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<p dir="auto">Hi,</p>
<p dir="auto">this is a bit off topic, but some of you might appreciate the update.</p>
<p dir="auto">Today is a special day, also for some MailMate users I believe. Almost 3 years ago I was very close to having to stop working on MailMate full time since it wasn't generating much revenue. I wrote a <a href="https://blog.freron.com/2013/changing-priorities/" style="color:#3983C4">blog post</a> explaining my situation and I did an experimental crowd funding which later led to an Indiegogo-based crowd funding campaign. I was looking for money to have time (a minimum of 6 months) to make something which could be released as version 2.0. I got far more than that and at the same time daily sales increased. (Note that the MailMate 2.0 version bump has not been postponed because I haven't worked on it. It has been delayed because I want it to be much more than what I could have done within those 6 months.)</p>
<p dir="auto">In the blog post I also wrote this:</p>
<blockquote style="border-left:2px solid #777; color:#777; margin:0 0 5px; padding-left:5px">
<p dir="auto">[...] Current sales are about 1/4 of what I would need to say that I’m really doing this for a living — and then I would still earn less than I would with a regular job. The only reason I have been able to work on MailMate for so long is because I’ve had a very generous sponsor: My wife.</p>
<p dir="auto">The time has come to pay back on that generosity. Starting February, 2014, my wife is going back to school (well, University) to get a masters degree in Health Science. For the following two and a half years I hope to be the sponsor of her dream.</p>
</blockquote>
<p dir="auto">My crowd funders should be happy to know that my wife has now completed her masters degree (“cand.scient.san.” is the official title) and this is celebrated <strong>today</strong> with a big party (which is why I won't be able to work on the Gmail issue today). Yet another thank you to you all from both me and my family.</p>
<p dir="auto">It has been a very slow summer for MailMate sales and the crowd funding money are getting close to running out. It is almost perfectly timed with the above. Don't worry, I know sales will pick up again when 1.9.5 is officially released and the homepage is updated more regularly. The “Become a MailMate Patron” initiative has also been well received and it feels a bit like <em>coming back full circle</em> to the original crowd funding campaign.</p>
<p dir="auto">Have a nice weekend!</p>
<p dir="auto">-- <br>
Benny</p>
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