Timeslips

I have been using version 10.5 forever. At one point, there was a reason why I made the decision to never upgrade. I don't remember. I would love some feedback from those who use a current version. Do you have to upgrade annually, or can you use one version for a long time? I'm not crazy about learning new software - currently I'm having to learn the Adobe upgrade, and I don't even like that. Is there anything that I should know as I consider whether to upgrade or to take steps to keep my old version working? Thanks.

I have been using Timeslips since 1995. I only up grade when forced to by newer operating system requirements. I am currently using the 2019 version because Windows 10 required the upgrade from my previous version (which I think was the 2008 version). Upgrading was easy and there was not a huge learning curve. A few items are different but nothing major. The cost of the software has gone way up over the years, and most of the “improvements” are geared toward larger firms. Still I find the software easy to use and very helpful.

We also just recently upgraded to Timeslips 2020 due to all new computers with Windows 10. Agreed that the "improvements" are geared to larger firms, so really not worth the price to us. And it has definitely gotten more expensive from the viewpoint of a small firm. (We only stayed with Timeslips because I decided it was easier than working with our computer-challenged secretary to learn a new one!) However, when I was shopping two things stood out:
1) Apparently this 2020 2019 is the last time that you can buy the desktop version. All future versions will be subscription that you pay forever. I vastly prefer having software that I own, and we will be retiring in about 5 years or less, so didn't want to be forced into the subscription mode.
2) We bought our version from Newegg. However, we had a fairly simple question during installation & moving data that Timeslips would NOT address without paying for technical support. The one-year of technical support was over $1,000. We ended having to pre-pay for 2 hours for a cost of $400. To this day, I am still steamed about it. Not sure why we couldn't have pre-paid for one hour since we actually only needed about 10 minutes, but I was under the gun to get the installation and data moved.

I am not a fan of Timeslips, but hubby started using it 25 years ago for his law practice, so we have stuck with it. Any changes would fall on me and I never felt I was at a point to devote time to the process.

Thank you both - super helpful info. Joan, you said that you upgraded to 2020 but then say that 2019 is the last year to buy a desktop version. I also prefer owning my own software. Can you please clarify if you were referring to 2019 or 2020?

Thanks!

And one other question....this would be for my offline computer. The program will operate if the computer is not connected to the internet, correct?

Thanks!

JAD - I originally began writing 2019, but when I checked what we bought, it was 2020. See edit above.

My secretary's computer is always "connected to the internet", so not sure, but Timeslips doesn't seem to require a login for verification or anything. Maybe I can do a "test" on her pc when she leaves today.

Here is a quick article written that seemed to explain what was going to happen. It seemed like the person knew what they were talking about, so hope it helps.
https://www.sagecity.com/support_communities/sage_timeslips/f/sage-timeslips-forum/130280/important-information---email---timeslips-2020-end-of-support

Joan - that is super helpful information, and thank you for making a difference in my practice. I am making a big change here.

I hired Nancy (the woman who wrote the article that you linked to) to remote into my computer and fix something with my old version. She knows everything that there is to know about Timeslips.