OrchidWiz 30% OFF until Sunday!
 

Alex from OrchidWiz has done it again for us!

An exclusive deal that he's extending to all the members of OrchidBoard until this Sunday July 26th. He has just released the new version, which has a lot of bells and whistles. If you're serious about orchids and you didn't get this yet, then now is your chance.

For the first time in the history of the orchid world, there is a software database combining registrations, awards, culture data AND a personal journal for users to keep track of their own orchid collections!

When Ordering the software, enter promo code "OBWIZ6" to make sure you get the 30% taken off. This isn't chump change. You will be saving $77.70!

Don't pass this by. Click on the banner below

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...anner468-6.jpg

It's a lot of money either way but I thought I'd try the program with the discount. Trouble is I can't find any place to put the OBWIZ6 code. I'm all the way dows to confirming the final invoice and still not code entry point. Where am I missing it?

Look for the "Promotion Code" box. It's at the checkout

still not Mac friendly... so... (and no, I do not want to install Windows as parallel system in my iMac :bad:)

We use parallels on both of our macs and it works wonderfully! We had to upgrade my ram b/c it was a little laggy but now it works awesome! That said, we also installed a mini-Windows XP version.

I'd like to try this but I've been told by several people that the latest version (6.0) does not contain updated AOS awards data or updated RHS hybrid data. Worse, I hear that the data may not be available to OW from AOS and RHS in the future so no new awards or hybrid data will be added. This is the rumor swirling around.

Could someone enlighten me on this situation?

Thanks Marty, I'd love to buy it! & have been eyeing it for a couple years. ..unfortunately this year is not the year for me to spend!

Hi,

I know not everyone is in a position to buy this program but if you are considering it then I can't recommend it more highly.

If you have a good sized collection of plants and buy them regularly then I would recommend this program to you. I have been updating it since version 3.0 (with a collection of 350 plants) and I couldn't be without it now.

Wonderful piece of software.

orchid wiz
 

still a lot of money for a bit of software in these credit chrunch times if they can drop 30% just like that then still make out of itwell i wont be buying it

andy

Sorry? If they can still make a profit even though they drop prices by 30% you won't buy it for that reason?

Then you won't be buying much anywhere, last time I went to any stores they were all dropping prices and still making a profit.

Their margins might be very low and they may need to cut prices just to stay afloat, who knows for sure how well Alex does out of the program but I am sure he's cut prices because of the difficult times as well.

Everyone is finding things difficult right now.

orchid wiz
 

i no it dosnt cost that much to produce what they have done, seeing that all the imformation is there anyway on various websites, ie thats why we have the internet saves money and most of all with this there is no monoply so if you what it then you have to pay the price but if there was another company doing the same then there would be competition , also the main reason we download is because in the past they have been to greedy with everything and so on and so on

OW is a great program and now that there's a personal collection journal option, I love it even more. I can't imagine not having it. Yes, there is a lot of free information available on the internet but most of it doesn't compare to what this program offers.

To buy or not to buy?
It is totally a personal choice :)

indeed an interesting software... I would buy it without thinking twice about it, but only the day the make it MacOs compatible... otherwise, I can also have a nice life without it... It is a "nice to have gadget", not a "must have lifesaver" (39 years old and survived without OW!!! :D)...

I'm bumping this to hopefully get an answer to the question I posed earlier before the offer expires.

My question was: Are the rumors that OrchidWiz does not contain the latest AOS awards data and RHS hybrid registration data true? If that's true it would certainly diminish the value of the program for me.

I went to a friend who owns the latest 6.0 version of OW and the latest AQPlus (3.5). It appears that AQPlus includes AOS awards through March 2009, but OW only contains through Dec 2008 (exactly as in the earlier version prior to 6.). Then I looked at the RHS Orchid registration website and it shows data through March 2009, but OW only shows data through Jan 2009.

I do not know for sure what this means, but it certainly makes me think that maybe the rumors circulating are true.

Again, does anyone know anything firm about this before I miss the opportunity to get in on the promo?

I'm confused...
Last month, you posted a thread regarding your concerns about the June update not being released on time...don't you already have the program?

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...orchidwiz.html

:scratchhead:

Now I'm confused. I own AQPlus (and the latest version was delayed, but has now been delivered). AQPlus and OW are not the same though some data has been common between them. I've used OW on a friend's machine to some extent, but never owned it myself. Just as I was about to buy my own, this came up.

Do you know anything about what I inquired about?

If it's true (and I don't know) then potential purchasers deserve to know that the program is not exactly what users have come to expect in the past. I guess the reluctance of someone associated with OW to explain makes me even more suspicious about the truth of this internet rumor. I hope it isn't true, but I certainly am not spending $200 on a pig in a poke. I'm just trying to get someone to tell me that I shouldn't worry, nothing has changed. That seems logical and easy. What am I missing?

When I open the program, the info given is that it's the June 09 update, the RHS info says Jan-Feb 09 and the AQ info says Dec 08.

I'm sure the info will be updated in our next quarterly installation. That info isn't quite as important to me as it might be for somebody else so I hadn't even noticed it. I love the program, it gives me almost everything I need but it might not be what you are looking for at this moment in time.

andypandy,

I am the creator of OrchidWiz and am answering your post. I started development of OrchidWiz in January 2004, a few weeks after my first son was born. My job at the time required extensive travel and I was looking for a way to work from home.

Initially I worked on it part-time, but by Summer I knew I was on to something and quit my job to dedicate to OrchidWiz full time. OrchidWiz was released in November, 2005, after 18 months of full time work. During those 18 months I did not get paid a dime, and I often worked 50 and 60-hour weeks. Since then I've been programming and improving the product every year.

There is a perception that what we sell with OrchidWiz is the data. This is wrong. As you very well point out, the data is free and in the public domain. Most of it can be looked up for free on the internet, if you have the time and patience.

What we sell is INFORMATION, not data. We sell the *analysis* of the data, cross-referenced against about 40,000 photos, 80% of which were donated by volunteers. We sell the ease-of-use in looking up this information.

I find it funny you accuse the makers of OrchidWiz of being greedy, and then when you scroll down you have a message from someone else saying they don't buy OrchidWiz because it's not available on the Mac. Well, it's not available on the Mac because you can hardly make enough money selling on Windows, which has 8X the number of users.

OrchidWiz is a labor of love. The market is tiny. Nobody makes loads of money doing this. This is the truth. The RHS published software like this and then quit because it wasn't making any money. The AOS doesn't make any money with AQ-Plus, after you factor in the salaries of all the people involved. Wildcatt makes little money, they did it out of spite against the RHS, and that is why they've done very little to improve their product.

I assure you I know a lot of people who have made comments like yours and then bought OrchidWiz because they saw their friends running it and realized what it was. This is the truth, believe me. There are no greedy people here repackaging data to make a quick profit. There is only hard work and value add. And great software that makes people happy.

Respectfully,

Alex Maximiano
President and Founder
OrchidWiz, LLC

Hi Alex :waving

My :twocents: :

Your product and your dedication to your customers is, and always has been, outstanding.

Thank you for all your efforts. :bowing

Just a damn minute here...I never accused you of being greedy or anything that could be construed as being nasty to you in any way. I never mentioned a Mac anywhere at any time. Interestingly the friend's computer that I sometimes look at OW on is a Mac and I paid for Fusion so he could conveniently use OW on that computer. Yes, I know Fusion is not necessary. Boot camp is sufficient. However the fuss of restarting the computer every time you want to change operating systems is a nuisance that I chose to fix for him. AQP is also on that computer so both programs utilize Fusion.

I repeat that I only asked what I believe to be an appropriate question for a consumer about what is in the program. I never said or insinuated that you are greedy or a bad person in any way whatsoever.
I resent your including me in a response that implies I did something wrong. Anyone who buys something without knowing what it is a fool not a problem.

Susanne,

Thanks, I appreciate it. By the way, OrchidWiz 6.0 includes Dtps. Fuller's Hippo, which, if you look up on the RHS web page, was registered as late as March 20, 2009. And the program has the latest awards published in *print* format (the December 2008 AQ printout was the last one).

Furthermore, anyone who buys 6.0 now gets one free update (Sept. 2009) wihich will probably include another 6 months of AOS award data, provided the AOS sends out the printout. Whatever data I get, I publish as soon as I get it. Everything else is just rumors. There was a rumor not too long ago that OrchidWiz 6.0 was going to be delayed and then it come out on time, just as promised, end of June.

Cheers,

Alex

goodgollymissmolly,

I was not addressing you. There are a lot of rumors and various postings on these sites and I typically do not answer because I'm a computer nerd, not a customer relations guy. But I happened to see the email at the top from andypandy and was addressing that. That's why I start my email out with "andypandy".

Cheers,

Alex

ok, and now I jump in... as there seems to be a musunderstanding on my post... I indeed said I do not buy OW because it is not available for MacOs (not thatit cannot be run in Mac!) I also said that if OW were available I would buy it, as I really like the software... however, for me it is a "nice to have" and not a "must have" item (big difference here!). Buying OW would imply I need also to buy Windows and install it in my iMac, or buying a laptop with Windows... that's the point here.. I like OW, but I do not lie Microsoft's politics... Buying OW, would be for me even more expensive (not because the software is expensive - I have paid a lot more for my Photography softwares) but because it would imply buying further softwares to be able to use it... as simple as that...

so, for GoodMolly... yes, your friend runs OW in a Mac.. he must have wondows installed... ;) I don't, and will not do it...

If I would be really into breeding, judging, and so on, probably OW would be "must have" item for me... then, probably I would need to put my tonge somewhereelse, buy a lapto (I would not install windows in my iMac anyway) and buy OW..

as long as it stays in teh categorie Nice to have, it will be just a nice to have...

Kav, I'm not sure what it is on this board that makes everybody think I'm talking about them. My reference to using Windows on Mac with Boot Camp,Fusion, (or Parallels) was not directed at you. I assume everyone with the latest Mac OS know they can run Windows if they choose.

I was just referring to my friend's computer on which I have used his OW. Actually I'm typing this on a MacBook PRO and use AQPlus on this machine with Windows XP. Believe it or not, I wasn't even thinking of you. I was just taking break from mowing fields.

hehe, don't get me wrong.. I mentionned you not because you were talking about me, but because you are the latest who mentionned OW running on Mac... just as reference... ;)

It's a great tool for any serious grower. I'm a computer geek myself and I can imagine the amount of work that goes into it. Not many realize the endless nights and countless problems that need to be solved, then bugs fixed, etc, etc. Now add kids, wife, life into the mix and progress is nearly impossible and often infringes on sleep ... or sanity :)

The software has a very specific audience and it's not something that will appeal to masses like say MS Office. Granted, software isn't cheap, precisely because masses are not buying it. Whatever proceeds Alex get, needs to fund future development, plus this is his main source of income. 30% Discount to our members is very generous and bashing someone that is in reality doing us all a favour by 1. Creating the software tool for the hobby and 2. by offering a deep discount is anything but fair

A lot of people use the software on regular basis and when Alex has an exclusive deal for our community I'll be the first to let everyone know.

I find it interesting the someone who has never run the program and has no clue what it actually does can so readily bash it. And for the record GoodGollly I'm NOT talking about you, so don't get your knickers in a twist and jump all over me.

It certainly is not a must have, however, after using it regularly for a good six months I can't imagine not having it. Especially now with the ability to inventory and journal your own plants as well as the ability to keep a wish list with pictures.

Alex, a big thank-you to you, and kudos on a job well done. :waving

Yes Alex, thanks for providing such a wonderful program. I will continue to subscribe to it, the hobby and industry and really needed a quality program like this one.

;-)

Darren

Thanks
 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.