Hey guys,
Just wanted to drop my '2 pennies' in...
Firstly, I know there's a big squeeze on everyone's wallets at the moment so on the one hand, I do understand where you are both coming from (@Tomaselli & @dyvel).
On the other... I'd like to say that I'm absolutely certain that Jocelyn did not mean to deceive anyone in any way at all. Moreover, as long time members and supporters, surely both of you guys think its well worth it, right?
I know from chatting to Jocelyn a while back, the coming of 2.5 would be the 'next generation' of component creation for Joomla and although my experience in the new builder is sadly limited to a few early peeks I took at it, even then it was already so much faster, lighter and more agile. Now, I've no doubt that its way more advanced since I last looked. Furthermore, re-looking at the so called, 'competition' who shall remain nameless, they are still more expensive and have far inferior features and no sandbox.
I think that the only other thing to say on the matter is that the Cook Service is a professional service for professional developers. Sure, you don't need to be and YES, its an absolutely awesome tool to learn about Joomla development, its implementation of the MVC design pattern and a whole lot more. However, it is geared towards those who are going to make money out of their components and therefore, quite rightly it costs.
Lastly, I don't think that anyone could deny Jocelyn making a buck for his hard work and dedication in bringing this awesome service to us for a (still) very reasonable price...
(@ everyone else)
After all, if this service doesn't save you at least the the value of a subscription on a month to month basis, then it is likely that you are either a beginner/hobbyist developer in which case, its value cannot be considered financial at all or coding is probably not your vocation.
Anyway, I'm looking very forward to working with you all and will try to help in any way I can!!!
Best regards,
Gez