Today was a sad day for my workflow with Scrivener. I have been using Aeon Timeline in parallel for a long time, syncing data with Scrivener and maintaining my series timelines. This all worked very well.
Now Aeon Timeline 3.0 has been released and I was curious to see what the new version offers. Unfortunately, the first thing I saw was the switch to a subscription model, which hit me out of the blue and shocked me.
Subscription models are becoming more and more prevalent in the app store and I dislike this type of app usage. So two years ago I gave up Ulysses and refrained from buying such apps.
Now, unfortunately, Aeon Timeline is affected and that annoys me enormously, because I looked forward to the availability of the app.
One lesson I’m learning from this is to minimize the dependency of my workflow on different apps so I don’t have to spend a lot of time searching for an alternative and transitioning again.
My question to the Scrivener team: do you plan to include a timeline feature in one of the next versions? I think this would be a great tool to improve the management of larger objects.
As of the last time I know Keith to have spoken on this subject, no. AmberV did provide one option for tracking chronology using existing features in this thread, though: https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/set-up-dependencies-between-documents/42302 Keith says why he doesn’t see a timeline feature working in Scrivener in this thread, too.
To be fair, Aeon Timeline have stated that their new policy is not a subscription model;
" This is not a subscription model. You will not be required to pay a yearly subscription fee to continue using our software." – Licensing Model | Aeon Timeline
You pay an upgrade fee and the purchased version is yours to use forever. If you want updates after a year, you can subscribe again. Not really that different from a “purchase with an option to upgrade” model.
I, too, dislike subscription models. But for some very small companies it’s the only way to survive these days.
I think Aeon Timeline’s modified subscription model is a good compromise. I updated without opting for the lifetime updates option, just to see if I feel the same a year from now. I suspect I will.
On the other hand, I respect Keith’s decision not to go with the subscription model, and I will be glad to pay for Scrivener updates in the future according to their model.
Actually, this is the wrong place to discuss other apps, but …
I know, that’s what they always say when they want to reassure customers. In truth, it’s a subscription model, as anyone can see when they go to the app store.
Sure, you can pay 60+ euros and use the app forever, but unfortunately you then have no right to updates.
You are lured into the subscription model by the fact that the app pluss the update subscription is cheaper than the app alone without updates.
To be fair to the customers, this is not a friendly move towards users who have always bought the new version and relied on the app and its further development. I’ve already quit Quark XPress and before that Adobe for the same reason, now unfortunately Aeon Timeline is too.
I’m sure I’ll find another way to visualize my timelines. There are always alternatives.
Well, never mind. Sorry for starting this off-topic discussion here.
Greetings,
Thomas
Thank you for the link. I can understand why Keith doesn’t see the timeline functionality as a key feature for Scrivener. That is fine with me and I am very happy with Scrivener as the app currently is. I’ll look for an alternative for Aeon then.
Greetings,
Thomas
I have had the same concerns about other Apps; the confusion comes in because when Apps are purchased through the App Store, they are sometimes converted to subscriptions. I do not buy Apps from the App Store if the developers offer their apps directly through their own websites. Aeon’s Timeline looks very interesting and I just downloaded their free trial, directly from their website.
However, in terms of Scrivener, I LOVE the application, but their release/update cycle is way too long, and the current bugs are killing me; I am so much looking forward to an update, but I am not holding my breath.
Fortunately, there was an update yesterday. I switched my Mac to Monterey and there was the customization of Scrivener already available. Good job and thanks to the Scrivener team.
I switched my Mac to Monterey and there was the customization of Scrivener already available. Good job and thanks to the Scrivener team.