[Complain] Unlimited Theme Updates but some Studiopress Themes are being retired

[Lorange]

Hi!

I've just noticed that some of your own themes are being retired and this is an extremely unpleasant surprise.

Everywhere on your site you're selling "unlimited updates":

On the "Pro Plus Package" page:

With the purchase of the Pro Plus Package you receive support and updates for all themes created by StudioPress.
— Source

On every child theme page:

Unlimited Updates, Support & Sites
— Example

On your "Themes" page:

When you buy a StudioPress theme, you're getting state of the art code, smart design architecture,
as well as an array of beautiful frames for your content -- all powered by the Genesis Framework.
You get unlimited access to our dedicated support team, as well as unlimited theme updates.
— Source

Removing a 1.0 theme and replacing it with a 2.0 slightly different  (and not 100% compatible) theme seems OK to me. If you want to focus on new themes and don't want to add all the latest WP features into your old (or less successful) themes this seems OK to me too.

However, I think you have to respect your commitments. At the very least we should expect our theme to be working with the upcoming and latest WordPress versions. I think this would be a more positive, loyal, respectful and better marketing choice. Moreover this should not be a big addition of effort to you considering that WordPress upgrades are usually seemless and that all your themes rely on a single parent theme.

Updates are probably one of the main reason a lot of people are willing to pay for such kind of services while there are so many good and free themes available on the market today.

I hope you'll reconsider this unfortunate decision for the benefit of your loyal customers and the image of your own service which is good besides this. 🙂

Sorry for my limited English.

Laurent

[AnitaC]

Since I have been with Studiopress, they have always provided updates when they were needed, say 2.0 replaces a 1.0. I had Magazine 1.0 and then they upgraded it to 2.0 with extra features, functions, etc. But if they retired them, there is a reason and one possible reason would be that not enough people purchased that item to keep it in the Active bin. Just like clothes shopping. A sweater only stays at full price for so many weeks, then it's discounted and if it's not sold - it goes off to a discount store somewhere. Does that mean the quality of the sweater has diminished - No, it just means that there aren't any people who like the style. I think in order to stay current with all the changing technology its more cost-effective to retire them - it may be too costly to try to upgrade them to today's standards. But, if you should have a problem with the theme - you still have their support and the forums to address and fix whatever issue you have.

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Need help with customization or troubleshooting? Reach out to me.

[AnitaC]

I have to add one more thing. When they used to be a business called RevolutionTwo, those of us who had the old themes received the new Genesis versions at no extra cost. They were not always built on the Genesis Framework. So for all of us who had the old themes, we were informed that we could get the new Genesis Framework and the respective Child Theme. So again, I don't think they would ever just leave you out in the cold without a working product.

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Need help with customization or troubleshooting? Reach out to me.

[Lorange]

I'm sorry but the following comparison is a little biased:

Just like clothes shopping. A sweater only stays at full price for so many weeks, then it’s discounted and if it’s not sold – it goes off to a discount store somewhere.

A sweater doesn't need any "update" in order to "work" properly. If the store decides to retire it, this will have absolutely no consequences for previous buyers. (And more importantly: the store doesn't offer  "unlimited updates" when they are selling their sweaters).

I don’t think they would ever just leave you out in the cold without a working product.

Ok, I hope this is true. But an official answer would be welcomed.

And thank you for your answer anitac!

[AnitaC]

That might not be the best example but the point is - I don't think they're out to screw anyone and I'd hate to turn this into an Instagram situation with all the legal jargon. This is a community forum and that's why I responded. I hope someone from Studiopress addresses your concern.

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Need help with customization or troubleshooting? Reach out to me.

[Lorange]

Hi,

I hope you had a great holiday over Christmas and New Year and I wish you all the best.

Could we get an "official" answer please? It looks like I'm not the only one who is concerned with this.

Many thanks

Lorange

[Bill Murray]

@Lorange - First, this isn't the best venue to get an official response. Second, I think the term "update" is creating some confusion. Child themes are largely styling, so an update to a child theme is like a new design. Most people do not continually change their designs; site owners get their sites to a point where they're generally happy with the look and focus on site features and content. Therefore, a theme update could just as easily be given a new theme name. StudioPress provides unlimited updates in the Pro Plus package in that IF they release a change or a new theme, you get it, but I don't think they are committing to continually update all of their themes with new looks. After going through the work of customizing, most customers don't want the hassle of updating their child themes. If StudioPress did what I think you're asking for (ie, updating existing themes endlessly), it would be spending resources on something most customers don't want or need.

One possible objection to all of that is mobile responsive styling. I think StudioPress could make mobile responsive style sheets that would be optionally loaded for those that want them. I wrote a simple plugin that loads such a stylesheet for sites on our network, and the time to create a basic mobile responsive style sheet is manageable, especially since much of the work has already been done to produce the media queries in newer themes, which can be copied and adjusted. We've done this for some older themes for clients that don't want to change their theme but want it responsive. Beyond the availability of an optional mobile responsive stylesheet, I don't think you're missing very much by the lack of upgrades to older themes.

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Web: https://wpperform.com or Twitter: @wpperform

We do managed WordPress hosting.

[Lorange]

Just to clarify:

There is only ONE thing that I'm asking for:

At the very least we should expect our theme to be working with the upcoming and latest WordPress versions.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

[Bill Murray]

And just to clarify, "upcoming" and "latest" versions are different. On latest version, WP 3.5, all StudioPress child themes work to the best of my knowledge. On "upcoming" versions, that's a guarantee no one can make, since none of controls WP. However, in the recent past WP has not made any change that would break something in a child theme. They have deprecated functions, which is effectively a notice that the function will go away at some point, but the point is typically years in the future. Deprecated functions continue to work until they are removed.

Keep in mind that WP continues to evolve. WP could change its PHP requirements. If you don't maintain your site or your server, at some point it will break. Making small changes to your child theme is just part of that maintenance. If you ever find a deprecated WP function breaks your site, I am sure a simple Google search will return a great recipe for you to modify your site and face little downtime. So in effect, the Genesis community provides what you want.

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Web: https://wpperform.com or Twitter: @wpperform

We do managed WordPress hosting.

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