Q. What is Proof For Schools developed in?
A. FileMaker Pro 10.

Q. Why FileMaker Pro?
A. There are many school solutions out there, most of them are products that cannot be easily customized. FileMaker’s strength, among many things, is that it gives schools tremendous flexibility to adapt their software to ever changing business requirements. No two schools are alike. Traditional school software gets you 80% of what you want. FMP lets us help you with the other 20%. Plus, there is no better reporting tool out there for users of all technical abilities.

Q. Is PFS unlocked?
Yes. PFS is an ‘open’ FileMaker solution. You have the rights to do whatever you’d like with it short of redistributing it. You get the rights to modify, adapt, or ultimately choose a different company to support you if we fail you, forever.

Q. Forever?
A. Yes. It’s in the license agreement.

Q. Are all FileMaker school systems “open” like PFS?
A. No. Not all licenses are equal.

From the beginning, a core feature of our software licenses was that we provided our school customers with unlocked software and perpetual licenses. Proof stands behind and continues that philosophy today.

It only makes sense. We believe that a big part of what makes FileMaker systems compelling is the ease by which you can customize them, thereby adding your own value to the software. You work hard to align your software with your school’s goals—you should never have to worry about losing the right to use your own software.

Q. Do we have to pay an annual license fee?
A. No. Absolutely not. There is no annual licensing fee of any sort. And no switch-a-roos either, ever. You will never wake up one day to learn that your original license has suddenly been converted for your purported benefit into a rental agreement.

Q. There must be some kind of annual maintenance fees?
A. Maintenance fees make sense if your software has regularly scheduled upgrade releases.

Sometimes, ‘maintenance’ is a disguise for what is actually a software rental agreement. Don’t be fooled.

Since PFS is customizable software, we think selling a ‘maintenance’ program is at best a questionable value proposition, and at worst an ethically challenged business tactic.

We think there are better ways to confer the same benefits of a traditional maintenance program. We believe that you should not pay for something that doesn’t bring you value.

Q. Why is annual license/renting-to-own such a problem?
A. We can’t speak for every license agreement out there. The reason we have crafted our licenses this way is give you peace-of-mind.

Our goal at Proof is to ensure that your data will never be held hostage and that you never have to be forced to make a decision to upgrade, migrate or otherwise switch software systems before you are ready. Simply put, you never have to worry that if you stop paying us, you won’t be able to use the software you paid for.

Q. Can you explain the fine-print of the PFS license
A. There is no fine print.

Q. What happens if you release a new version?
A. Upgrade licenses to new versions are included with our annual ProofSupport agreement. Stay active with us and you get the benefit of our ongoing innovation, while taking advantage of our world class support.