no Download for Beta 2023 available?

Latest available (from my cache):

https://downloads.safe.com/fme/beta/fme-desktop-2023.0-b23245-win-x64-beta.exe

I have a feeling they might pull Betas as it gets closer to the release.....

@mark2atsafe​  - is my feeling correct?

Sort of. You might be aware that we're doing a corporate rebrand, and this includes FME itself. So we've pulled the beta page so that nothing gets leaked. But as David says, we're very close to a release candidate, so the betas would have been frozen very soon anyway. I'm not quite sure of the exact timeline, but the above webinar might even be the release date anyway.

@mark2atsafe Thank you for the information. I'm not looking for a spezial feature. I only like the beta-Version ...

FME Form is indeed the new name for FME Desktop (all editions). Can you try registering again with your serial number?

I've just installed the beta and only had to re-activate using my serial number

I tried to activate the Fixed License - Serial Number and the activation was successful, however I received a Trial License (30 days).

Did you also get a trial?

As I understand it, you need an active maintenance agreement (AMC) in order to be able to use a newer version of FME than you originally purchased. I believe that's always been the case.

So, if you have a current AMC, you should - as Hans at Red Geographics suggested - be able to go into the Licensing Assistant tool and re-activate using your serial number. In fact, you might not even need to enter your serial number if an earlier FME is installed already.

If you don't have an AMC, then you will find that any license for FME:23 is only temporary.

I'm 95% sure that this is the problem occurring here. If not, then please do let us know by filing a case with the support team (safe.com/support).

licencing changed somewhat?!? I am hearing rumors of an extreme price jump, the fact that https://fme.safe.com/pricing/ does not mention any numbers whatsover has me worried sick.

On the contrary, for existing users, you gain quite a bit because editions will merge upwards in FME:23. In old terminology, you'll get an upgrade from FME Professional (or whatever) to FME Smallworld and gain all of the database formats, at no extra cost and no extra maintenance.

Besides that, no, prices haven't changed. As David says, if you are concerned, talk to your sales contact and I'm sure they can clear it up for you.

I hope this helps.

May be more expensive? FIVE TIMES more expensive. Five times. Yearly maintenance also increases massively. I can not properly express my anger about the price hike and about the complete lack of communication by safe and our Dutch distributor (Vicrea). I am absolutely fuming.

Yearly maintenance costs for existing licenses will not change, according to what I've heard. All your current licenses under maintenance will be automatically upgraded to Smallworld-Edition at no further cost.

However, I can agree that the communication on this matter could've been much clearer to the end users.

Please let me try to clarify matters because we want happy customers, not annoyed ones, and I think that some changes, like the pricing page, have been misinterpreted.

I'm a technical person, not a salesperson, but I will be as clear as I possibly can, and take it step by step. Know that most of this information comes from the very top of Safe.

Let's start with this: Safe as a company is growing. The rebranding and product realignment is to help us access larger markets. It is not a way to squeeze money out of AMC or existing customers. We don't need to do that, and it wouldn't help us to do that. Again, this comes from the very top at Safe.

If you have existing FME licenses, AMC will not increase. I repeat, AMC will not increase for your existing licenses. I cannot be any clearer. Existing licenses can only benefit from this; extra functionality will be available, whether you use it or not.

In short, we restructured how FME is sold, but made sure existing licenses are unaffected.

But what about that restructuring? Well, we merged all FME editions, so the cheaper Professional and Esri editions are now discontinued. But if you already had plans to purchase more of those licenses, then talk to our salespersons. "The restaurant model still stands." Once more, that's from the very top at Safe. We've always been very flexible in helping small businesses afford our licenses. I am 100% sure that we will help our existing customers navigate these changes. Seriously, talk to the sales folk. Tell them what you were planning, and they will do their best to help.

OK, on to the pricing page. A lack of prices does not mean there is or has been an increase of any sort. Taxes and localization are an increasing problem, but if you want me to go out on a limb and give you my personal opinion, here it is: Safe is targeting enterprise-level customers, and enterprise-level software isn't sold the same way. I'm looking for a new platform for the community, and none of the better ones show a fixed price, and I don't expect them to.

In short, it's part of a strategy to position FME at a higher level, not to hide anything from our existing customers. All you have to do is talk to us.

So my number one piece of advice is don't panic! Call Safe. We're as committed to helping our customers as we ever have been. Obviously we haven't communicated these changes very well, else you wouldn't be as worried, and for that, I apologize. But I want to reassure you. Existing licenses will bear no extra costs, and I am sure we will help existing customers navigate new purchases in the near future.

We think FME is pretty great and is going places. We sincerely want our partners and customers to join us on that journey.