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[JimH]

I purchased V20 after having using the 30 day test on V19.

The V20 purchase was confirmed via the buy-button email with a registration code.

The exe file was NOT downloaded. I then downloaded it and have now received a 30 day trial
instead of what I have purchased.

I have to say that I am amazed how often this issue comes up and how confusing it is for some users.  Why would you expect a purchase to cause a download?  Is it something you've experienced somewhere else?

We may have to re-evaluate the flow, but I think that changing things might also cause problems.   I don't think most people would expect a purchase of something to cause a download.  Maybe I'm wrong.

[JimH]

Maybe the app stores behave that way.  The download and purchase are the same process.

[mwillems]

I have to say that I am amazed how often this issue comes up and how confusing it is for some users.  Why would you expect a purchase to cause a download?  Is it something you've experienced somewhere else?

We may have to re-evaluate the flow, but I think that changing things might also cause problems.   I don't think most people would expect a purchase of something to cause a download.  Maybe I'm wrong.

Jim, to offer my two cents:  the download-on-purchase behavior is something I see with about 90% of my software purchases because most of the software I buy does not have a full-featured trial (meaning that you only get the software at purchase time).  So a download is launched, or link to a download is always provided on the purchase confirmation page.

To be fair, a fair percentage of my online software purchasing is games: in that context it's almost universally the case that the purchase either automatically launches a download or routes to an enormous button that says "Install Now."  For example Steam does the latter, other interfaces sometimes do the former.  But even most of the non-game software I've purchased has similar behavior (it launches a download or links to enormous "install now" button").  I think that's the case because most software I've purchased recently doesn't offer a full-featured trial.  

The software packages I've purchased that have a robust trial sometimes issue a key on purchase, but sometimes provide a downloadable executable to "unlock" the software at purchase time.  But software that offers a full trial is becoming harder to come by (at least the kind of software I'm prone to buying). It's a great feature that JRiver offers a trial, and I'm thankful for it as it helps me to make the pitch to friends to try out JRiver.

I just think people without software backgrounds aren't necessarily used to having to do anything other than download an installer or an executable.  I remember a time when almost all pay software (including many games) required manually entering a license key, but that hasn't been my purchasing experience lately.

[leezer3]

I have to say that I am amazed how often this issue comes up and how confusing it is for some users.  Why would you expect a purchase to cause a download?  Is it something you've experienced somewhere else?

We may have to re-evaluate the flow, but I think that changing things might also cause problems.   I don't think most people would expect a purchase of something to cause a download.  Maybe I'm wrong.

What you want is a simple little stub executable
At it's most simple, it's a set of three queries:
1. Check if the version of Media Center the licence is for is installed- Read licence version from file, and pull the current install path from the registry, and query for it's existance.
2. Download and trigger the installer if not.
3. Wait and then restore licence when installer has finished.

TBQH, I'd probably change the way you do things very slightly, so the main download points to this stub installer, and so it'd work a little like this:
1. Download installer stub.
2. Select either install trial version, or enter licence code.
3. Download main installer and run.
4. Either restore the licence entered, or leave as trial.

I don't think this would be much work (Famous last words....), and it would IMHO solve a lot of confusion.
It also has the added advantage that you can always point the installer download to the latest version, providing an easy way to ensure that a user always has the latest stable version installed- Just re-run the installer and it'll figure out the rest

-Leezer-

[JimH]

Thanks for the nice logic.

[Vocalpoint]

Jim, to offer my two cents:  the download-on-purchase behavior is something I see with about 90% of my software purchases because most of the software I buy does not have a full-featured trial (meaning that you only get the software at purchase time).  So a download is launched, or link to a download is always provided on the purchase confirmation page.

+100. This is how just about 100% of my stuff works.

First I get a notification of a new upgrade. Then I go to the site and do my thing (Purchase). Then a email arrives sometime later containing my invoice, license keys, serial numbers or whatever - plus a link is clearly listed telling me exactly where to get my new software.

JRiver is the only software I have ever come across where I simply go purchase a key. This current method (having to have v20 already installed - or worse - using v19 in trial mode and then having to install v20) is way to confusing - especially for newbies who have no idea what they should be doing.

I am not saying buying the key should "trigger" a download of any kind - (however I do like Leezers idea but the act of purchasing a license should send a very business like "formal" email that clearly lists ALL the steps for any user new or old to easily get themselves organized.

It should also clearly state what to do in all possible scenarios..."If you have Version 19 or older installed...do this". If you have never used Media Center - do that etc etc...

Right now - it's quite clear by the threads being posted every second day that a lot of folks do not get this current method at all.

VP

[leezer3]

If you really want to get fancy, you could query the user's account server-side to determine which versions of Media Center they'd purchased, and present a choices menu, and for that matter automatically find and install the licence

Whilst nothing much in terms of the installer would be needed there, the trouble is that anything like this would probably require a considerable amount of server-side work to present an interface to query this data.

Keeping it simple as per my above suggestion is probably an afternoon of developer time, rather than the week plus it'd take to rewrite the licencing system, by which time you might as well have got rid of the restore file concept entirely...

-Leezer-

[6233638]

TBQH, I'd probably change the way you do things very slightly, so the main download points to this stub installer, and so it'd work a little like this […]

I can't stand it when companies don't offer a proper installer for their software.
Most software firewalls should block this activity by default, so it's likely to cause a ton of support problems for one thing.
 
When completing a purchase take the customer to a page which says something to the effect of:
 

Thank you for purchasing JRiver Media Center.

Here is the latest version of Media Center: DOWNLOAD
Here is your license key:  DOWNLOAD

Install Media Center and then double-click the license key to activate it.

That's all you need.