@grzegorz,
Thanks for trying to help out but my question is to the developer, who is the only one that can adequately answer my question.
I understand the offer here on Sharewareonsale is for one year, and that it reverts to the free edition after one year, and that the program on Sharewareonsale has to be activated during the promotion period, and that it cannot be updated for more than one year. My question does not pertain to the Sharewareonsale offer, but instead for the program when purchased as a paid for product.
As I understand it, regardless of how the product is purchased, the license is a one year license. The developer is clearly selling a subscription instead of a regular software license to use the program from that point on. Developers generally assume that the purchaser will install a short time after a purchase, but that is not always the case, especially when the item is not needed immediately.
What I am asking is if the program is purchased (money spent), what initiates the one year? Is it when it is purchased, or when it is activated, and in addition, confirming whether the purchased edition reverts to the free edition, the same as the one offered on Sharewareonsale. After the year is up, does the program stop working entirely or does it change to have the capabilities of the free edition, and if that year starts when the program is purchased or when it is activated.
When VSDC has been offered for sale at other locations, the Fine Print has stated that the program can be installed/activated at any time. Does the developer allow one year of use after the program is installed, or do they attempt to base the license on when the program was purchased, even though the program was not installed until much later, or even after a year, or not at all. I know that sounds ridiculous in one sense, but there have been cases where developers attempted to do exactly that, and in doing so, the purchaser has spent money intended for one year of use but did not receive a full year of use, or none at all. Thus far, I have had two occurrences where developers attempted to do exactly that, going so far as to charge my credit card for another year of subscription, even when it was never specified that the original purchase was a subscription. Thankfully, they refunded, and did allow the year of use when it was pointed out to them. That is a hassle I had rather avoid, and I do not wish to support those types of products.
While it is understandable that the edition of the VSDC editor given away on Sharewareonsale might revert to the free edition after one year from the date of the giveaway period, it would not make sense for the “money paid purchased” edition to also revert to a free edition one year from the date of purchase, or even one year from activation, but from what I can tell, the developer of VSDC is claiming that users are purchasing a license as a subscription to use the program for one year. After that, they have to purchase it again to continue using it. It is not clear when that one year starts, or what exactly happens after the year is up. Does the program continue to work but like the free edition, or does it not work at all, instead informing the user that their subscription is up.
I have several other video editors, and none of them revert to a free edition at any time in the future. They continue to function with the same features they did when they were originally installed and activated. If VSDC did the same, it would be much more appealing.
So hopefully, you can see now that this question needs to be answered by the developer. It is an import part of a purchase decision.