New releases of Chimes, at no extra licence fee
Your licence covers every version of Chimes released after yours: new features, bug fixes and security patches, with no upgrade fee and no subscription. Applying a release to your deployment is development work, done with Git by your own developer or by me at $30 an hour.
What you get after handover, for nothing more
Chimes keeps improving after it is installed, and every deployment shares in it.
Every new release
New features and improvements to the core product, as they are released, for as long as you run Chimes. There is no upgrade fee and no subscription.
Core bug fixes
Report a bug in Chimes itself and it is fixed in a release at no charge, for every deployment at once.
Security notices
When a release fixes a security issue, I tell you directly, so you can apply it without waiting for your next planned upgrade.
Release notes
Each release is tagged in the private Chimes repository with notes on what changed, the database migrations it runs and anything to check once it is live.
How a new version reaches your server
Chimes does not update itself. Each deployment is its own copy of the source code, kept in a Git repository, and a new version is brought into it on purpose.
That is what lets your deployment carry its own customisations, and still take every release that follows.
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01
Released
A new version of Chimes is tagged in the private repository, with its release notes. Your deployment keeps running the version it has until you choose to move.
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02
Merged
Your deployment's code is a fork of Chimes. A developer merges the release into it with Git, and resolves any conflicts where your customisations and the release changed the same code.
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03
Checked
The test suite is run against the merged code, and the changes the release notes call out are tried before members see them.
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04
Deployed
The database, uploads and application documents are backed up, then the new release and its migrations are applied together on your server. Nothing updates itself.
The more your deployment is your own, the more an upgrade involves
Releases are written for the core product. How much work it takes to bring one into your deployment depends on how far your copy has moved from it.
Standard deployment
With only configuration, branding and content of your own, a release usually merges cleanly. Applying it is a matter of merging, checking and deploying.
Customised deployment
Where your deployment has its own features or changes to Chimes, Git stops at the places the release touches the same code, and a developer resolves each conflict so both changes survive.
Highly customised deployment
In rare cases, a release reworks a part of Chimes your deployment has reworked too. Then your customisation, or the release, needs adapting before the two fit together.
The releases are free. The hands-on work is $30 an hour.
Hands-on work is billed at the customisation rate when I do it. If your own developer does it, it costs you nothing from me.
Included with the licence
No charge
- check_circle Every release of the core product
- check_circle Fixes for bugs in the core product
- check_circle Notice of releases that fix security issues
- check_circle Release notes for each version
- check_circle Access to the private Chimes repository
Billed by the hour
$30 an hour
- build Merging a release into your deployment and deploying it
- build Resolving conflicts between a release and your customisations
- build Adapting a release, or a customisation, for a highly customised deployment
- build Fixing problems that come from your deployment's customisations
- build Server maintenance, backups and restores
- build New features, integrations and training
Common questions
Is there an annual support or upgrade fee? expand_more
No. The licence is paid once and covers every release that follows. You pay only for the hours of work you ask for, at $30 an hour.
Do we have to apply every release? expand_more
No. You choose when to upgrade, and your deployment keeps running the version it has. Apply security fixes promptly, though, and bear in mind that several releases merged at once are more work than each one merged as it comes.
Will an upgrade overwrite our customisations? expand_more
No. A release is merged into your fork with Git, not copied over it, so your changes stay. Where a release and a customisation changed the same code, a developer resolves the conflict by hand.
Can our own developer apply upgrades? expand_more
Yes. Anyone comfortable with Git and the runbook from handover can merge and deploy a release, with access to the private repository. If you would rather not, I can do it for you at $30 an hour.
What happens when we find a bug? expand_more
Tell me what you are seeing. A bug in the core product is fixed in a release at no charge. A problem that comes from your deployment's customisations is fixed at the customisation rate.
How long does an upgrade take? expand_more
It depends on the release and on how far your deployment has moved from the standard one. A standard deployment is usually quick to upgrade; a customised one takes longer, in proportion to the conflicts. Ask before you start and I will look at the release against your fork.
Planning an upgrade, or found a bug?
Tell me which version your deployment runs and what you have customised. I will come back with what the release involves and a straight answer on the hours.