Re: Another point about Mathematica 8.0
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg116549] Re: Another point about Mathematica 8.0
- From: "Hans Michel" <hmichel at cox.net>
- Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2011 05:13:45 -0500 (EST)
AES: Please see on your own institution's website that sells academic software. http://acomp.stanford.edu/software http://www.stanford.edu/services/techtraining/techexpress/media/software_lic ensing2.ppt https://www.stanford.edu/group/bookstore/SUprices/softwarecart.html The home edition model came out of faculty working at different hours of the day can complete their work by purchasing a cheaper "home edition" with some vague licensing terms. Businesses want people to use their software. Same model holds for developers version of software. They license it to you in hopes that you develop software and when or if your project takes-off you did not have to plopped down a lot of money. But when you do publish (sell) your application you should make certain that your application is compliant to any licensing issues. Nonprofit (not-for-profit? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonprofit_organization) organizations are allowed to make money. Just stipulation on routing that profit. So if you moonlight for a nonprofit and they are a client who is to say they could not pay you $2000 for your newsletter work? You are in a boundary value problem. Home Edition with one client. At which point should licensing agreements be enforced, Home Edition X client? Solve for X. Most people who have gray area issues solve it by doing what is best for them, they don't usually try to change the rules. Is it breaking is it bending the rules, call it what you want. Your own institution sells academic "home version" of QuarkExpress a DTP software. I believe that their intent is for you to do work related to school, say if you are taking a graphics class, not for you to have 20 clients, but because you got the "home edition" at a lower rate should not matter. The assumption is when you get successful at using the application and you have some money coming in you will be a full customer of said DTP software maker. There are free DTP software out there that would allow one to write a family newsletter, one would not have to use Quark. I brought Mathematica at student discount >20 years ago. When I graduated I switch the license to the full version, paid the upgrade price. I have worked in places that offer the home edition, but I have always maintained my licensed copy. If you are saying that the home edition model that WRI has adopted for hobbyist, not affiliated with any institution to reduce the introductory price of the software for the occasional user, is wrong. Then say that. What model would you propose? Any business or expert should be willing to listen to advice, but they don't have to take it or give you access to their time. Hans -----Original Message----- From: AES [mailto:siegman at stanford.edu] Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 3:37 AM To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net Subject: [mg116549] [mg116536] Re: Another point about Mathematica 8.0 Can anyone (Wolfram employees in particular) point me to any other consumer software product that requires purchasers to promise to limit the tasks that they will perform using the standard, built-in, non-crippled capabilities of the software? (Tasks that the software is designed and intended to do; and a promise that is legally binding, and can, at least in theory, be legally enforced and lead to penalties.) I'm not talking about limitations as to what machine, or how many machines, the software will be used on; or on how many users or how copies of the software can be active simultaneously; or limitations the product itself imposes on how large generated files sizes can be, or how many items can be entered into a database, or the like. And I'm not talking restrictions your employer may put on a machine and associated software that the employer has purchased and owns. I'm talking about a "home edition" of a spreadsheet that a school teacher can use to keep track of his/her personal finances and Christmas card list, but has to promise not to use it to the keep the books and prepare the budgets of a nonprofit for which one is the elected treasurer, and not to keep the homework and exam grades for the classes in the school where one works. Or a "home edition" of a word processor that one can use to write letters to Aunt Minnie, but has to promise not to use it to write reports for the same nonprofit, or business plans for the firm where one works. Or a "home edition" of a desktop publishing program that one can use to do your own family newsletter at Christmas, but has to make a legally binding promise not to use this software for the nonprofit's newsletter or your employer's annual report (or a prospectus and other work products for your half-time freelance consulting business). Anyone know of any retail personal-computer software that requires anything like this? (Direct quotes or relevant URLs, please)