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Support forum for Cumulus weather station software
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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 5:49 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:38 am
Posts: 33
Location: Stevenage, Herts, UK
Weather Station: Watson W-8681
Operating System: XP SP3
Steve

I've just made a PayPal donation as my way of saying thanks for your efforts in providing Cumulus and this forum. Long may it continue.

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Malcolm
North Herts, UK
http://www.elmnet-weather.net
Watson W-8681; Cumulus v1.9.3


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:33 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 5:59 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Sint Odiliënberg - Limburg
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Pro
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
steve wrote:
I've been trying to understand why the majority of Cumulus users haven't donated. A number of people have contributed by producing add-ons, and that's absolutely fine. A few people have told me they can't afford to donate at the moment. I've had about 50 donations, a couple of people have given as much as £50; the smallest donation was £3; a typical donation is £10-£15. I don't expect people to give a lot, it would be nice if everyone gave a little. Of course, it's hard to know how many users there are. But there are now 210 sites on the user map, 410 registered users on the forum, and 50 downloads of Cumulus every day.

Most of the donations I've had so far have gone on the cost of web hosting, and repairing my computer. I think these are both fair uses of the money. But now I would like to buy some nice, professional WPF and Silverlight software components (gauges, charts etc etc) for Cumulus 2. These are expensive. There is currently about £150 in the donation pot, but the components cost many more times that. I almost got my credit card out and bought them anyway, but I can't help but think about how unfair it is that I and those who have donated should subsidise everyone else.

Anyway, according to the Donation Coder web site:

"If you want donations - you're going to have to ask. It's a humbling thing, but if you don't ask, and ask seriously, people won't give."

So this is me, humbling myself, and asking seriously: If you use Cumulus and want to see it continue to be developed, please donate.

If it's using Paypal that's stopping anyone donating, please get in touch with me and I'll give you my address so you can send a cheque or whatever.


Hi Steve,

I totally agree with your message.
However, I really think it would be a better idea to stop offering Cumulus without any price label on it.
Have been using Wswin / PC Wetterstation for 7 years now, and I paid 30,00 € for the full version.
I suggest you do the same in future. If someone really wants to use your software, people will buy it, believe me.

Kind regards,

Olaf Eckhardt, www.meteoroerstreek.nl ( Netherlands)


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:31 am 
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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:39 pm
Posts: 104
Location: Northwood Middlesex UK
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit
Steve

Cumulus knocks spots of all the other programs out there. Cool and clean is one of the many complimentary comments that I receive about your software.

Cumulus is special and I'm happy to support its continuing development with an annual donation.

Best wishes :clap:

www.moorparkweather.net

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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:46 am 
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Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:52 am
Posts: 588
Location: Crafers, South Australia
Weather Station: Fine Offset WH1091
Operating System: Windows XP
Eckie wrote:

Hi Steve,

I totally agree with your message.
However, I really think it would be a better idea to stop offering Cumulus without any price label on it.
Have been using Wswin / PC Wetterstation for 7 years now, and I paid 30,00 € for the full version.
I suggest you do the same in future. If someone really wants to use your software, people will buy it, believe me.

Kind regards,

Olaf Eckhardt, http://www.meteoroerstreek.nl ( Netherlands)


Agreed, or a better idea might be to have part functionality available for free so people can try it out and become addicted like we have, then have additional functionality - like web pages, additional graphs etc available in a licensed version. Perhaps only let licensed users post on this forum too. ;)

Charging before you can try it may deter some who don't know how good it is.

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Cheers

Phil

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~storerfamily/weather
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/sa.asp

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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:19 am 
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Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:22 am
Posts: 344
Location: Wokingham, Berkshire, UK
Weather Station: WH1081
Operating System: Win 7, XP, Xubuntu, Linux Mint
Steve,

Great bit of software and very helpful forum support.

I've been using Cumulus for just over a month and am now
happy with how its all set up and running :)

Therefore, my donation has been sent today.

Mark

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Cumulus Real Time Data Grabber
http://bit.ly/WjBh5z

Wokingham Berkshire - weather station
http://www.wokinghamweather.co.uk

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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:01 am 
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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:39 pm
Posts: 104
Location: Northwood Middlesex UK
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit
Steve

Why not offer Cumulus (and the support) on a 30 day trial and then charge an annual fee of say, £25?

Regards

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http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... IMIDDLES19
http://www.pwsweather.com/obs/mpw41664.html
CWOP http://wx.findu.com/DW7329


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:41 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:33 pm
Posts: 29
Location: Prestons NSW Australia
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Pro2
Operating System: Windows 7, 64 bit
The message worked! If I hadn't noticed it, I'd have gone straight to ask my question without a thought about donating.
As many others have said, it's way too easy to have good intentions... :oops:
To the few questions I've had, your response has always been super fast.
Going to paypal now. :arrow:

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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:47 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:09 pm
Posts: 8
Weather Station: N96GY
Operating System: Window XP SP3
just donated

thanks for all your superb effort steve


Steve


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:29 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:27 pm
Posts: 12
Location: Telford
Weather Station: N96FY
Operating System: Windows 7
Hi Steve, a quick bump of the thread and a donation for your excellent software is on its way.


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:17 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:15 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Cheddar, Somerset
Weather Station: Weathereye WEA22
Operating System: Windows XP
Hello,

The 'freemium' model works well, as mentioned above, as does the trial and up sell.

Any thoughts about apps for Symbian/iOS/WP/Android etc? I have been playing with iCumulus for iPhone add on with some very useful results. I can imagine the value to a holidaying consumer of a weather related information from a network of stations being selectable from a menu on an app which used APIs to obtain the data.

I agree with the rest of the community Cumulus is a tremendously valuable piece of software and provide a great user experience. The monetization could be done in many ways assuming that the intent is to formally monetize. As a consumer I quite like the current model, well I would say that wouldn't I ;)

Regards

Andrew

PS - I recently asked the company who supplied me my weather station to sell me a new thermo/hygro/Tx unit as my current one has developed a fault. They kindly sent me on in the post FoC, so I donated the cost of that to the Cumulus fund, what comes around goes around :D

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Cheddar Weather
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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:39 am 
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Site Admin
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:49 pm
Posts: 17827
Location: Sanday, Orkney
Weather Station: Davis VP2
Operating System: Windows Home Server 2011
andrew_sinclair wrote:
Any thoughts about apps for Symbian/iOS/WP/Android etc? I have been playing with iCumulus for iPhone add on with some very useful results.

I leave that sort of thing to others, Cumulus itself takes up all of my time :lol:

There's an android app here - http://sandaysoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4959

Quote:
The monetization could be done in many ways assuming that the intent is to formally monetize.


I did have a fantasy some time ago that I would get enough donations to allow me to retire early and concentrate on Cumulus full time. Still a fantasy!

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Steve
Sanday Weather
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Like Cumulus and want to support it? Please donate! Image


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:40 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:15 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Cheddar, Somerset
Weather Station: Weathereye WEA22
Operating System: Windows XP
Quote:
I did have a fantasy some time ago that I would get enough donations to allow me to retire early and concentrate on Cumulus full time. Still a fantasy!


I have had similar fantasies...then I awake turn on the Today Programme to hear how must extra I must pay and how much less I will get and how I will enjoy a fully cathartic austerity life experience which will enrich my soul :lol:

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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:40 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:39 pm
Posts: 104
Location: Northwood Middlesex UK
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Vue
Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit
No, I fantasise about birds--more fun, I would say.
;)

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http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... IMIDDLES19
http://www.pwsweather.com/obs/mpw41664.html
CWOP http://wx.findu.com/DW7329


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:31 am 
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:12 am
Posts: 9
Location: Caulfield East, Victoria, Australia
Weather Station: WH 1081
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Steve,
I can't give verbal kudos without backing it with my wallet. It's harder now that I am retired but this is still the best value software I have on my PC. My annual "Support & Maintenance Fee" has just been remitted.

You are getting a lot of well-meaning advice :bash: on how to fund your venture. Mine is simply do it the way you are most comfortable with -- just don't develop any ulcers. I am sure that the users of your software will back your decision. If we don't we will be the losers.

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Cheers,

Rollo.


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 Post subject: Re: Please donate.
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:13 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:39 am
Posts: 16
Location: Western Australia
Weather Station: EasyWeather Station Pro
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimiate 64bit
Looking back on the opening post in this thread I wonder how different things are now, I mean has the thread resulted in more donations and is it at least now covering your costs?

I'd like to donate more but a pension budget limits that ability, but as soon as we have some few dollars to spare I will be happy to donate once again. Please do not make it a subscription thing, they are rather annoying and can be a burden on those already with limited funds available.

A shareware or 30 day trial is fine and I would be happy to support that, maybe start that for version 2. Just when you have updates ensure those that have already paid only need to pay a smaller fee to update.

Cheers

GW

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