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Using FileBot on multiple platforms: Do I need to purchase multiple times?

Posted: 25 Mar 2018, 14:55
by XanderXAJ
I'm a software developer by trade and by hobby, and appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes in to the craft and support, so I have no qualms with paying for (or donating to) software.

I regularly use a Windows machine, Linux (Fedora) machine and a macOS machine. So when considering a purchase, if the software in question supports multiple platforms (which tends to be most of the software I buy), I look to see if I would need to purchase it multiple times in order to run it on my various configurations.

Perhaps it's a little irrational (all those platforms need to be supported, after all), but I can't help but feel a little put out when software requires me to purchase it multiple times to run it on different OSs. (Software that requires multiple licences for multiple machines is another story, but as you might imagine, I tend to gravitate software that charges per-household or per-user instead of per-machine.)

Here's what I've been able to find about FileBot availability:
  • $19.99 on Windows 10 via Microsoft Store
  • Free on Linux via snapd
    • Except maybe paid on Ubuntu, via Ubuntu Software Center?
  • $14.99 on macOS via Mac App Store
From this, it looks like I'd need to purchase it multiple times. The Microsoft Store and Mac App Store certainly wouldn't recognise purchases made on the other. (Incidentally: I find it pretty interesting that they're all different prices.)

Could someone confirm if, indeed, I would need to purchase it multiple times to use on multiple OSs?

Also: I've been fiddling with an old version of the GUI to this point, but, perhaps naturally being a code monkey, I want to start looking in to the CLI too. Does the CLI use the same licence scheme or a different one?

Re: Using FileBot on multiple platforms: Do I need to purchase multiple times?

Posted: 26 Mar 2018, 08:48
by devster

Re: Using FileBot on multiple platforms: Do I need to purchase multiple times?

Posted: 26 Mar 2018, 11:59
by rednoah
Yes, you will have to purchase on both Microsoft Store and Apple App Store if you want to use FileBot on Windows and Apple operating systems.

It's similar to how you have to purchase the same game on iOS and Android if you want to play it on both iOS and Android phones.

As for the CLI, licenses are the same, but the macOS CLI is provided via brew cask as a courtesy to users because Apple doesn't allow CLI tools in the App Store.

FileBot is $20 on both Microsoft Store and Apple App Store, but different discounts may be available at different times.

Re: Using FileBot on multiple platforms: Do I need to purchase multiple times?

Posted: 26 Mar 2018, 20:26
by XanderXAJ
devster wrote: 26 Mar 2018, 08:48 For the license this should be it: https://github.com/filebot/filebot/blob ... LICENSE.md
Cheers, good to know. :)
rednoah wrote: 26 Mar 2018, 11:59 Yes, you will have to purchase on both Microsoft Store and Apple App Store if you want to use FileBot on Windows and Apple operating systems.

It's similar to how you have to purchase the same game on iOS and Android if you want to play it on both iOS and Android phones.

As for the CLI, licenses are the same, but the macOS CLI is provided via brew cask as a courtesy to users because Apple doesn't allow CLI tools in the App Store.

FileBot is $20 on both Microsoft Store and Apple App Store, but different discounts may be available at different times.
Thanks for getting back to me -- now I feel informed. :)

PS: I like how you used Groovy to form the file re-naming DSL -- I've been able to use any(), part of Groovy's GDK, to choose the first item that's truthy from a number of parameters. I'm sure there's even more power in there too. Very cool.