I specifically bought vectornator back in the day “when it was still beta and would be a lifelong software key” or whatever it was marketed as BECAUSE I WOULD NOT BE BEHOLDEN TO THE CLOUD, SUBSCRIPTIONS OR OTHER NONSENSE. Now, I can’t access ANY of my files, because they require “cloud” logins and other b.s. I DO NOT WANT. I do not spend my life on the Internet, and make $0 per annuum, yet I spent $60 or whatever on your app and spent a year ramping up learning how to use the buggy thing because it seemed a better alternative to photoshop. So what is THIS crap? NOT HAPPY. I want my standalone app back!
100% agree. I opened the updated version of the app just now and it’s telling me that the default is now to save my files to the cloud, with no way of turning that off.
This is not OK.
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Hey @janis, I understand your concerns. Our move to Linearity Cloud aims to enhance collaboration and other upcoming features across our applications. We truly value your feedback and are here to help. Regarding your previous one-off payment, it was actually $8, not $60. As a token of appreciation, we’re preparing a special offer for those who made the earlier purchase. We will reach out to qualified customers individually.
While we don’t have plans to revert Linearity Cloud, if you’re experiencing any bugs, I’m here to address them. Let me know the specifics, and we’ll work together to find a solution or workaround that suits your needs.
I still can’t believe they’ve done this. So bad.
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I usually don’t mind using cloud services, but they must not be mandatory. The problem is that my work with Curve/Vectornator contains mainly confidential research results which we are forbidden by law to upload to a cloud before publication. So, I cannot use Curve anymore. It just is ILLEGAL for me. And I guess I am not the only one with this issue. People deal with confidential material, we’re not just doodling to kill our spare time.
It MUST be possible to work offline only, which means NO upload to any cloud unless explicitly chosen be the user.
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I can’t believe it!
Otherwise Linearity would have offered a cloud-free solution long ago. Maybe with a login, but in any case with local files!
The App-design-mistake was: Linearity should have kept Vectornator, but phased it out. Only updates to real bugs. No more new features. Curve should have been released as a new App with a Cloud connection… and nobody would have gotten angry!!!
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@user9999 I got your point! We’re all about finding the right balance between fixing bugs and adding cool new stuff. Our users are also keen on seeing new features, as it’s what keeps the app evolving and is crucial for its growth.
We’ve thoroughly explored various possibilities and found that cloud storage is the most secure and convenient option for our future plans. While we value your feedback and have considered it carefully, this approach seems to be the best fit for us and our users both in the short and long term.
Certainly! But removing the most basic functionality of a program is not a new feature, and I am absolutely sure no one is keen on seeing the program being crippled. Not even Adobe would survive such a step, and you are not Adobe! If your company’s plan is to move to Software as a Service (SaaS), and - after a short time of users getting used to the cloud - start charging people for a subscription to their account (or the app), then you will ruin your user base, and most probably your company along with it.
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@frofa Linearity Curve’s expansion is crucial, this service is continuously evolving, demanding significant resources for enhancement. Our primary goal remains to elevate user experience, even when modifying seemingly foundational features. We’re dedicated to ensuring these changes ultimately boost the program’s usability and functionality. As we do plan introduce pricing, rest assured, a free tier will always be available.
@Nadya : they and other have done, but (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT!) they announced it at minimum over a year in advance! if you would know many in software history you should know, all steps like this are carefully planed, never comes out to the world without discussion.
Our company is dynamically growing in the market. We regularly release updates and improve Linearity Curve. We do have a strategy, and as part of its execution, we make announcements in advance. Perhaps the case of announcing changes far in advance is more common for larger corporations, but we believe that our users, just like us, are evolving dynamically.
You want to automatically save MY data somewhere on YOUR servers and there is no way to refuse this? This is an incredible impudence! Even if you assure me a hundred times that my data is stored safely on your servers, I have no trust in your assurances.
I do not want and will not use this application any longer. Bye.
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This is a stupid update!! U r insane
First: I need to pay more money for internet so I will upload projects with Gigabytes on this cloud!!
Second: I can’t access the project without internet, I need to upload it first!!
Third: IDK if this was your way to make us pay, actually I was using “vectornator” cuz it is free and amazing app and I would pay for, but now with “Curve” I prefer spending my money on more valuable app.
Forth: we have icloud, we do not need yours, also it looks strange and suspicious, U are forcing us using your Cloud, this is really uncomfortable.
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“Linearity Curve’s expansion is crucial”
Get rid of this cloud trash then and go back to being a standalone app. What you are doing now will not expand your userbase - at least if you want it to be primarily aspiring and practicing professional artists and illustrators.
Maybe that’s why the idea seems so stupid - maybe you don’t want it to be primarily aspiring and practicing professional artists and illustrators?
“this service is continuously evolving, demanding significant resources for enhancement”
I can think of a very simple way to stop that demand for resources.
You are creating a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist, trying to pretend you are not in the niche you are in, and creating problems with no solutions in an application that was heading in the right direction, alienating the core base of your users, and making it impossible to use your product. That’s not an easy thing to achieve.
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You misspelled “negatively growing”. Maybe you guys have your hands tied by VC demands or something … this is not the answer.
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This is truly a selfish and misguided decision that will cost you more than a few loyal customers, me being one…even though I have invested years into getting on-board with Vectornator and having been very happy about having found such a brilliant design software solution, it is a matter of principle to not support this type of ill-advised, destructive decision…made without listening to your most loyal customers…even though you keep repeating how important user feedback is to you, you are ignoring it, trying to sell us on this insane reasoning that true innovation is only possible by locking us into a cloud we don’t want and need.
Maybe there are some features that require some files residing on your servers, but then make it an OPTION, and not a requirement to buy into this. I am desperately trying to find an old backup with a version of Vectornator or early Curve, so that I can keep using it without Internet. Everything was fine, before you sprung this insulting decision on us!
You can close these topics all you want, but it won’t change that your most active and loyal customer base is angry with your new direction! Come to your senses, team Linearity, and walk away from this abyss that you are in the process of creating! Self-destructing is not a good strategy, whatever your VC’s have told you.
PS: I don’t mind paying a subscription, but not for being locked into your cloud…give me local file-storage back, and I’d happily keep supporting your brilliant developers/coders with my money!
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The arrogance of this move is the most shocking thing. Imagine the global outrage if Adobe stopped Photoshop users from saving their images locally.
I’ve yet to read any explanation of why this is a good idea. What exactly is good about this aside from giving Linearity control of our files and locking us into their platform?
I almost always use vector files with other apps and often have to interate on the designs so now what? Presumably the cloud has some kind of export (no idea because I’m not signing up to the cloud) but this would make my workflow painfully slow and clunky. Files are also often temporary steps on the way to something else. I don’t need to keep them on someone else’s cloud. The whole thing just seems mad.
So I paid for this and can no longer use it. Briefly, I wished I’d kept an older backup of the app but then, since they show no sign of backtracking, better to abandon it and use something else.
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I do understand that they have plans for features that might greatly benefit from or be fully dependent on the files being on their servers, but even if that is the case, then that does in no way excuse forcing us to commit them to only reside on their cloud.
Affinity has demonstrated how their 3 apps can act as one (with their system of “personas”) without forcing their users to give up their files to a proprietary cloud solution, so Linearity’s reasoning just doesn’t compute.
What is most insulting to me, is their insistence on taking user feedback very serious, while completely ignoring the outrage that comes from those of us, who have helped Linearity to become who they now are, putting up with all the bugs and limitations for years. That is something that I find inexcusable.
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Dear Community,
We’ve carefully reviewed all your feedback, considering each argument both for and against Linearity Cloud and the return of local storage. Every review has been taken into account for discussion within our team as we diligently examine all your needs.
We genuinely hear your concerns, but at present, we don’t have plans to reintroduce local storage. While our approach may evolve in the future, we can’t guarantee any changes. Currently, we stand by our decision.
We understand that not everyone finds this decision favorable and acknowledge that some of you are exploring alternative solutions. We regret that you’ve had to seek other software to meet your needs.
Nevertheless, Linearity Cloud is crucial for our plans and collaborations, serving as a tool for intra-organization communication and facilitating working in teams on projects. It also ensures smooth synchronization between Linearity Curve and Linearity Move.
Each tool in the market adopts its own approach. While we align with trends, we also adjust our development plans according to our product roadmap.