Changes in the laws

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shockley
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Changes in the laws

Post by shockley »

Regarding the message in the announcements: Is version 5.6 going to be brought up to date? I demo'd version 6 awhile back, but just don't have time to update it right now. Can you release an update to v5 that will make it work with x-charge? Also if you could add some other features to it like 6 has that would be nice too.
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Re: Changes in the laws

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shockley wrote:Can you release an update to v5 that will make it work with x-charge? Also if you could add some other features to it like 6 has that would be nice too.
They already did this. It's called version 6.1
shockley
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Re: Changes in the laws

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Well if that's the case, then it's like the version 5 users are getting left behind. I would think it would be in Summit's best interest to service all of their customers.
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Scott
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Re: Changes in the laws

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First of all, the v5 users are not being left behind. They all have an easy upgrade path into v6 if they want to continue to use regulated technologies or take advantage of new ones. If they are happy with the current feature set of the version that they are running, then no upgrade will be necessary. Users processing credit cards with X-Charge, however will need to upgrade to remain compliant under the mandate that goes into effect on June 1st.

Second, to add the mandated changes to v5, would take a complete change of the underlying data structure since it is not setup to deal with partial payments and balances on credit cards. A change of that magnitude would constitute a major rewrite of the underlying structure and major changes on top. Also a database conversion would be needed in order for current 5.x users to upgrade. And all of this to be done in 10 days time?? Also if the v5.x data structure changed, it would require an update to the conversion tool in v6. At this point, why not just upgrade to v6 in the first place?

POS Pizza is 1 software. Version 6 is the current version. The current version (v6) will be maintained to meet any new requirements that laws mandate. Any previous versions of the software are "out-of-date", and superseded by the current version (v6). Previous versions will be supported, but NOT maintained. Only the current version will be maintained.

I hope this helps explain it.

Also, I wanted to mention that we are offering a 25% discount on all upgrades, effective until the end of this month (May 2011). After that the upgrade pricing will return to the normal amount.

The upgrade process from v5 (or even v4) to v6 is very straight-forward and not bad at all. See this PDF file for instructions on the upgrade process.

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Re: Changes in the laws

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One more thing. POS Pizza's upgrade pricing is not the full purchase price of the software. It is based on what version that you currently have licensed. If your initial purchase date was within 1 year of the release of version 6, you get a free upgrade, you only need to pay shipping and a dongle core charge in that case.

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shockley
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Re: Changes in the laws

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Scott, the problem is that I will need to buy all new hardware, and that just isn't something that I can do at the moment. I need an alternate option. What can you do to help?
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Re: Changes in the laws

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shockley wrote:Scott, the problem is that I will need to buy all new hardware, and that just isn't something that I can do at the moment. I need an alternate option. What can you do to help?
Any hardware that is sufficient to run v5.6 will easily run v6.1. Version 6 has a lower hardware requirement than v5 had. The reason for this is that it does not require the use of Microsoft's peer networking (which adds a good bit of overhead). Install v6 on your same hardware. No need to buy new hardware just for version 6.

Printers, touch screens, and other hardware are all still currently supported.

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Re: Changes in the laws

Post by H-Man »

Are you serious? I fail to see what the problem is here other than maybe paying a small upgrade fee. I have been using POSPizza for quite a long time. I started out on v4.0 in the early part of 2003. I think I ran it for about 2 years, before v5 became available sometime in 2005. When I saw v5, it was a nice upgrade, and I jumped on it right away. I don't remember what I paid for the upgrade, but it was minimal. When development started on v6 back in 2008, I was very interested based on what the plans for it were. It was a substantial change and took more than 2 years for Summit to complete, but well worth the wait. Going from 5 to 6 was a phenomenal upgrade! So many new things have been added that were badly needed, taking pos pizza to a whole new level. I wouldn't even hesitate to make this upgrade. With version 6 pos pizza is just as good as other systems out there costing 10 times more in my opinion. Version 5 had a long life cycle of numerous free updates. Why is it that people are still using 5 when 6 has so much more to offer? Is it because of the small upgrade price? You really can't expect Summit to give it away and remain in business can you? Heck they already are giving it away. There's now a free version available.

Also, version 6 has been out since January, so why are some people waiting until the last minute for a change in the law to force them into a hurried situation. There has been plenty of time to get ready for this. The credit card laws have changed a few times in the past couple of years, and I expect that they're not done yet!
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Re: Changes in the laws

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The problem with the free version is that it won't run on a network like v5 does. I tried networking it with no luck. I can't spend the money right now for the CS version upgrade so I have to find other alternatives. I had to suspend processing cards for now, because the LT version won't do what I need it to, nor can I upgrade right now.
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Re: Changes in the laws

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It would be much easier to just purchase the upgrade. It's only around $200 if memory serves me correctly. Not much at all considering that this is a key piece of software involved in the running of your business. I actually had to pay more to upgrade my copy of QuickBooks than I did for POS pizza, but it's just something that you have to do, so why inconvenience yourself and your customers by stopping credit card processing? It just doesn't make any sense to me. I only see it as an expense that is a part of owning/running a business.
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