database applications will remain on the P-E, I was
hoping to transfer our license to the 3B2 at some reasonable cost.

Empress will only transfer the license if we pay for three years
of RETROACTIVE maintenance -- pay for maintenance we never received.
I understand that maintenance and support includes bug fixes and
upgrades, and I'd be willing to pay a portion of this charge to
represent the upgrades, but to suggest we pay for maintenance we
never received seems ludicrous.  The only alternative Empress offers
is a completely new license for the 3B2.  Either way it will cost
us about $5,000.

Anyone care to comment on this policy?
(Yes, I'm going to take a hard look at some other packages now.)

David Sherman
The Law Society of Upper Canada
Toronto
(416) 947-3466
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