Announcing StataNow

[Alan Riley (StataCorp)]

One of the most exciting times for us at StataCorp (and hopefully for you as well) is when we get to announce a new version of Stata, full of new features. Now, we hope to experience that feeling with you much more often.

Historically, we have released a new major version of Stata roughly every two years. We will still continue to do that, but most users will now have access to StataNow -- a continuous-release Stata. StataNow gives you access to new features now, as soon as they are ready from the development, testing, and documentation groups. The features in StataNow are some of the same features that will also eventually appear in the next major release of Stata. StataNow users will get additional features on a continuous basis throughout the lifetime of a release.

You can read more about StataNow, and you can see its initial set of additional features. But let me tell you a little more about it here.

You are probably wondering how you can get StataNow. I'll detail the options at the end of this post, but the link above explains it as well.

Many of you create features in Stata that you share with others via your own sites, the SSC archive, and the Stata Journal. And all of you write your own do-files as you perform your analyses in Stata. Knowing this, let me share with you a few technical details about StataNow.

First, StataNow is Stata. To be exact, the current Stata that most of you have is Stata 18.0. StataNow is Stata 18.5 (which we will call StataNow 18.5 from now on). When you are using StataNow, you should start your programs and do-files with version 18.5, just as you previously started them with version 18.0. Why is the version number different? Because StataNow is newer than Stata 18.0, and it is possible that something in it will need to be version-controlled differently than in Stata 18. This is no different than when a new release comes out and it has a different version, 16.0, 17.0, 18.0, etc. As always, StataNow is backward compatible, so any programs, do-files, datasets, and so on from earlier versions will work, without changes, in StataNow.

What if we need to version-control something simultaneously in both Stata and StataNow? We would then release Stata 18.1 and StataNow 18.6.

The documentation and help files for Stata 18.0 and StataNow 18.5 are the same. StataNow features are included in them and clearly marked as such.

The dataset format in StataNow is the same as in Stata.

What are the new features in StataNow, and how often will we add features to StataNow? See the current set of new features. There is no set schedule for releasing new features, but we anticipate new features will be released fairly often -- several times a year. We will release no new feature before its time, which means that anything released in StataNow is fully official, tested, validated, certified, and documented, just as all the features we put out in a new release of Stata.

When Stata 19 eventually comes out, it will of course include all the features that have come out along the way in StataNow as well as some additional new ones. Users of StataNow will automatically be able to upgrade to Stata 19 -- actually, they will upgrade to StataNow 19.5 when Stata 19.0 comes out, and over time StataNow 19.5 will get additional features as soon as they are ready from the Stata elves.


How to get StataNow

If you are using an annual license, site license, or multi-year license, you (or your system administrator) can simply update all to get StataNow. (You will probably need to update all twice the first time to get StataNow -- the first update gets you a Stata that knows how to update itself to StataNow, and the second update actually updates you to StataNow.) If you don't have Stata yet and you get one of these licenses, your new installer will automatically be for StataNow.

If you have a perpetual license with maintenance, you can request your StataNow license online. We will send you a StataNow license that lasts as long as your maintenance, and you will continue to have access to StataNow for as long as you keep maintenance in effect. And of course, you will always have the perpetual Stata license you already own. By the way, if you bought a perpetual license to Stata 18 less than a year ago, whether via a new purchase or an upgrade, you already have maintenance in effect for one year from your original purchase.

We estimate that the above two paragraphs cover more than 90% of Stata 18 users. For users of versions of Stata before 18 and users of Stata 18 not covered by the two paragraphs above, read on.

If you have a perpetual license without maintenance, you have what you bought -- a perpetual Stata 18 (or perhaps earlier if you haven't upgraded). In this case, you still own that Stata, and your options are as follows:

1. If you have a release before Stata 18, upgrade to Stata 18. Upgrades come with one year of maintenance included, so you will automatically have access to StataNow for as long as you keep maintenance in effect, and you will always have access to Stata 18.
2. Add maintenance to your license. You will then have your perpetual Stata 18 license to keep as well as access to StataNow for as long as you keep maintenance in effect.
3. Keep your perpetual license and additionally get an annual license, which will give you access to StataNow until the expiration of that license.
4. Wait until Stata 19 comes out and upgrade to it (as you have always done in the past to get the new features at the time of a major release). At that point, you will receive one year of maintenance and have access to StataNow for as long as you keep maintenance in effect. And you will always have access to the Stata license you upgraded to.
5. Do nothing. You will have exactly what you had before, a perpetual license to the version of Stata you purchased.

We are excited to be able to give you the new features we add to Stata on a continuous basis, getting them into your hands sooner!

[Sebastian Kripfganz]

This sounds exciting. I am especially looking forward to the HDFE and weak-instruments features.

Right now, I am just experiencing the following issue in Stata 18:

. update all
(contacting https://www.stata.com)
https://www.stata.com is temporarily unavailable
r(696);

I wonder if this is related to the introduction of StataNow, because my Stata 17 is still able to communicate with the Stata server.

[Alan Riley (StataCorp)]

Sebastian Kripfganz Thank you! We think it is exciting too. Try again -- Stata 18 updates are back in business now!

[Brent Hill]

I admit that this is an extrapolation at this point, but given the undertones of this new license model, and the fact that perpetual licenses are no longer an option to purchase directly on the Stata website, I feel the need to ask: Are perpetual licenses are going away in the future? I have found that a perpetual license can be purchased if we contact a rep and have them add it, but this all feels like a possible first step towards eventually eliminating perpetual licenses. Is this a long-term objective of StataCorp?

I apologize if this is not the proper place to ask this question, but it seemed relevant enough.

[Alan Riley (StataCorp)]

We don't have any plans to get rid of perpetual licenses. However, assuming you want to stay current, you are better off (meaning you will spend less no matter how long you wish to use Stata), if you go with an annual license. The only time a perpetual license makes sense is if you don't care about new features and just want to use the current set of features that were available at the time you purchased a license. It is more expensive to buy a perpetual license and keep it upgraded, or to keep maintenance current, than it is to simply use an annual license for the length of time you wish to use Stata.

StataNow only makes sense business-wise on an annual/maintenance basis. Obviously if we just added new features as they were ready to perpetual licenses, there would be no reason for people to ever upgrade and that would not be good for our longevity. 😀

We are happy for users who wish to purchase perpetual licenses to do so, and to have maintenance if they wish to have StataNow, or for them to optionally upgrade whenever a major release comes out if they want new features at that time. Most users want to stay current, and for that kind of user, it is cheaper, whether they use Stata for a year or 30 years, for them to use an annual license. That is why that is primarily what is on our website. The website makes it clear though that you can always contact us if you prefer a perpetual license.

Our goal with our license types is to give users a lot of flexibility.

[Leonardo Guizzetti]

For those like myself with a perpetual license and without maintenance, does the introduction of StataNow preclude the occasional bug fixes that get released?

[Alan Riley (StataCorp)]

For those like myself with a perpetual license and without maintenance, does the introduction of StataNow preclude the occasional bug fixes that get released?

Not at all. We will release regular updates to both Stata and StataNow. And there will even be some new features we think are beneficial for all users that will be released in both, just as before.

[Richard Williams]

I think many people like perpetual releases because they don’t have to worry about them going away if future research money dries up. Also, last time I closely looked at pricing, paying for a subscription wasn’t any cheaper than just buying a new perpetual license every two years.

StataNow does seem to have advantages over the old model, mainly because of the quicker releases of new features. I’ve always suspected that some features were ready long before they were released in a new version of Stata, and now you will get those features if you have a maintenance agreement.

[Brent Hill]

I think many people like perpetual releases because they don’t have to worry about them going away if future research money dries up. Also, last time I closely looked at pricing, paying for a subscription wasn’t any cheaper than just buying a new perpetual license every two years.

StataNow does seem to have advantages over the old model, mainly because of the quicker releases of new features. I’ve always suspected that some features were ready long before they were released in a new version of Stata, and now you will get those features if you have a maintenance agreement.

That's exactly it... It's nice to know that I would always have my own working copy of Stata if funding becomes an issue. Unfortunately, they have increased the prices for perpetual licenses and maintenance. Last year, my maintenance for 2-core MP was $310, now it's going to be $410 this year.