AutoDesk to End Perpetual Licenses 1-31-16

[James Burke]

Bummer...just received this email today:

End of Sales of New Individual Perpetual Licenses

Dear Autodesk Customer,

You are receiving this message because our records indicate that you or your organization may be impacted by the following business change. This notice is intended to provide you sufficient time to understand the options, evaluate your needs, and take any required action before the change becomes effective.

Autodesk is transitioning from perpetual software licenses to subscription-based options. After January 31, 2016, new seats of most individual Autodesk software products will be available only on a pay-as-you-go subscription basis. Sales of new perpetual licenses for these products will be discontinued. This change applies to both standalone and network licenses.

You will, however, be able to continue using your existing perpetual licenses. For your software that is on Maintenance Subscription, you will retain access to your benefits and stay up-to-date by keeping your Maintenance Subscription current.
Products impacted by this change include AutoCAD®, AutoCAD LT®, and 3ds Max®; full list is available at www.autodesk.com/perpetual licenses.

To learn more about this licensing change, contact your local Autodesk Authorized Reseller or visit www.autodesk.com/perpetual licenses.

You can also submit your questions via the Perpetual License Transition Forum to get an answer from our experts.
To find out more about Subscription options, visit our Subscription page today or contact your reseller.

Yours sincerely,

Jeff Wright
Vice-President, Customer Engagement


(NOTE: The links in this post appear to come up as 404 errors for some reason...go to Autodesk's web page for the details - JB)

 

[Techman]

wait until you see their fee schedule. This will put a lot of people out of business.

 

[rjssigns]

All this cloud/subscription based BS will come to a head. I can't be the only one that thinks there are companies out there working on solutions.

 

[Techman]

wait till windows 10 goes to a yearly rate..
We are all hosed whether we like it or not.

All those buying into that subscription scheme are allowing it and will pay dearly soon enough.

It is not sustainable.

 

[Chasez]

All this cloud/subscription based BS will come to a head. I can't be the only one that thinks there are companies out there working on solutions.

It's called pirating software I understand why the companies do it, but unless your a huge company with $$ to blow on software to stay up to date its stupid. When Adobe did it I was glad that I had already got my copy of CS6 and I will probably never change until it becomes totally obsolete. In my opinion the pirating of the software helped lead to the cloud, but over time I think the pirating will lead back to the way it was.

Chaz

 

[rjssigns]

wait till windows 10 goes to a yearly rate..
We are all hosed whether we like it or not.

All those buying into that subscription scheme are allowing it and will pay dearly soon enough.

It is not sustainable.

Have to start using Linux for an OS. Open source will gain ground and get better as more corporations institute their cloud programs.

 

[player]

Years ago we were all waiting with cash in hand to upgrade to the next version as the improvements were so dramatic. Now, not so much.

So we can wait it out for 3 or 4 years and see what happens.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I am by no means a fan of cloud based computing. One program, if it does go that route, I would probably have to bite the bullet as there is no viable alternative (especially not open source, those alternatives are laughable the way they are now) that actually isn't already starting to go cloud based as it is.

I can, to a degree, understand why they are doing it, especially with the more mature programs. They need a way to adapt and keep people buying their product. Just like everyone else they have to adapt and continue to make money. I can actually understand that.

I don't exactly see why they still couldn't offer a choice of "pick your flavor". I'm not a programmer though at all, so I don't know how truly viable that is from a C/B point of view however.

They one thing that probably disturbs me the most is the campaign that they put on with the cost angle. Long term, more often then not (at least 51% of the time), it actually costs more then the short term examples that they give.

If I could totally make the switch to exclusively Linux I would. Just one program that's the main stay of my business makes it very hard to do that.

 

[AF]

Pay more, get less.

 

[rjssigns]

It's called pirating software I understand why the companies do it, but unless your a huge company with $$ to blow on software to stay up to date its stupid. When Adobe did it I was glad that I had already got my copy of CS6 and I will probably never change until it becomes totally obsolete. In my opinion the pirating of the software helped lead to the cloud, but over time I think the pirating will lead back to the way it was.

Chaz

Friend of mine said within two weeks of Adobe going cloud it was hacked. I agree with you on your approach to Adobe products. What I have will last me or I will go back to Corel where I started.(or quit and do something completely different)

A client was getting close to retirement and told his software providers to shove it. All the licenses/subscriptions for his shop cost $10,000.00 per year!

 

[Techman]

In my opinion the pirating of the software helped lead to the cloud

Well that may be what some want us to think..

However, This subscription based scheme was planned over two decades ago. I was involved with several project back then and the entire model was devised way back around 1998 or so.
Some of the negative ideas were discussed and removed. Alas the negatives are coming back..

One cause of reverse engineering was the result of some software authors. Remember the big floppy disks? Very vulnerable to damage. IE: Lotus would charge huge fees to make a backup copy of their already very expensive software. Likewise people developed CopyII PC. Some may remember that.

There were some very bad titles sold with no refunds. A People would break the protection scheme to test it. Then write a report on how good or bad it was. Those testers foiled the bad and promoted the good.

Back in the day,,, Very poor East Europe countries asked for obsolete big name software to supply their schools. No way no how was the answer.

Think about the user in Eastern Europe asked to pay a years salary just for one title. Now think about some school kid learning computers but is told he has to supply his own software. The results were.. Some of the world's best software hackers are in Eastern Europe. Just meet one of them. They talk in computer code rather than in their own language. They are that good. Kids at an elite computer school would pitch in to get a title. Hack it and pass it around. Every one had what they needed. Hence, hacked software became widely available FREE. It was faster for them to hack it than to hassle customer support and cd keys.

 

[Marlene]

we will have to pay yearly to run windows 10?

 

[Chasez]

we will have to pay yearly to run windows 10?

Where do you see that? I haven't seen anything about that.

Chaz

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Where do you see that? I haven't seen anything about that.

Chaz

Probably because of this:

wait till windows 10 goes to a yearly rate..

I'm reading that as a "what if" statement (at this point in time).

 

[Techman]

With over a million people in the test base I am sure someone here is in it and has acess to all the stuff info,,,

however,, all the what if's will not change the fact that...

Yes, Windows 10 will be the last numbered version of the OS and going forward it will simply become a ‘Windows’ subscription service. This upsets those who don’t like the idea of a subscription service, but the biggest concern is this: while Windows 10 will seamlessly upgrade to ‘Windows’ – this is a new beginning. Your OS would evolve into a new product for which you have to pay.

Is this not plain enough???

 

[David Wright]

With over a million people in the test base I am sure someone here is in it and has acess to all the stuff info,,,

however,, all the what if's will not change the fact that...

Yes, Windows 10 will be the last numbered version of the OS and going forward it will simply become a ‘Windows’ subscription service. This upsets those who don’t like the idea of a subscription service, but the biggest concern is this: while Windows 10 will seamlessly upgrade to ‘Windows’ – this is a new beginning. Your OS would evolve into a new product for which you have to pay.

Is this not plain enough???

Crystal clear.

 

[AF]

Mac is always an option.

 

[Techman]

MAC is never an option.. Not an alternative. Its just another hammer. MAC softwares are going subscription too. Just a matter of time.

 

[amw]

For the 1st year you can upgrade your windows 7 and 8 (& 8.1) to windows 10 for free. After the first year they will start to charge to upgrade.
New PC's with windows 10 on them...you will have paid for windows when you bought the PC...no additional fees. You will also be able to buy a copy to put on a custom built PC, again you just buy it and don't pay for it again.

This is 2 of many sources, microsoft will not be charging yearly fees for windows 10.
http://www.winbeta.org/news/microso...after-initial-upgrade-no-yearly-fee-upgraders
http://www.pcgamer.com/microsoft-windows-10-will-not-be-sold-as-a-subscription/