Retail Destinator maps will _NOT_ work in commercial CF

midiwall · 11-01-2006, 07:15 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Reagan

Quote: Originally Posted by ankur

You mean when it goes commercial we would need to buy CF maps and not just any Destinator maps ?

Ankur.

Ankur

That is correct, these maps are specially compiled for integration within Centrafuse XLE, and any retail Desintator maps will not work in the commercial version of Centrafuse.

Upon checkout, if you select Centrafuse XLE, an option appear to choose the maps for your region.

Reagan

The quote above is from the Flux Media site. The full thread can be found at:
http://forums.fluxmedia.net/showthre...=2884#post2884

OoNikFraleyoO · 11-01-2006, 10:23 PM

Isn't that what they've been saying all along? Its what I always understood.

midiwall · 11-01-2006, 11:18 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by OoNikFraleyoO

Isn't that what they've been saying all along? Its what I always understood.

Not that I've seen.

David has said that D 4 & 5 maps won't work and has stated a couple of times that some sort of concession will be made for those people that already have Destinator 6 maps. Reagan's statement clearly implies that you will have to buy specially compiled maps for CF - there's no hint of any rebate/discount for current owners.

Also, (like I said in the Flux Media thread) a couple of people just this week have gone out and bought Destinator 6 retail with the intent of running the maps in CF.

FMode · 11-02-2006, 02:49 AM

WHAAT ?

Did I missed something ??? - Microsoft Office and many other programms reveal their internal functionality as a COM component to other programms - So If I sell "my programm(which accesses COM)" my users also have to buy Office (a normal license!!!) - so its in interest of Microsoft to offer a COM Interface !

I start to hate this crap Navigation-programm market... but MS comes and will wipe those crap out I am sure - Its not a real wonder that Billy is sooo rich !!! HE has the right concepts !

David:
do you have to pay something for the COM Object (per Client which uses it) ?
(anything additional to the normal GUI Destinator License)
If yes I will let the guys at Destinator what my opinion about that is

.
(expect the 50 Euros for the SDK Docs and registration)

lazy_g · 11-02-2006, 09:37 AM

hmm so this will mean if you have already bought destinator 6 with maps, u will have to buy it again for CentraFuse?

That would be a shame!

midiwall · 11-02-2006, 11:38 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by lazy_g

hmm so this will mean if you have already bought destinator 6 with maps, u will have to buy it again for CentraFuse?

Right.

Quote:

That would be a shame!

You bet.

stric · 11-02-2006, 01:23 PM

Amm, that was already said here a few times.

raygun · 11-02-2006, 04:42 PM

@FMode

Quote:

WHAAT ?

Did I missed something ??? - Microsoft Office and many other programms reveal their internal functionality as a COM component to other programms - So If I sell "my programm(which accesses COM)" my users also have to buy Office (a normal license!!!) - so its in interest of Microsoft to offer a COM Interface !

David:
do you have to pay something for the COM Object (per Client which uses it) ?
(anything additional to the normal GUI Destinator License)
If yes I will let the guys at Destinator what my opinion about that is

.
(expect the 50 Euros for the SDK Docs and registration)

FYI:
The Destinator SDK that Centrafuse utilizes for navigation was specially developed hand-in-hand with Destinator engineers, and is much more than just a glorified COM object. For this reason, the cost of the SDK licenses are actually higher than the normal 'retail' (or GUI) version of Destinator. The maps are incompatible because the Destinator retail version is not the same product as the SDK. Destinator does not offer a solution that encompasses navigation and entertainment, that's where we come in.

Reagan

Laidback · 11-02-2006, 04:48 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by raygun

the Destinator retail version is not the same product as the SDK.

Reagan

Isn't that because there is no retail version for pc?

FMode · 11-03-2006, 02:27 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by raygun

@FMode

FYI:
The Destinator SDK that Centrafuse utilizes for navigation was specially developed hand-in-hand with Destinator engineers, and is much more than just a glorified COM object. For this reason, the cost of the SDK licenses are actually higher than the normal 'retail' (or GUI) version of Destinator. The maps are incompatible because the Destinator retail version is not the same product as the SDK. Destinator does not offer a solution that encompasses navigation and entertainment, that's where we come in.

Reagan

Raygun - another developer at fluxmedia... okay...
How much are you ?

SDK:
What is this then ? http://www.destinatortechnologies.ne...ducts/sdk.html

With Destinator3 or 5 or something - I manged to create the COM-Object on my machine... I also looked into the SDK Documentation of this... and noticed that it offers the complete business logic of Destinator... It offers an objectual representation of the current calculated route for example. Just like any other COM-object like Word or Excel. An Object for representation of the current TMC messages was missing I noticed...

(What else more does CF need from Destinator than an ActiveX Object ? I will not develop my own frontend although I am able to do it - I think we have enough Frontends which are usefull more or less)

Raygun:
May be you were kidded by Destinator ?
Developing changed since the time of the Commodore64 so every good program should be componentized and should offer its business logic component as COM object to other programms. (This component should be planned and used from the beginning of every programm)

Do you mean the "x86 compiled" version of Destinator ?
I had looked at the .NET framework for mobile devices and its integration in Visual Studio and this looks pretty easy for a dual version. (PDA and x86)
I think the x86 version is also needed to compete vs. Travelbook and such.

If you (Fluxmedia) want sell maps with CF then this is 100% okay (and I would everyone encourage to do it so) ! Or If you fear gurantee topics with it (users using own maps getting problems)
than just state: "We don't gurantee anything if you copy your own maps into it".

The benefits from Fluxmedia (viewed from Destinator) is just a sell of more licenses ?

(BTW: thanks for your answer!)

ShawJohn · 11-03-2006, 03:26 AM

Well I am not buying the maps twice - NO WAY!

If CF can't be made to use peoples existing maps then Im going to start looking elsewhere for a solution. And all the people that rely on me for CarPC advice & software support will also be getting migrated back onto RR.

I am not going to take all this crap about specific SDK's and all as I feel its a marketing ploy! Or are they just trying to claw back some of the piffling developements costs of supporting CF. Fcuk me its taken them 4 releases to get the speed to read correctly

I also DON'T want to have to pay for phonecontrol again either!

I wouldn't mind if we were getting all the functionallity of the PDA version, WE AREN'T!!! CF is a cut down and simplified version from what I've seen.

You guys need to sort a policy out that isn't going to pi$$ on all the people who have helped you make this software what it is, as without many of the ideas from here, and help in bug tracing then CF wouldn't exist!!!

Fcuking destinator lot getting greedy from what I can tell - the can go fcuk for me

Why not sell the core version of CF for price 'A' and then have ALL the extras as simple pay as you go addons, instead of forcing people who want NAV to also buy Phonecontrol.

Your structure is all wrong for me and if this is the way things are going Im getting back into RR right away!!! I know Flux have worked very hard on CF, but come on guys don't milk it too much

What of all those poor people that bought the last SDK off the tw4ts and it didn't even work

I also thought it a little suspisious that the license on 0.98 expired within 2 days of 0.99 being released and yet David didn't know the release date or didn't tell anyone until it was released.

If this nice piece of software ends up costing over £100 (XLE) retail then something has been lost for me. It would be cheaper to go buy one of these all in one GPS units that does Media too and not bother with a CarPC, and then look, you've lost half your market to an off the shelf item.
By the time people have paid £100 for XP, £god knows what for CF, probably another £50 worth of support apps - fook me, the softwares getting more expensive than the hardware, which costs considerably more to develope!!!

ShawJohn · 11-03-2006, 03:50 AM

I now feel this is a complete marketing cockup!

I bet all they have done to make the maps CF specific is just rebrand (software check to see which vendor you used) like they did with MIOMAPS, there is **** loads of destinator based software which all use the same maps, I wouldn't mind if Destinator was highly regarded - Its not, people have winged about its lack of features for ages, and its crap 3d maps. Why should CF be any different - I'll tell you why, so we have to buy maps from Flux, so they get some commission too

And Destinator gets to make money twice for same product.

Fcuk, this is like TOMTOM using different maps on PDA's and All-in-one units, more complication, more expense for the end user... And more MONEY for the software houses!

What features have they added to CF's maps which aren't on the others - I'd be willing to guess not many if any

Making this software so expensive will not help its sales in a market where most other software is opensource or freeware.
All RR needs to be on a par with CF is database driven music and a skinned built in setup/options system to be added, and eventually all that will come along!

Looks like Flux might have lost a future customer

When will someone make a GPS program which runs on raw Navteq maps!
I mean you even have Google Earth now with free map data

& GPS

Laidback · 11-03-2006, 04:14 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ShawJohn

I now feel this is a complete marketing cockup!

I bet all they have done to make the maps CF specific is just rebrand (software check to see which vendor you used) like they did with MIOMAPS, there is **** loads of destinator based software which all use the same maps, I wouldn't mind if Destinator was highly regarded - Its not, people have winged about its lack of features for ages, and its crap 3d maps. Why should CF be any different - I'll tell you why, so we have to buy maps from Flux, so they get some commission too

And Destinator gets to make money twice for same product.

Fcuk, this is like TOMTOM using different maps on PDA's and All-in-one units, more complication, more expense for the end user... And more MONEY for the software houses!

What features have they added to CF's maps which aren't on the others - I'd be willing to guess not many if any

Making this software so expensive will not help its sales in a market where most other software is opensource or freeware.
All RR needs to be on a par with CF is database driven music and a skinned built in setup/options system to be added, and eventually all that will come along!

Looks like Flux might have lost a future customer

When will someone make a GPS program which runs on raw Navteq maps!
I mean you even have Google Earth now with free map data

& GPS

So you didn't get a shag last night then?

dpetteng · 11-03-2006, 05:28 AM

Can I make a suggestion to those at Fluxmedia that might calm the waters with long term users.

I work for a major global software house (we make security software). It is normal to value the beta users and people who have made suggestions along the way but I also respect that the cost of developing software is not small and these costs needs to be recouped when you actually launch a commercial version.

I haven't been around that long on this forum but it is obvious that many users have helped evolve the software. How about either a swap out price for the people who have been involved in this forum OR a swap out price for people who have purchased Destinator maps (like myself) in the expectation that we could use these in the commercial version of CF. Looking through history it looks like this decision has only been communicated recently.

We have a swap out policy and a beta user policy where the users get a discount of around 20% if they have been involved in the beta programme or have purchased software to support the product. This would mean that fluxmedia keep their valued customers and these customers get something back for their already spent cash and time.

What do you think David? Happy to help out as I do this for a living. I am sure nobody really wants to go back to RoadRunner.

clemen · 11-03-2006, 06:48 AM