DANA SUTTON  There is room in the Mac world for a wysiwyg Web page creation program that is cheaper than Dreamweaver, has an easier learning curve, and is a LOT less buggy. Such a program would stand in about the same relation to Dreamweaver as Pages does to MS Word. But l you can get the entire iWorks suite for approx. a hundred bucks, which places it in reach of "the rest of us." But look at the high price of Freeway Pro. Surely this is a case of developer's self-foot-shoot. A lot of potential customers probably conclude "ah heck, I might as well put another hundred bucks on top of this and go for Dreamweaver." How clear are the developers about what market they're aiming their product at? Greedy, greedy.  (Version 5.0.2)

ESPIRIDION  A few questions for Ian (SOFTPRESS SYSTEMS).

Is the upgrade from Freeway 4 Pro to Freeway 5 Pro $99? Am I reading this correctly? And this is the same upgrade price for 3.5 users?

http://www.softpress.com/store/pricelist.php

I just want to understand this upgrade policy. Maybe it will be better for me to use 4 Pro which I recently purchased, and wait for an eventual version 6 or 7 release. And then decide whether to stay with Freeway or look elsewhere.

If I'm understanding this correctly, then for me it was a mistake to purchase Freeway 4 Pro, and maybe it was a bigger mistake to recommend it so much.

Of course, at the time of my purchase there was not even a hint that version 5 was coming out.

So, am I understanding this upgrade correctly? Is this the way "Softpress does takes care of its users"?

Thanks in advance for your reply.  (Version 5.0p2)

DOKODEMO  I didn't buy this during the promo because I have been an owner of Freeway Pro since version 3. However I do want to mention that I was disappointed that when I upgraded to an intel imac and transferred all my apps that Freeway Pro 3 wouldn't run at all on an intel, so it was a forced upgrade. In fact Freeway Pro was the only one of my pro-apps that wouldn't run or didn't have a patch for intel machines. After months of irritation at having a totally useless piece of expensive software on my HD I finally coughed up the money to upgrade to 4. I think it would have been more palatable if the upgrade was more like $50.00 than $99.00.  (Version 5.0p1)

SOFTPRESS SYSTEMS  Softpress is a company that develops, markets and sells the Freeway family of products. We aim to provide excellent technical support and customer service. We also listen to our users.

Softpress is not, and has never been, a company known for “gouging” our users. Our prices for new software are well below what would be expected for the quality of our products and services. We do not regularly demand money for upgrades (like many in the industry). We do however maintain our software and offer free upgrades to sustain older versions of Freeway for extended life spans, as early adopters of both Freeway 3 and Freeway 4 can attest.

Last week, to coincide with Macworld and to get feedback from our users, we launched a Beta version of Freeway 5. In conjunction, we are now offering a free upgrade to 5 for all users that purchase after January 1st, 2008. We’re very excited about the new features, and we’re sure you will be too.

Some users who purchased Freeway in the last few months of 2007, including those who have commented here, have expressed their view that we had somehow tricked them into buying when we knew a new version was on the way. People that purchased here at macZOT! got Freeway at 60% off the retail price, which is even lower than our regular upgrade pricing from 3 to 4.

Freeway 5 will not be released until at least March, and that would backdate the free upgrades on release to a minimum of two months, which we believe is fair. Those who have complained, seek to penalize us for offering our existing and potential users a “sneak peek” at our new software, which makes it difficult to receive and apply the feedback we need.

Freeway 5 is not yet ready and not for sale. When it is, it will be a wonderful tool for home users and professionals alike. It will empower users and save their precious time. It will be solid and fully-featured, in part because of the users’ opportunity to test it and offer feedback.

There will be an announcement about upgrades from version 4 to 5, probably around the release of the second beta. Again, you will see that Softpress does takes care of its users. Until then, please feel encouraged to use the Freeway 5 Beta, enjoy it and let us know what you think.

Ian Schray

US Marketing Manager

Softpress Systems Ltd

http://www.softpress.com  (Version 5.0p1)