Back to the "Don't Pay
Twice" page.
Below are extracts from my readers comments. Some are addressed
to me and some are copies of feedback that was sent to Business
Objects. No one is quoted by name but I have added my
internal account number for each person for my own reference.
000126696
Thanks again for the newsletter and for being a voice of reason about
BO's policies and licensing.
A2011427915
..the vast majority of people who this CLA will affect are totally
unaware that their training costs and opportunities are about to be
severely limited.
A4111139889
Thank you so much for sending me this newsletter and your continuing
efforts to protect and inform Crystal users.
A3112573737
Thanks for your newsletter [...] I have had nothing to do with BO
[...] and the more I read about BO the less likely I am to approach
them. [....] Best wishes in your quest to try and bring some sense to
them.
A3100773569
I will continue to subscribe to your newsletter because I am interested
in the developments and I appreciate your "fair and balanced"
reporting. However, I am doing everything I can to move my
company away from using Crystal Reports. I am very upset with
BO. I hope they will eventually see the light. However, I
plan to do without them as much as possible.
A404043647
(Sent to BO)
I noticed that your new licensing agreement prohibits anyone from
teaching or consulting in Crystal Reports unless Business Objects is
paid a royalty and that we are not allowed to use the software to train
people outside our organization, even if we buy a copy of Crystal for
every person we train.
I have also heard that you have not received any negative feedback on
this approach from users. Perhaps that is because everyone is not
aware of this new policy. Anyway, consider this negative
feedback. [....] Crystal is just a report writer -- among many
others. I can always choose another one if you persist in this
ridiculous policy.
A4020644574
(Sent to BO)
[We] chose Crystal Reports because of its flexibility in working with
many different databases and the availability of training and material
on the open market. I have always considered Crystal an industry
standard and appreciate that I can find many people to help me create
reports and find books at the local bookstore. We have developed a
relationship with a 3rd party that supports your product in a very
positive and professional manner.
Now I understand that you will not allow 3rd parties to offer training
that aren't associated with BO and that you will be charging royalty
fees for things like screen shots in books. I think this is a dangerous
direction for your company to pursue. It will limit the benefits to me
that I described in the first paragraph. We are implementing a new ERP
solution and I have been very vocal about finding something that works
well with Crystal. This would cause me to rethink my position.
A411014196
(Sent to BO)
I am a long-time Crystal Reports developer. [ ... ] there are some
disturbing policies regarding consulting and training that I feel are
highly unreasonable. You are shooting yourselves in the foot by chasing
away trainers, developers, and authors. [...] I have found many
of your licensing restrictions and EULAs offensive in the past, and it
makes you appear like money-grubbers. I'm tired of loving Crystal
Reports and hating their owners!
A412214342
I read with great interest your recent newsletter and the news of BO's
rather draconian licensing and copyright issues....
A505257465
[from a user group meeting] We had a lively 15 to 20 minute
discussion on the licensing issue and the overwhelming majority agreed
with your view point.
A402233119
(Sent to BO)
Since Crystal was bought over by Business Objects there has been a
marked reduction in the 'user friendliness' of the company. This may be
best seen when trying to get technical support and it would appear that
a similar attitude has now infected training. [...] Ken
Hamady has just highlighted some of the stupidities in your latest
licence. If you think this will do anything to enhance BO and,
ultimately, improve your profits, then you are seriously
mistaken. No company ever profited in the long term by irritating
its customers. I operate as an independent consultant
recommending and installing database software. As a consequence of
where Crystal is going I am already looking at other options.
A5060774
We were just informed that .. [our new software] .. due in Oct will
move to SQL reporting and no longer use Crystal.
A40604320
Great info -- keep it coming!
A2071679556
I would like to bring this up w/our BO gov't rep ... sounds like their
trying to "fix" the market.
A5013170092
While the training issue is a concern, the potential consulting
limitations concern me even more. If the Enterprise terminology
is eventually applied to Crystal Reports ...
A5013170092
Excellent and informative newsletter. Keep up the excellent work.
A4102757775
I plan on writing Business Objects themselves. [....] I don't
think that what you've put forward could have been stated any better.
A2112652183
I agree that this is a dangerous move for Business Objects
[...]. I did some digging on Microsoft's (MS) site
and found out that they encourage consultants and trainers to be
certified but don't make it mandatory. MS puts their investment
into making the certification worthwhile and relatively
affordable. They then heavily promote the value of courses and
services offered by certified partners. What a concept.
With BO's competitors (namely, Microsoft) nipping at their heels, you'd
think BO would want to do everything possible to avoid annoying the
very people out there promoting their products. Of course, this
is just the opportunity that a competitive BI vendor will look
for.