The Problem with Legacy Software
I have a client who runs an i5 (aka i*series, as400). Recently we upgraded the o/s to V5R4. While we had minimal problems with the actual upgrade of the o/s, the real problem started after the upgrade. One of the key applications, a form overlay program called Create!Print, now owned by Bottomline Technologies, failed to operate. In a production environment with no real way of going back, this situation represented a real problem. After a couple of calls to Bottomline, we confirmed that our version of Create!Print does not work with V5R4. With my client no longer on maintenance with Bottomline, that conversation required an escalation to even get that information. Of course, now is when the fun started. In order to get the latest version of Create!Print, we had to pay all of the back maintenance. Those payments were greater than re-licensing the software. This situation seems to be standard practice in the i5 world. No calls in 6 years, no upgrades, but now they want all of that money for a new license fee. Does that seem fair? Is it worth while for IBM to continue to support these vendors with these policies?
My client decided to investigate competing products from various vendors. They ended up installing 4 different packages including the new version of Create!Print. Bottomline took 2 1/2 weeks after first hearing from us to get a new copy of the software as well as some temporary license keys. Other vendors got us software within a day or two. Allowed us to download binary images off of ftp servers. Bottomline? We had to wait for a demo, and then wait while they shipped us their software via ground. Creating a more stressful situation at my client. And while we waited, and played with other solutions, we somehow got the version of Create!Print to work. The version that they said would not work, somehow for a brief period of time did. I can only surmise why it did... we somehow got around something that they put into the software to force it to fail. If it worked for however brief a period, why would it all of a sudden stop? Again, its curious to me because the failure was at the initial entry point. A license key valid under V5R3 is now no longer valid under V5R4. So the software would just not run.
I can only surmise that they had a planned obsolence on this product. And they built that into the code. Why would the license key all of a sudden no longer be good? Lets say the license key was still valid, and the software did not work. I could understand that situation more than a license key being valid under V5R3 and not in V5R4.
The real issue is that companies invest so much energy into a software package that replacing any system is a major undertaking. My client looked long and hard at other vendor's packages. But concluded 2 things: first that converting all of the forms currently in production would be a major undertaking, and second, that despite the poor customer service, the Create!Print package was still the best solution out there for form overlays.
What is sad to me is that companies get away with this kind of behavior. Forced obsolensce of working products to maximize future revenue streams is a behavior not suited to long term partners. Part of the reason why open source products currently appeal to me and are what I recommend to all new clients.
