I'd like to understand more about Altium's subscription model... is this the only way to pay for Altium? Pay a high lump sum up front and then smaller fees every year in return for updates.
You say you can continue to use Altium Designer after ending your subscription... can you still install it on new computers?
Does it need to be online to activate?
Thanks
Yes you can buy a perpetual license and then pay yearly for a subscription to receive updates and access to server based data. The yearly fee is not cheap $1800 I think. You can use a floating license where Altium logs in using the web. That way you can have Altium installed on work, home, laptop, and lab computers and just use one license. Or you can use a node lock license if you don't want to use the internet. You can reinstall with a perpetual license without an active subscription. You can't use the floating license without a subscription (i think).
My issue with Altium is the yearly fee is not resulting in significant feature upgrades. Since Altium is planning on higher end packages the advanced features are likely to remain as pay extra or will require a package upgrade. $1800/yr is a lot for bug fixes.
- Most importantly: get rid of their new rights to siphon your data/files into their servers. Again, can't understand why this isn't what folks are screaming about the loudest
Who reads an EULA? Almost no-one.
$1800 is a lot to pay each year with no guarantee of new features. Given that you have to log in to their site to activate it, if you stop subscribing will Altium still allow you to reinstall your old version on new machines? I can't tell from the docs.
Who reads an EULA? Almost no-one.
I do, and you should too. After all, you are agreeing to it.
If you do not agree, just decline.
Spoiler alert: It could make your life more difficult, but not impossible
FUN alert: the look on the faces of sales people when you disagree.
- Most importantly: get rid of their new rights to siphon your data/files into their servers. Again, can't understand why this isn't what folks are screaming about the loudest
Probably because all the folks are not even considering accepting that EULA. I wouldn't
Who reads an EULA? Almost no-one.
I just got the email from Autodesk. The changes to Eagle actually sounded great and much needed.
Then I saw the subscription thing
I would have considered paying an upgrade fee for a perpetual license if there was a discount for existing licenses. But they can shove subscriptions, always online and requiring an account where the sun doesn't shine.
Oh well. Time to give KiCad another go.The biggest pain now, is not just learning KiCad, but recreating all of my libraries made over the last 4+ years.
There are ULP scripts around somewhere to convert Eagle parts to KiCad, so converting libraries should not be too difficult as long as you double check everything before you use it.
All that and more in just about 3 months, I'm excited to see what will come into EAGLE in the next year. I'm saddened that some of users just immediately react with a "Subscription is evil" response without really trying out the implementation.
As for the sharecropper, get serious. With month to month licensing, if Autodesk gets out of line, folks can immediately shut down their subscription in protest. The money from users will now be closely coupled to the corporation's performance. It's a beautiful thing. And a powerful thing. You now get a powerful voice.
The same proprietary, double-encrypted format that imports directly into Altium?
You won't be surprised to know that V8 has been patched already, twice, one to remove registration and it's 14 day annoyance - still operating with freeware limitations. Another patch has been produced to unlock the limitations of the freeware edition.
Didn't take long!
The same proprietary, double-encrypted format that imports directly into Altium?
Spoken as someone who has never actually used said importer.
Yes you can buy a perpetual license and then pay yearly for a subscription to receive updates and access to server based data. The yearly fee is not cheap $1800 I think. You can use a floating license where Altium logs in using the web. That way you can have Altium installed on work, home, laptop, and lab computers and just use one license. Or you can use a node lock license if you don't want to use the internet. You can reinstall with a perpetual license without an active subscription. You can't use the floating license without a subscription (i think).
My issue with Altium is the yearly fee is not resulting in significant feature upgrades. Since Altium is planning on higher end packages the advanced features are likely to remain as pay extra or will require a package upgrade. $1800/yr is a lot for bug fixes.
A perpetual licence is NOT node locked. Install software, enter username and password and click activate.
The AIF file does not hold the licence. It is user 'user signature' when activating you connect to an altium server that then sends a token to unlock you features.
I can install on as many computers as i want ( legally altium allows 1 desktop + 1 laptop ) , but : i can ONLY use on one machine at a time. The software continuously scans the network for other users of the same licence and will come with a popup that the licence is in use.
If you download the aif file locally ( after activation) you can take the machine off-network.
The option of choosing either a floating online license or offline (after installation) node-locked license was exactly what Eagle tried to introduce with v7, but rolled back after a number of weeks.
It sounded terrible back then, but suddenly it sounds like an improvement on their new approach!
$1800 is a lot to pay each year with no guarantee of new features. Given that you have to log in to their site to activate it, if you stop subscribing will Altium still allow you to reinstall your old version on new machines? I can't tell from the docs.
Thanks for the insight.
Edit: just to be clear, I know you can reinstall the standalone version by using the same license file, but I wondered how you would move it to a different machine (since their .alf file or whatever is locked to your specific computer)
You guys are funny. Microsoft, Adobe and many others have moved to a subscription model. I wonder why...
Well, I didn't actually say I am not one who never reads an EULA. However, that aside, I think it is a Utopian view to suggest people have real power to decline an EULA. I couldn't so no to Windows, even though I am typing this on a Linux machine. Utopia famously was a place that doesn't actually exist.
If you become locked in to a software product for any reason including the sheer cost of retooling around a new one and the company makes a sudden change to the EULA you are screwed. Ideally you should go on under the terms you agreed to and the new users start on the new agreement. That would at least be some incentive for vendors to think carefully about EULA terms and not be so capricious about changing them and skewing the terms to suit themselves so much.
You guys are funny. Microsoft, Adobe and many others have moved to a subscription model. I wonder why...
I'm pretty sure it wasn't because they were unable to afford to pay their developers to continually develop their software, as you assert is the issue above.