I’m really sorry to read this. I have no interest in having my data in the cloud. Not only, anyway. When the Internet is down, which actually happens quite a lot nowadays, you have no way of accessing your information. It’s really bad.
If I have read this correctly, there is no need for me to have a licence för the desktop app? Since you’re not updating the software anymore? Wish I have known this before I bought another year.
Is that really such a big problem?
If the internet is down, you cannot use email either, or internet banking, or Facebook, Instagram, you cannot use Google, you cannot do internet shopping etc…
Does that fact stop you from using those services completely?
No, I don’t think so. You just use them when you are online. When you are not online, you don’t. Simple.
Also, when the internet is down, is “not being able to access your book database” really your biggest problem? And, in the “internet down” situation, if you really need to check your book database, why not just use your CLZ Books mobile app?
Really, it is 2026. The “internet down” argument is getting old. The whole world is online, always, every minute of the day, on fast 5G connections or even faster Wi-fi connections.
Well, that stands for you. I, personally, do not live my life on the Internet. And I prefer to own my own data. Considering how the world looks like, I really don’t think it’s a good thing to depend on the cloud. But I don’t think I have to explain my feelings about this. To anyone.
But you didn’t answer my actual question: Since you’re not updating the software anymore, is there really a need for a license?
That sounds like you conclude that the only reason for paying the subscription fees, would be the software updates?
The updates have always been only a small part of the fees. The subscription is for using the software, using the online services, like CLZ Core for adding books, CLZ Cloud for syncing and backups, the Find Cover Online service… and of course for getting customer support.
So paying to the subscription fees is still a good idea.
That said, if you are in the lucky situation that you purchased the software BEFORE it became a subscription software, then you are grandfathered in, and the online services would keep working, even if you subscription expires.
It’s up to you, really.
In our view, the subscription fees have been crucial for us, and have enabled us to stay alive, by keeping our software and apps up-to-date with today’s technology, which means going web-based.
No one makes desktop software anymore, that really is a thing of the past. If we kept doing desktop software, we would have gone bankrupt years ago, like most of our competitors.
Remember BookCat, ReaderWare, Book Label ? Where are they now? All gone.
Folks, I appreciate that feelings are running a bit hot here, but if you want to continue this argument, then can I ask you move it onto a thread of its own so I don’t get updates? You’re spiking my anxiety here!
@bookzombie yeah, it’s a bit silly this thread gets picked up every couple of months with 1 user being surprised. But I feel bad closing the thread to be honest. But we might do that.
For now, scroll to the bottom of this page, find the “Tracking” button, and you can disable getting updates for this topic completely.
Quoting @CLZ_Alwin : …”so that we can offer all our customers a BETTER solution, by fully focussing on the web-based software.”
Except, it won’t be better until ALL of the features of the desktop software are available in the web software.
Sorry, I don’t agree with that.
First, better software is not always about features.
Then, some features of the desktop software were a mistake and were only used by a very small percentage of the users. So those feature will not be brought to Web (e.g. the Contents/Stories tab).
ALL important and popular features of Book Collector are already available in CLZ Books Web. And more features that Book Collector never had (like automatic book values).
Also, the UI design of all features is much better in CLZ Books Web. That alone makes it better software.
Finally, what also makes it better, is the simple fact of being web-based. Much easier to use, much easier to manage, no more problems with downloads, installs, software updates, firewall problems, security software problems. It gives you automatic backups done by us, automatic software updates, etc…
All in all, a much better solution 
Hey @CLZ_Alwin - can we add attachments like receipts and extra photos to the books yet? That is my biggest hang up to moving.
Thanks!
Sherri
Not yet, but that is coming to the CLZ Books Web within a few weeks, as we are building the ability to add extra images as we speak.
Quoted from our last newsletter:
With the big “CLZ Web Custom Fields” and “CLZ Books new fields” projects out of the way, we are ready to take on some new “endeavours” 
No new features here, but an important improvement to an existing one: the CLZ Cloud syncing. Pim and Bernard are implementing three changes that will make the syncing of new items from the CLZ Cloud to your app a LOT faster:
The Sync with CLZ Cloud will down-sync just the data first, while queuing the image downloads. This will make the data syncing super fast.
The subsequent downloading of the queued images will be quicker too, especially on fast internet connections.
Finally, you can already start using the app while the images are still downloading.
After the launch of the Custom Fields, this is the next step customizing your database entries: the ability to add more images, next to the Front and Back covers. Of course, this will come to the mobile apps too, including full syncing of your custom images!
The Custom Fields feature is now live for the CLZ Web web-based software only. But… it is also coming to the CLZ mobile apps! We have just started on that and we hope we can finish that project within 3 months. ETA: end of May, early June?
Once Custom Fields are live for the mobile, you will be able to sync your custom field definitions and their data back and forth between Web and Mobile!
Hi @Alwin - what you listed above specifically states images. I just want to make sure that includes receipts too.
How will this new feature behave in regards to the receipts I have already attached to books in the desktop version? I hope there is a way to get them on to the web version? My assumption is yes 
- but if I am going to stop using the desktop version completely, I am not going to want to manually upload over 1K receipts (and a few dozen extra book images) to the web. 
Thanks
Sherri
How are receipts different? I assumed the receipts were just pictures of the actual paper receipts?
If not, what form are they? PDF files maybe?
if I am going to stop using the desktop version completely, I am not going to want to manually upload over 1K receipts (and a few dozen extra book images) to the web
I can tell you now, even if Web fully supports this, there will be NO automatic way to migrate your receipts and images from Book Collector.
Yes. Receipts are in PDF format. And if you can push data back and forth between desktop and browser versions, why not where a receipt is stored on my desktop? I can’t imagine you are actually storing a copy of the extra images on the web are you? Extra images and receipts have always been stored locally on the PC. Can’t the browswer just point to that location - like the desktop version. I am never going to be able to get off the desktop version - I don’t have time to spend moving 1k+ receipts to the web version.
Of course we are, that is the point of web-based software: you can access it from any computer, any mobile device and have access to all your data.
And if you can push data back and forth between desktop and browser versions, why not where a receipt is stored on my desktop?
No that would not make sense. Again, CLZ Web is web-based software, meant to be used from any computer and any mobile device. So linking to local files that are on one specific computer does not really fit that portable nature.
I am never going to be able to get off the desktop version - I don’t have time to spend moving 1k+ receipts to the web version.
I agree, you should stick with the old desktop software.
Hi, ich halte von der webversion auch nichts. Ich will und muss jederzeit mit meinen Daten arbeiten können. Zum Beispiel will ich mir jetzt meine Zigarillos bei ebay bestellen, was ich schon 30-40 mal gemacht habe. Problemlos. Plötzlich verweigert angeblich meine Bank die Zahlung über klarna. Ich ruf bei der Bank an, alles in Ordnung, sie sehen keine Probleme. Ne, also was ich zuhause auf dem Rechner habe, habe ich sicher. Deshalb nutze ich auch keine clouds. Sonst bin ich sehr zufrieden mit dem Desktop-Programm. Viele Grüße Görn
Admin edit: English:
Hi, I’m not a fan of the web version either. I want and need to be able to work with my data at any time. For example, I want to order my cigarillos from eBay now, which I’ve done 30-40 times before. No problem. Suddenly, my bank is supposedly refusing the payment via Klarna. I call the bank, everything’s fine, they see no problems. No way, what I have on my home computer is safe. That’s why I don’t use the cloud. Otherwise, I’m very happy with the desktop program. Best regards, Görn
A post was split to a new topic: Considering going to CLZ Books Web: A couple of questions