The example of the 2000sq. ft house was simply for effect. The particular instance I'm referring to, not that it matters, involved a 100K Lutron Homeworks system for a 6,000 sq ft. house. The home also had an additional 150K in Audio, HT, intercom & Structured wiring systems. With a project of that size, quoting installation costs, building lists of materials & generating accurate labor times is a bit more involved, not to mention critical, than wiring 3 pairs of speakers. It is for these types of projects (or larger) that people buy programs like Horizon.
If you select a product that says it will simplify these types of tasks, spend a large sum of money upfront and also pay a subscription fee, then it should do everything it says it does without having to email the developer daily. Jim had flown out personally to set the system up so implying that our company’s methodology was possibly to blame is incorrect. We learned from Jim.
Two things you mentioned don't really help people looking for advice on this product. First you stated you do not have a current subscription, and are using an older version of the program. How this helps someone looking at the existing, CURRENT system I have no idea.
Secondly, you also mentioned that you don't use many of the auto calculation features. At its core, Horizon & D-tools for that matter are designed primarily for this purpose; to eliminate the need to manually calculate everything for each new project. If all you are using Horizon for is to manage your inventory, there are plenty of cheaper, less involved programs to do that. Owners looking at these products want something that works reliably and as advertised.
At last years CEDIA, only a handful of Smart Partners were happy with the products performance. NONE even suggested that it was easy to use. All in attendance at Jim's meeting had question after question regarding stability, usability & additions of promised but currently non-functioning components. For example the contact manager & accounting modules.
In conclusion, telling someone that your outdated, under-utilized version of an application "works like a charm" is not helpful. Insulting other posters for their solicited criticism of a product is also not helpful.
