SuperCard $279 , LiveCode $99

[Randall Lee Reetz]

SuperCard is charging between $179 to $279 to upgrade from version 4.6.3 to version 4.7, the version necessary if you upgrade to Apple's latest OS, "Lion". The cost of an outright purchase of RunRev's LiveCode is only $99. So I guess I should ask if LiveCode is compatible with Lion OS?

Randall

[Klaus]

Hi Randall,

I have no problems so far with LiveCode 4.6.3 and OS X Lion.


Best

Klaus

[BarrySumpter]

... The cost of an outright purchase of RunRev's LiveCode is only $99. ...
Randall

I have no idea what SuperCard is
or what it offers in comparison
to the number of LiveCode versions.

Please be sure to compare product to product:
http://www.runrev.com/store/

[Randall Lee Reetz]

OK, followup question: Is the same current version of LiveCode compatible with pre-Lion Apple OS's?

[BarrySumpter]

Yes.

[Mark]

Hi,

You're wrong. It is completely wrong to compare these prices, $279 and $99, without further consideration. For $99 you don't get all the LiveCode features and you can't distribute your apps.

If my aim is to create distributable apps for Mac OS X, a LiveCode license will cost me $299 while a SuperCard license will cost me only $179. If I want to have the full SuperCard suit, which allows for protected standalones, I pay $279, which is still less than the LiveCode equivalent. Because I live in Europe, the comparison turns out much worse for LiveCode. Because I am in Europe, I have to pay approximately US$400 (including VAT) for LiveCode while I still pay only $179 for SuperCard (no need to pay VAT).

I could imagine that most Mac owning hobby programmers will choose SuperCard. Now, if I were able to buy a Mac-only version of LiveCode at 50% of the current price for the Mac/Win version, that would change the situation, but SuperCard would still be $21 cheaper!

Kind regards,

Mark

[Mark]

Just to be complete, I check the price of RealStudio.

If I want to create distributable apps for Mac OS X using RealStudio, I need to pay $420 for a license. Again, this includes VAT because I live in Europe. LiveCode costs almost as much as RealStudio. SuperCard is by far the least expensive.

Mark

[FourthWorld]

SuperCard is the least expensive, but not by a huge margin. The price for a new LiveCode license allowing commercial development is US$299 which that includes both OS X and Windows, compared to SuperCard's exclusively-OS X deployment for $279.

[Mark]

Richard,

Can you do the math? For me, as I explained, SuperCard is MUCH, yes MUCH cheaper. Margin? What margin? I can buy two SuperCard licenses for the price of one LiveCode license!

I also already explained that if your aim is to develop for Mac OS X, it doesn't matter that you can also develop for Windows with your LiveCode license. People who want to develop for Windows aren't interested in SuperCard anyway. I thought I was clear about that.

Mark

[FourthWorld]

Richard,

Can you do the math? For me, as I explained, SuperCard is MUCH, yes MUCH cheaper. Margin? What margin? I can buy two SuperCard licenses for the price of one LiveCode license!

There's no need to be insulting. Perhaps I'd misunderstood, but looking at each store I see the baseline price of deploying commercial standalones with LiveCode being $299 and for SC it looks like $279. If I've missed something here your guidance would be helpful, sans sarcasm even more so.

[Mark]

Richard,

I'm not calling names and am not impolite in any other way. I didn't think I'd be insulting. Slightly sarcastic perhaps, and I'll tell you why.

I went to the three websites, checked the prices, checked the exchange rates with the ECB, checked the VAT rates, and made the little effort of checking out the stores up to the point where I'd pay to find out what I'd really be paying as a European. I did my calculations and presented the facts. Real facts, no speculations, no lies.

Then you come, you look at the prices on the web sites, assume those are correct, don't do any checking, forget the fact that I'm in Europe, and bluntly repeat those prices.

If someone has a reason to be insulted, it is definitely not you. Fortunately, I have little reason to feel insulted, because anyone who can do the math and has a little bit of common sense will understand that I'm right. That's why I'm only slightly sarcastic.

Mark

[FourthWorld]

The OP is in California.

[Mark]

Richard,

Even in California, I think that comparing the two prices of $99 and $279 is not right, although it is true that the price differences are smaller if you're in CA instead of Europe.

Best,

Mark

[FourthWorld]

Even in California, I think that comparing the two prices of $99 and $279 is not right

Agreed, which is why I wrote "looking at each store I see the baseline price of deploying commercial standalones with LiveCode being $299 and for SC it looks like $279".

[Mark]

Richard,

I understand, but that without salutation it really looked like a reply to my treatise about the prices in Europe, rather than only a reply to OP. So, I'm sorry if I misunderstood you there.

Best,

Mark