I have spent the better part of 2 days re-evaluating it. It seems to have moved a long way in both functionality and available of a few very nice templates. Am interested in feedback from anyone using it. Am about to buy a multiple domain license.
I use it for one of my directories totalxsearch.com it is ok. The version I am using is around 15 months old. It is stable and easy to use. I use phpld on the other 5 or 6 directories I have, I like that script the best.
Awhile back I owned a directory called keyword-pages.com (which I let expire) that used this script, in my honest opinion it is a solid script, the tech support is awesome, I had no prob getting help in the areas I need the most. Very easy to use, the only thing that I can think of that I did'nt care much for was their forum, you are better off submitting a ticket then waiting for an answer there.
They have a solid product, as banless says, but technical support sucks. Long response time for simple problems. Patches and new features being released without being tested. I feel that users are paying to debug the script for them. Yes, they have an annual maintenance fee. As result you see very few people/posts in their BBS those days. If I had to start from scratch I would choose another vendor.
The latest developments there: http://www.nicecoder.com/community/f15/open-letter-nicecoder-clients-8427/. I'm not allowed to post links, so you will need to copy and paste this URL.
I ended up buying a 10 license contract. Am very busy and knee deep in learning things. Like all software there are issues but lots of good stuff too. Templates are an issue and that is where I am currently spending a lot of time. My first shot QualityBlogs.com - the theme needs work.