Version 1 Question

[mpowell]

Will version 1 end up being abandonware since there's version 2?

[loukash]

[mpowell]

 

19 hours ago, loukash said:

Cool, thanks, but unfortunately, I'm on disability with lowest income & it could take years to save up for version 2.
The same with version 3 & so on.

[loukash]

Please read the post more carefully:

Quote

Updates to V1 moving forward

While we did say on the FAQ that V1 would no longer receive any updates, I want to clarify that was about new feature updates. We will be updating V1 to fix any critical problems caused by operating system updates in the future. So if the next version of macOS breaks V1 we will endeavour to fix it. There will be a point in time when continuing to maintain V1 in this way will not be tenable, but certainly for the foreseeable future we will continue to patch. In fact, we have an update to V1 queued up for release very shortly with some fixes for Ventura and issues caused by a recent Windows security / quality update. 

We will update our FAQ shortly to make that clearer for everyone.

[NotMyFault]

As far as I understand, V1 will get only very limited bug fixes: if a new OS release breaks Affinity Apps, then Affinity will provide a fix (if possible)

No other bugs will be fixed, e.g. all >1.000 raised bug reports about functional bugs stay unfixed in V1.

Even this limited support will come to an end, but there is no timeline announced.

So you can continue to use V1 in its current glory for (personal estimate) about 3 years, even on new devices, and new OS releases. 

[loukash]

13 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

you can continue to use V1 in its current glory for (personal estimate) about 3 years

Why those absolute numbers? V1 will continue to work for as long as your compatible hardware does. And even then, you can always get a used computer that will run compatible OS to run Affinity 1. Or virtualization. My backup and travel MacBook Pro is the 2008 model with silver keyboard. It can run El Capitan. It runs all Affinity 1 apps just fine, especially since i put a speedy 2TB SSD inside. I don't expect it to break down anytime soon. Heck, my main MacBook is the mid-2012 model (manufactured early 2013) so even that one is almost 10 years old and still running strong, up to Catalina.
In that sense, my personal estimate is in fact decades of "v1 in its current glory"  
Much like my 2001 PowerMac G4 still boots in Mac OS 9 and in OS X Panther, and it can still launch my beloved Freehand 9 like it did over 20 years ago. (Not that I actually still use it for any work, haha…)

[NotMyFault]

23 hours ago, loukash said:

Why those absolute numbers?

Because people request those. I explicitly marked it as personal estimate. It is based on personal experience in the following situations:

• using apps from Nokia to manage dumb phones, e.g. read out contacts or SMS (mobile text messages) from phone memory to PC
• using scanners coming to market about 2005 with windows 7 drivers, unable to use under windows 10 as driver architecture changed
• using DVD or BlueRay drives for Video on Windows impossible after Windows XP
• using DV Cameras from 2005 in Windows 10 (apps unable to install on current OS as driver architecture changed)
• using DVB-T or DVB-S capture cards
• using Bluetooth dongles 

Affinity falls into a similar trap because its dependence to GPU drivers / OpenCL, tablet input devices, Pen Input on iPad.

Almost every new iPadOS breaks some functions. It will become harder to use every year. After some iterations, users or Affinity will give up.

I think it is holding back information to not give such estimates. They can be wrong, but they help people to be comfortable for that time, and plan ahead for re-invest when becoming unavaoidable.

 

PS using old OS is no good advise for normal users. It opens holes of unpatched security vulnerabilities. I have too many calls for help from friends who tried that approach.

[loukash]

4 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

personal experience in the following situations

And I hear you.
One of the main reasons why I'm working in MacOS El Capitan is that there are no updated drivers for my still fully functional Firewire audio interfaces that wouldn't reliably work in Sierra or higher, not to speak of Catalina (as required by Affinity 2) or higher. Same for my admittedly old but still fully functional USB Wacom tablet with hacked drivers from a newer model to make it work on El Capitan. 

But ongoing usage of Affinity v1 isn't affected by these issues. As I said, all you need is a compatible computer that can run compatible OS. It doesn't matter how old that computer is. For example, I still have a fully functioning PowerBook G4 from 2005 where I can edit files with apps that were never updated for the Intel architecture. Not that it happens very often though, but I still have likely hundreds of old documents of various kinds that I should eventually convert to a more modern and compatible – or at least readable – format.

Or you can use virtualization. I use SheepShaver to run a virtual Mac OS 9 installation with a bunch of "classic" applications while I'm going through my archives and convert old layouts from the 1990s and early 2000s to PDF/X-3 and the like. From what I read here recently, Affinity apparently runs pretty well via Parallels in Windows. Since computers are getting more powerful and faster, so does virtualization.

Alright, eventually there will be the problem e.g. whether an old MacOS can still connect to the Mac App Store and re-download old versions of ADe and APh 1. On Mountain Lion, I have already noticed MAS connection issues. However, if there's a hard disk backup (and everyone should have at least one!) of an earlier MacOS installation, MAS apps will continue to work by simply copying them from backup to the new Applications folder.

5 hours ago, NotMyFault said:

using old OS is no good advise for normal users. It opens holes of unpatched security vulnerabilities

Yes, users of obsolete OSs should be definitely choosing their favorite adult websites more carefully…  

[mpowell]

Cool, thanks anyway, when v1 expires, I may look for alternatives, since v2 is not free & has annual subscription...

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, mpowell said:

Cool, thanks anyway, when v1 expires, I may look for alternatives, since v2 is not free & has annual subscription...

There is no annual or any other kind of subscription for the V2 apps. All are one-time purchases, not subscriptions.

[mpowell]

On 11/23/2022 at 11:32 AM, R C-R said:

There is no annual or any other kind of subscription for the V2 apps. All are one-time purchases, not subscriptions.

Cool, just checking. Thanks.