I have been using RapidWeaver since version 1.x The last paid upgrade I did was version 4. Until I upgraded my MacOS I have not had the need/risk to upgrade to a more current version of RW.
I have since downloaded the demo version of RW7.1.5 and Stacks 3.2.4
Is there a Foundry demo?
Thanks!
Unfortunately there is not a way for developers of themes or stacks to create demo versions. RapidWeaver has no way of allowing us to implement serial numbers or demo versions for these types of add-ons.
Understood. Sorry so many questions, just trying to sort my way through the changes. Tired of spending money on broken and/or ineffective stuff. 
Understood. Sorry so many questions, just trying to sort my way through the changes. Tired of spending money on broken and/or ineffective stuff.
It is not a problem, I totally understand.
To delve deeper into it for those that are curious – Some developers build multiple copies of stacks, one version where a majority of the features are stripped away and another with all of the features. They end up having to maintain two versions of each stack or theme, which honestly when it comes to Foundry would be nearly impossible to do with so many stacks, much less as with one sole person doing it. This also means you’d not get to try all of the features of the stack or theme, just a limited selection of the features.
Other developers have taken to putting the whole stack or theme up for free on their site and then asking people to pay for it if they like and use it. Giving things away is not a sustainable business model for me as this is my full-time job, so I cannot do that.
My approach since the very beginning is to give users detailed product pages, tutorial and walk-through videos, sample pages and sites, and good documentation so that they can see and interact with the product as well as watch how it is used, what it is used for and read up on its features. This is the best balance I’ve been able to strike and it has worked really well for me since I started this venture back in January of 2006.
…and it shows and is VERY MUCH appreciated! There is a difference.
Thanks! Glad you find them useful, and hope others do, too.
So you expect customers to pay $120 to see if they like the software?
Hmm … I’m assuming you are relatively new to RapidWeaver. Virtually all the developers charge for their products up front. There is nothing unusual in terms of how Elixir does things. If you have a previous version of Foundry you can likely upgrade for a reduced cost (I don’t remember all the details).
Elixir offers fantastic documentation and tutorial videos. If you need more information the documentation/video pages will give you all the info you need. See:
https://foundry.elixirgraphics.com/documentation/
Doesn’t matter people don’t want to waste money on something they don’t know would work for them thats why you offer trials or demos. You put your self in a small corner when you make it hard for customers to be interested. heck you cant even have you-tubers or any type of social media review your product because they would have to pay for it. Just my opinion that this is bad practice for a business.
@EminezArtus Got it. Foolishly I thought you were writing as an individual. I didn’t catch on that you were an emissary for “the people”. I guess all those many folks who bought Foundry 3, and enjoy it, and are making great websites aren’t part of “the people”.
It’s not a small corner. But complainers are just going to complain.
I don’t speak for Elixir in any way. Just a very happy customer and familiar with how the general Rapidweaver eco-system works.
Adam also explains all of this very well in his previous reply from 7 years ago (earlier in this thread):
RapidWeaver has no way of allowing us to implement serial numbers or demo versions for these types of add-ons.
Plus he provides more detail above.
Good evening @EminezArtus –
Foundry is an addon for RapidWeaver & Stacks. It is a complex bundle of HTML, Javascript, CSS and PHP. There’s a lot going on under the hood so to speak. What it isn’t though is an app. It doesn’t have code that is executable by the Mac. So it relies on the two aforementioned tools – RapidWeaver & Stacks – to be able to work.
Neither of those two tools offer a way for addons like Foundry to apply a serial number or licensing system. I’m sure you know this though as it is discussed further up in this thread. This means that I can either charge for the product upfront, as I do now, or give it away completely free and hope people pay for it.
Since I’d like to continue to feed my family and keep a roof over our heads I charge for my work. I encourage everyone to do so. If you work hard at something and are good at it you should be paid for it. To make up for not being able to provide a trial version I make sure to provide a plethora of videos for customers to watch before purchasing, as well as extensive documentation for you to peruse, as well as I answer all pre-sales questions.
I’ve been at this since 2006, and have always had the same business model. It is not perfect. But it is what I have to work with within the RapidWeaver & Stacks ecosystem. I think a worse business model would be to give away my work for free.
I don’t expect you to do anything. If you look over the site and watch through the tutorial videos, especially the wonderful series RapidWeaver Classroom created for us on the Getting Started page, and you decide you’d like to buy Foundry, then that is great. If you decide it isn’t for you, that is also great. I want you to be happy with your decision, whichever way you go.
If you have specific questions about Foundry be sure to create a new thread here on the forum and I’ll gladly answer those specific questions.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
I really appreciate your detailed explanation I have been looking for alternative to Blocs so I keep my eye out for a good drag and drop app with full control so when I received a marketing email from Realmac, checked it out right away. They made it seem like it was a standalone app.
Thanks!
Sorry you were confused by their email. But it probably wouldn’t have made sense for them to advertise a competing website design app in their newsletter.
Let’s keep it civil. I’m going to close this thread now.