Quark users who upgraded to Quark 7 from Quark 4, 5 or 6 will no longer be denied the legal use of their prior versions after they've installed Quark 7. In a press release issued earlier today, Richard Pasewark, Quark Senior VP of Sales (Americas) and Marketing said "this is in response to customer feedback and is another example of how Quark has fundamentally changed its approach to doing business in the last two years. Customers are thrilled with QuarkXPress 7 and based on user feedback this policy change will help streamline and fast-track the upgrade plans for many customers."So basically since you paid for both versions Quark will let you actually use both versions. Nice of them, eh?
Quark counts this move (which never should have been at issue to begin with) as one more feather in their oh-so-user-friendly cap, pointing to other changes they've made in the last 2 years like "Free English-speaking technical support" and "The ability to deactivate and re-activate or transfer a license of QuarkXPress 7 from one computer to another without the help of technical support." Call me old fashioned, but I kind of expect those things to begin with.
Still, I give them points for seeing the light on this one. Maybe they'll just stop making boneheaded decisions early on so they don't have to keep "changing their approach" midstream.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-07-2006 @ 6:46PM
J said...
Both customers complained huh? Thanks tough.
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11-07-2006 @ 7:04PM
flec65 said...
Oh, how cool is that? Thanks a bunch Quark!
Completely ridiculous marketing blah, blah.
Quark is dead (for me) anyway...
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11-07-2006 @ 7:14PM
Rick Ludwig said...
WOW!!! I can have multiple versions of the same product on my computer....AT THE SAME TIME???? Ha!! Eat that Adobe and Macromedia (er... just Adobe now....)!!! With that AND English-Speaking Tech Support... I'm TOTALLY switching back to Quark!!!!
Seriously though... I knew high-end products (like 3DStudio Max) had some jum-through-the-hoop steps from moving the product from one computer to another, but Quark?? Come on! Multiple versions is a no-brainer (I have multiple versions of Flash on my work computer so I can down-save files if necessary, all the way to Flash 4!). And English Tech Support is a FEATURE??? PLEASE!!! Isn't this still an American company (technically - I don't know, maybe not....)? If you're largest selling audience is English Speaking...
I don't know about Quark... Back in the good old days it was just an inferior product.
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11-07-2006 @ 7:22PM
V. Mardian said...
>> So basically since you paid for both versions Quark will let you actually use both versions. Nice of them, eh?
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11-07-2006 @ 7:23PM
V. Mardian said...
" So basically since you paid for both versions Quark will let you actually use both versions. Nice of them, eh? "
I must point out that if you upgrade from one version to another, you haven't paid for both versions. You paid for the latest version.
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11-07-2006 @ 7:40PM
Scott said...
Quark, you are like so grounded.
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11-07-2006 @ 8:40PM
gWHIZ said...
What happened here is their new CEO (from Arbortext) who knows a thing or two about the space laid down the law and painted a pretty darned bleak picture for the Quark execs. Either eat this cabbage or find another job.
Adobe's gonna cream their corn anyway...
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11-07-2006 @ 9:30PM
Rick Ludwig said...
"I must point out that if you upgrade from one version to another, you haven't paid for both versions. You paid for the latest version."
Wrong. You have paid for the right to use the latest version. This means that, If I buy Quark 4, then an upgrade to 5, then to 6 and 7, I paid for the right to use each of these versions (though not all at the same time). I should have the right to have them all installed and create something in version 4, close 4, open 5, work on a different document in 5, then close 5 and open 7 and work on a version 7 document.
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11-07-2006 @ 10:03PM
Donovan said...
I haven't touched Quark in a good long while and now that I'm running my own business, I will never touch it again.
Quark is a joke.
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11-08-2006 @ 3:36AM
Richard Parslow said...
Your title is spelt wrong
Regarding not Reagrding
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11-08-2006 @ 9:49AM
Greg said...
A good tactical move, but highlighting the issue is a bad marketing move. It only serves to scream "Look How Stupid and Intransigent We Were For Soooo Long!"
Should have just quietly made the change to the EULA in version 7 and not mentioned it.
I helped field beta-test Quark 5 and 6, and essentially NONE of my suggestions were ever taken to heart. Easing licensing restrictions was one of those suggestions, and I'm glad that Quark seems to be changing for the better. I hope it's not too little, too late. Adobe needs healthy competition.
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11-08-2006 @ 9:58AM
Grover said...
Rick Ludwig you are completely wrong. Read you EULA. If you buy an upgrade to ANY large scale commercial software (Adobe/Macromedia/MS/Apple), you TRANSFER your existing license to the newer version and in generally the specifically forbid what you're suggesting here. You still only have one license to run the software. The fact that you think you "should have the right to" run the previous versions has no bearing on it's legality.
More to the point, this line of thinking doesn't make any sense anyway. You're UPGRADING the software for the existing license, not buying a new copy. The upgrade pricing isn't a "Gee, we really think you're swell for buying our last product, so here's a deal on the new version." It's "here's the improved software without a new license since you already have one."
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11-08-2006 @ 12:02PM
Chris said...
Quark lost me at V.4 or 5(?) when I had to jump through 5,000+ hoops just to activate, call them to activate, and then have to do more downloads just to get the features I'd payed for.
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11-08-2006 @ 4:11PM
Navvy said...
All I have to say is, "Die, Quark, die!"
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11-15-2006 @ 12:30PM
david said...
I was told by Quark that I couldn't sell a legal copy w/docs of 6.5 to a third party. Does this mean that 6.5 will be good for an upgrade to 7.0 for someone or was Quark just giving me Bull?
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11-20-2006 @ 9:42AM
Robert Barrington said...
I'm just wondering about something. Why would anyone want to upgrade if they intend to keep the older version. Doesn't that just make things a little but confusing. But it is nice that you get to use all versions...since you paid for them all. I think free tech support to transfer license from one computer to another should be a given. That goes for all softwares.
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