Notices

Things are never black & white.
For one, support eventually stops when a platform dies. I can't possibly get any GEOS updates for my Commodore 64 anymore, for instance. Or for this and that DOS application on a 486. That's business, OK.
However, there's also a "grace period" when "spare parts" are supposed to be available even after the products has been discontinued -- I think it's 7 years in EU. So Sygic may have stopped their Maemo updates prematurely. (But then again, I'm no lawyer so I don't know if "software/data updates" can be classified as "spare parts".)

Then don't say "lifetime updates" and mainly do a precise price listing that distinguish between software license fee and map updates fee so it's the user who decide what to pay.
I paid for both and don't get none of them!

First, allow me a little legal diversion to clear a common misunderstanding. "Lifetime support" does not mean "support until you die" or "support until your N900 dies". Not even "support until the company dies". It means, quite literally, "support until the end of the life of the product". In other words, "until we stop producing this product line".

A "lifetime support" for a Foo6000 graphics card applies only until Foo Graphics Ltd switch to a more modern product line Foo6100. Bad luck if your Foo6000 card breaks a week after the switch.

From a customer's point of view, it is better to have fixed-term support for fast-evolving product lines than "lifetime support".

There is certainly some truth in what you say and I am not defending them but please note that they did not specify how the maps are going to be updated. It seems that due to the lack of backwards compatibility (see post #10), they've opted for updating the maps through a software update. Not the best but it's what you get in a new, fast evolving software. When it reached a certain level of maturity then I hope this stops being the case. Unless they do it on purpose, which I agree would be of poor taste.

I can't dispute that. That their maps are compatible across their entire product portfolio but only within the same version. What a pity.

Makes sense. Plus 7 years in Europe (spare parts post-mortem). Therefore, if ACME Inc. stops producing MegaThingie on May 1, 2007, the last day I can get it repaired/updated is April 30, 2014.

as I told you in another thread I was able to transfer my maemo europe licence to android and that gives me new maps and new sygic. so get a new phone if you want updates where updates are available.

No, because Sygic are a bunch of ****s.

No, this is called warranty and is for defective products.

From a customer's point of view it's better to know what you buy and have clear knowledge of the kind of company you're supporting with your money! From my point of view (and from the point of view of my job) customers are fundamental and their respect is the most important thing. Fooling them is always counterproductive.

Not if you design your software well....or if you're a honest company

I assume you're ironic in this statement...

Its heating up up.......

Out of several years of personal experience regarding FOSS projects/software, watching the Internet since 1996 and also first-hand experiences here at (T)MO, i call BS on that one too.

Abandoned is abandoned. If you are unable to take sources etc. and continue by your own effort (may there technical or other reasons), and a) nobody else picks off or b) does but has his own priority scheme/schedule/pace, you would be just as f*cked as you already are according to your statement here.

Just to quote regulus: