Things have been quiet recently here on the web-site, but there has been a lot of activity going on in the background!

From this spring there will be some some significant changes in the way that the business operates. We are moving onto a strictly part-time basis, to allow scope for other activities. The biggest impact is on the garden maintenance side of the business and other on-site visits, which will be reduced to a minimum. The other effect is that there may be lengthy periods when there is no contact cover, so from time-to-time there might be delays responding to emails.

The impact on Plant Base development is likely to be small, or possibly even beneficial. Progress will no doubt continue to be erratic, as it’s been over the last couple years, but hopefully development will have greater focus. Some trips away from the office will be specifically for research and plant photography.

There are exciting future plans for Plant Base, but of course they will only be possible if funded by sales. As office cover will be intermittent, web purchases will soon be automated. Most buyers already use the downloaded install file and then just purchase the registration code. The code will be generated from a web-form and available in minutes instead of waiting for a human written email. The web-site will no longer normally offer CDs for purchase, as there could be unacceptable delays to post them. It doesn’t mean that we will never produce and post the software on CD, just that it’s best to check on availability beforehand.

As a purchase automation spin-off, there will also be an automated email system for lost registration codes. Other additional help and information for users will be available on the web-site.

To go hand-in-hand with these efficiency savings, the price of Plant Base is being reduced to just £25.

 

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