2019-10-04 - The end of Anoto Live Forms (ALF) in November 2020

It is with sadness that we have finally reached the 'end of an era' where we have to bid a fond farewell to our 2nd-generation Forms-platform, Anoto Live Forms (ALF)!

Why is this happening?

There are 2 reasons...

1. Our ALF server is currently only supported on the following Linux OSes: CentOS6.x & RHEL6.x - both these 6.x versions are becoming unsupported in November 2020.
2. The whole web user interface was coded in Flash at the time of development & unfortunately, Flash is also becoming unsupported at the end of 2020.

Even if we put in the development work to support the 7.x versions of the CentOS/RHEL OSes, there is no way around the Flash-issue, except re-developing the whole web user interface in, i.e. HTML5/CSS3...which will take too long and cost too much.

What happens now?

Anoto has made the decision to take all customer feedback & suggestions regarding our 1st generation (Anoto Live Enterprise) & 2nd generation (Anoto Live Forms) Forms-systems and to spend the time/money where it would make the most difference... So please welcome our brand new 3rd generation Forms-system, called Anoto Cloud Enterprise (ACE).

Currently, our plan is to have the 1st version publicly released before the end of Q1 (2020)! So any and all new customers will just start using ACE then, whereas existing ALF customers will have at least 14 months to plan and action their migration, if needed.

What about all my data in ALF? Will it be migrated over to ACE?

Unfortunately, due to each customized form having different field definitions, it is a very time-consuming activity...so we won't be migrating customer data from ALF to ACE. However, we will provide you with XML & PDF exports of all your ALF form data, which you'll then be able to use to import your ALF data back into ACE or archive it for auditing purposes and make a 'fresh start' with ACE. 
Please keep in mind that any data migration would need to be completed before 30 November 2020 (when ALF will formally become unsupported)!

If you do require your ALF data in ACE again and unsure of how to go about importing it, then Anoto can offer you a 'Professional service' to do this for you, chargeable at $150 p/h (the duration will of course depend the number of forms, customizations, etc., so a quote could be provided on a case-by-case basis).

What about my remaining pen/pattern licenses on ALF?

We'll take care of this for you and will be releasing a utility for you to run, which will move over all pen/pattern licenses from ALF to ACE - more information to follow at a later date.

Will I need to learn a whole new system?

Hopefully not. Even being the next evolution of our Forms based-platform, we have tried to keep the flow & UI as close to what people are used to with ALF. BUT there will be a few new 'bells & whistles' to enjoy, i.e. the return of the 'one stop' ordering section where you'll be able to order, pay and receive licenses as fast as you can complete the transaction...individual/group pen management...and a lot more!

If this is cloud-based, how can my customers use it within their own network only?

We have thought of that too & we'll be releasing an ACE server installation-package too. This means that customers that have their own security protocols will still be able to install the ACE server within their own network/firewall, without any external access.