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Yesterday we released a new beta version of Senuti (1.1b1). We decided to take this opportunity to standardize our version numbering system. The next stable release of Senuti will be called version 1.1. We’ve skipped ahead a little from our previous version numbers. To help explain why, below is a little history on Senuti.

Senuti was originally introduced in 2004. We chose to label the version of Senuti 0.10 since there were still some quirks to work out. By the time Senuti reached version 0.29, however, it was a stable, widely used product.

Shortly after this, the entire application was re-engineered. The extensive work put into the next release called for a jump in the version number to 0.50. This release introduced a new user interface and numerous enhancements. This may have been more accurately called our 1.0 release.

People tend to associate version numbers with product maturity, and at version 0.50 Senuti was a very mature product. One of our goals at FadingRed is to avoid confusing situations for our customers. A version number lower than 1.0 could be stable or in testing, and there’s no good way of knowing which is the case. We want people to know that Senuti is a stable product.

Why not call this new version 1.0? Version 1.0 is usually associated with an initial release of a product. Since this isn’t the initial release of Senuti, we’ve decided to call it 1.1. We hope you enjoy!

The latest software update for the iPhone 3.0 was released by Apple yesterday revealing significant changes to the proprietary architecture of the iPhone. This will require a temporary lapse in support for this update by Senuti as our team works out the changes to better handle music transfer for the iPhone 3.0 and beyond. Current Senuti users wishing to use their iPhone with Senuti in the interim must refrain from updating to 3.0. An announcement, along with a new release will be made when these changes have been successfully incorporated into Senuti. Thank you for your patience!

There have been two major changes to Senuti recently — a change in price and a change of license. In the interest of openness, we have provided an explanation of these changes below.

The change in price

It was a very difficult decision to no longer distribute Senuti for free. A lot of time and thought was put into this decision. Creating and distributing free software has been an overall positive experience. We did so with Senuti for four years, and the generosity of those users who chose to donate was helpful and encouraging.

There is an immense amount of work required to properly support a product like Senuti. Maintaining the software while also replying to a high volume of emails (with personalized, detailed responses) is a challenge that requires full time attention to properly support. Finding time to also develop and improve the product then becomes an even greater challenge.

It is difficult to provide services and products to people for free. There’s a lot that goes into creating successful products. Mostly, it’s the time commitment from the various people who make the product possible. Outside of that, infrastructure costs (hardware, hosting, etc) have a large impact. A source of revenue is required to support such a project; a donation based model is not a viable solution in this case. Many people are generous and willing to donate, but as we have seen, the majority of people don’t tend to pay for things if they don’t have to.

During 2008, we experimented with mixing a donation model and a fixed-price model. The new model was explained clearly and honestly on our website — our goal was to keep Senuti free for as long as possible, and the more people who purchased a license, the longer we would be able to do so. Included in this information was a statement that, at some point, Senuti may no longer be free. Also, individuals who purchased licenses during that time will receive free updates for life.

Currently we are offering a trial period and what we consider to be a fair price to use the software without restrictions. There was some confusion in regards to the streamlined update process that is built into Senuti. Initially we provided notification of the change in revenue model via the release notes which are displayed during the update process. However, those users who did not review the release notes were not aware that the updated version would limit their use. Our team acknowledges that we made the mistake of allowing streamlined updates from the older versions to the new, fixed-price versions. This has since been rectified. Our release notes are also available online. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued support of Senuti.

The change of license

This is for the developers and the curious.

In transitioning to a fixed-price model for Senuti, we have also changed the licensing. We have done so in full compliance with the GPL, the previous license under which Senuti was released. We are no longer using any code licensed under the GPL in Senuti. The small portion of GPL licensed code that was used in previous versions of Senuti has been removed.

During the time that Senuti was released under the GPL, there were no code contributions from outside FadingRed with the exception of one half-line patch. This patch was submitted in an early version of Senuti and was removed during a major re-factoring of the application (prior to and independent of our license change). The code base for Senuti has been written entirely by FadingRed, and we reserve the legal rights to change the license according to our needs at any time.

We are fully aware of the terms of open-source licenses, having distributed code under one such license and would never attempt to violate the terms set forth by any license. FadingRed has always ensured that the licensing choices of copyright holders are honored and will continue to do so.

Again, your understanding is appreciated.

We currently are experiencing minor issues with our store. There may be a slightly greater delay in license information being sent to customers.

The problem has to do with our payment processor, PayPal. Yesterday, February 11th, they stopped sending IPN notifications at around 11:53 PM CST. Though there is no guarantee that PayPal will send IPN notifications immediately, this has never been an issue for us in the past. We’ve modified the way our store works to account for this while the issue continues tonight (and in case it ever happens again in the future).

Also, just as a note, when trying to log in to PayPal, I’m getting a system error. I imagine the issues will get resolve rather quickly, but is anyone else experiencing these issues?

Update 2:21 AM: All appears to be working as normal again.