It isnt that bad

What's this owned license renewal? Sorry i'm still new to a lot of the vb stuff.

Owned licenses give you a free year of updates. After that year (starting June 2), you must renew. The prices will be:
Within 60 days of the expiration: $40
Over 60 days: $60

This will provide you updates for a year as soon as payment is received.

i also see it as a penalty

Don't see why people are complaining really. You get to use the best and most intuitive forum system available on the market for what amounts to less then ten bucks a month. Consider the prices of other "premium" php applications and you will start to see what I mean. That's not even mentioning vB's excellent record of competent security updates and support.

I have tinkered with virtually every open source and retail php solution out there during the last ten years and whether it was a cms or forum script vBulletin still is and always has been heads and shoulders above the competition. To be honest they could double the price and I would still use and recommend the software above anything else.

Hooah! Well put! I personally don't think I would pay double xD but follow you with the rest

I dont care what Jelsoft charges, as long as they keep ahead of competing software in terms of features. The price is well worth it IMO.

Another thing to increase piracy, then say due of piracy prices should be increased which again increases piracy - that's just usual.
And reporting sites - do you really believe this would change something ? A DB and some files are faster moved and opened somewhere else a support mail is being replied.

But well - it's still ok though like above - recommending someone to pay the double price doesn't mean someone would follow this recommendation.
Open Source products get better and better over years - let's see

I am really sad for the price changing too
but...Vbulletin is simply the best, it's not all in the price, look how is code vbulletin, then how is code board like phpbb and others..
Look the support on the other boards, and look the support on vbulletin.
Look the modifications for vbulletin - then look the modifications for the other boards
Look in the admincp/ and the other features in vbulletin and then look in the other boards
Look the product manager

The most important... if you have vbulletin is like to drive ferrari, if you have other kind of forum is like to drive Zastava..

Well worth the money I think.

As for gas being $4 a gallon, you should try living in the UK where it's an estimated $10 a gallon :P