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New eagle licensing -> goodbye Eagle

SpacedCowboy

So, I've used Eagle now for over 10 years. In all that time I've always upgraded to the latest version, but that's just stopped.

 

I have multiple computers, and I use multiple locations. I've always only ever used one instance of Eagle at a time, and I've never given the license details to anyone else. Unfortunately, the latest way in which Eagle is licensed is way too restrictive for me to work with the product as I have done for over a decade now.

 

The problem is two-fold:

  • You are only allowed to install on 2 (which is pitiful!) computers if you have a single user license.
  • You cannot use a flexlm-based license for a single-user license.

 

The combination of those two things means I can't duplicate the setup I currently have, so this is the classic example of how proprietary software owners can screw you over without you having any recompense or workaround, despite you being a paying and loyal customer for an extended period of time. I don't consider cracking the software to be an adequate workaround.

 

So, if I'm going to have to spend $$$ in the thousands, I'll take a good look at the competition first, and even at the freebies like kikad. Eagle has major shortcomings anyway - no "bus routing" and the differential pair support is poor at best. I think, with this decision, cadsoft couldn't have done more to help along the freebies, and lose the people who might some day splash the cash and go for the pro option.

 

A primary rule for any software "upgrade" is "don't break the existing workflows". Eagle v7 is completely useless to me, not because of its feature-set, not because of any price issues, but because the management is being pants-on-head moronic about how it goes about licensing. Licensing, of all things.

 

Very disappointed.

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    While I am just a hobbyist now (with the hobby license) since I retired, I

    still work with lots of folks that want to know what design software I

    like.  I think I am going to stay with version 6 (no, I have not "loaned"

    my license to anybody or installed it on more that one machine (does having

    it installed on the same machine twice - once for XP and once for Win7

    (dual boot) count as 2 machines?).  Looks like V6 for me.  One of the big

    problems lots of companies run into is they spend so much time trying to

    block the pirates (who will find a way around anyway), that all they do is

    irritate the legitimate users who are actually paying them money.

     

    mikey

     

    --

    Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

     

  • in reply to anweid

    On 21/07/14 22:18, Andreas Weidner wrote:

    Only AFTER CadSoft threw away the dongle (was it version 3.5?) did we

    start buying licenses with MORE than one seat (yes, with the possibility

    to copy illegaly, we PAID for more seats - probably because I'm stupid).

    Otherwise, we would have needed to always mount/unmount dongles for use

    with the other PCs of the same user (mainly office/lab at that time),

    which nobody wanted to do.

     

    I've worked at places where the IT policies are written along the lines of:

      

    • For unprotected software, there must be enough licences to cover

    the machines the software is installed on (even if it's an

    N-concurrent-users license, they go by machines).

      

    • Compliance of this is strictly controlled (IT keep the install CD,

    logs are kept of installs and uninstalls, and generally it's a ton of

    paperwork).

      

    • Dongles are allowed for single-user licenses, the software goes on

    the "anyone can install it" list, on the basis that the dongles limit

    the number of concurrent users to that which was licensed.

      

    • Floating licenses are to be used where not cost prohibitive but a

    trial license must be obtained to allow IT to check that the license

    server software doesn't conflict with the other license servers.

     

    According to an IT manager at a former employer, it's so that if a

    disgruntled employee reports the company to the BSA or FAST for a

    license audit (whether true or false), they can wave the licenses at

    them and say "nope, we can't possibly be in non-compliance, now please

    go away!"

     

     

    So in short, it's a CYA measure: "We have five machines but likely only

    one in use at a time, but we'd better get licenses for all five just in

    case more than one is in use and we accidentally violate the licence."

     

     

    --

    Phil.

    philpem@philpem.me.uk

    http://www.philpem.me.uk/

     

  • in reply to autodeskguest

    On 7/22/2014 10:57 PM, Joern Paschedag wrote:

    Am 23.07.2014 00:17, schrieb Matt Compton:

    When installing version 7 under MacOS, the CadSoft installer indeed

    deletes all working files in the old 6.6 directory. Looks like my quick

    checkout of the new version didn't go quite as planned. Time to scramble

    and try to restore my previous version from backup.

     

    This is NOT a MacOS problem, it is a Cadsoft installer problem and one

    that needs to be fixed pronto.

     

    --

    To view any images and attachments in this post, visit:

    http://www.element14.com/community/message/121457

     

     

    Thanks Matt for this clear information.

     

    Hi Guys,

     

    I will report this, if it is an installer issue it's not intentional.

    Otherwise we would have all of the other installers (Windows and Linux)

    doing the same thing, which of course would be very bad. I'll

    let you know what response I receive from the devs.

     

    Best Regards,

    Jorge Garcia

     

     

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Am 23.07.2014 00:17, schrieb Matt Compton:

    When installing version 7 under MacOS, the CadSoft installer indeed

    deletes all working files in the old 6.6 directory. Looks like my quick

    checkout of the new version didn't go quite as planned. Time to scramble

    and try to restore my previous version from backup.

     

    This is NOT a MacOS problem, it is a Cadsoft installer problem and one

    that needs to be fixed pronto.

     

    --

    To view any images and attachments in this post, visit:

    http://www.element14.com/community/message/121457

     

     

    Thanks Matt for this clear information.

     

    --

    Mit freundlichen Grüßen / With best regards

     

    Joern Paschedag

     

  • in reply to autodeskguest

    When installing version 7 under MacOS, the CadSoft installer indeed deletes all working files in the old 6.6 directory. Looks like my quick checkout of the new version didn't go quite as planned. Time to scramble and try to restore my previous version from backup.

     

    This is NOT a MacOS problem, it is a Cadsoft installer problem and one that needs to be fixed pronto.

  • in reply to autodeskguest

     

    For me the best protection was the method used from 3.x to 5.x - the

    editors serial stored in the file.

     

     

    That was really a great, simple and really efficient. Work done with Cr..ed version of eagle was simply corrupted, and could not be used.

  • in reply to autodeskguest

    Hello Olin,

     

    > The more I hear, the more this sounds like the beginning of the end.

    I have a lot invested in Eagle, but now that seems like a liability.  With

    the obnoxios license structure and the future of Eagle itself now in

    question, it's time to look around to see what else is out there.

     

     

    I agree with you .... unfortunately.

     

    And regarding cr...s - I am quite sure the cr...ed versions will be

    "available" soon, similar like for other software. A lot of software

    based on hardware-Id got the "k..gen" and ...

     

    For me the best protection was the method used from 3.x to 5.x - the

    editors serial stored in the file.

     

    Best regards

    --

    Grzegorz Zalot

     

    complex ltd.

    office tel/fax : +48 32 2505840

    mobil : +48 501 301515

     

    http://www.complex.org.pl/

     

  • in reply to autodeskguest

    Am 21.07.2014 21:17, schrieb Jorge Garcia:

    On 7/21/2014 3:13 AM, Joern Paschedag wrote:

    Am 19.07.2014 22:28, schrieb patweston:

     

    snip

     

    What really irks me is that installing 7.0.0 removed previous versions,

     

    Can someone confirm that??

     

    And what about a Cadsoft statement regarding it?

     

     

    My guess here is that patweston is using a Mac. For some reason, I can't

    comprehend like many things, the MacOS automatically uninstalls previous

    versions of software when you install a new one. I'm not a hard core Mac

    user, and someone more experienced than me can correct me on that but

    that has been my experience.

     

    EAGLE never automatically uninstalls by design.

     

    hth,

    Jorge Garcia

     

    At least not until now?

     

    Thanks for your answer Jorge.

    From being a long time user I know that eagle has sometimes problems

    with  Mac.

    Perhaps I should have mentioned that I am a win user (although if this

    problem exist it concerns all eagle users) and maybe I hear some more

    statements.

     

     

    --

    Mit freundlichen Grüßen / With best regards

     

    Joern Paschedag

     

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    Am 19.07.2014 14:24, schrieb Michael Kellett:

    In my experience dongles fail a lot less often than computers.

     

    Yes. Lots of years ago, CadSoft DID use dongles (I think I remember

    version 2.1 in the circuit board lab at University). These were then

    cracked by 'The Electric Force Hamburg' (I think they were called), and

    due to some clever crack detection tricks from CadSoft, the company even

    found its way into some rather amusing press releases (amusing to me, at

    least).

     

    At my institute, I started working with EAGLE 3 (I think), using a

    dongle connected in series to AutoCAD's dongle. I darkly remember always

    having to switch on the printer before starting EAGLE or AutoCAD,

    because otherwise, one of them would complain about 'dongle not found'...

     

    Only AFTER CadSoft threw away the dongle (was it version 3.5?) did we

    start buying licenses with MORE than one seat (yes, with the possibility

    to copy illegaly, we PAID for more seats - probably because I'm stupid).

    Otherwise, we would have needed to always mount/unmount dongles for use

    with the other PCs of the same user (mainly office/lab at that time),

    which nobody wanted to do.

     

    Andreas Weidner

     

  • in reply to autodeskguest

    CadSoft Guest wrote:

     

    On 7/21/2014 3:13 AM, Joern Paschedag wrote:

    Am 19.07.2014 22:28, schrieb patweston:

     

    snip

     

    What really irks me is that installing 7.0.0 removed previous versions,

     

    Can someone confirm that??

     

    And what about a Cadsoft statement regarding it?

     

     

    My guess here is that patweston is using a Mac. For some reason, I can't

    comprehend like many things, the MacOS automatically uninstalls previous

    versions of software when you install a new one. I'm not a hard core Mac

    user, and someone more experienced than me can correct me on that but

    that has been my experience.

     

     

    It's just another screw-up on Cadsoft's part. The Mac (like any computer) only does what the software engineer tells it to. If your installer deletes old versions, it's not a "Mac" thing, it's a decision taken by the software engineer who wrote that software.

     

    FYI, I have a Mac with

     

    simon% ls -dl /Applications/EAGLE*

    drwxr-xr-x  15 simon  admin  510 Oct 13  2011 /Applications/EAGLE

    drwxr-xr-x  14 simon  admin  476 Jun  6  2012 /Applications/EAGLE-6.1.0

    drwxrwxr-x  12 simon  admin  408 Oct  9  2012 /Applications/EAGLE-6.2.0

    drwxrwxr-x   6 simon  admin  204 Aug 13  2013 /Applications/EAGLE-6.3.0

    drwxr-xr-x  14 simon  admin  476 Dec 16  2013 /Applications/EAGLE-6.5.0

     

    Clearly, each installation takes place in its own directory in /Applications. I haven't installed v7 because I've no intention of buying it - the brain-dead licensing being the sole reason.

     

    Simon.