The Logic Behind License Renewal

H

Hendra Gunawan

Guest
Hi folks,
Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license annualy.
Can anyone give a good reason for this? I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license every
year, why is that?

Hendra
 
Actually.. in a few years all software will be on a one year license.. maybe
not the OS... but MS has already looked into subscription based licenses and
offers them to businesses.

But the theory behind it... good or bad... is that they have staff to pay...
and people want updates... and tech support ... so is a simple case of
supply and demand...
Xilina and Altera also have free versions so you can get the web pack and
pay nothing... Modelsim even have a free .. if limited version of their
simulator (for xilinx) so its a feast or famine.

It all comes down to who wants to pay and who complains the most. Altium
(Protel) tried to go subscription based... I was paying about $500 a year in
upgrades before that and I chose when to get the upgrade... the subscription
based was $1000 per year... the result as I think, as many a user also felt
by the mailing list, was that why bother? their last version, although it
has a few bugs (most well known) was extremely stable and very productive,
so we all told Altium that subscription = no more $$$$.. Altium in the end
backed down and you have a choice of $1000 per year and unlimited number of
updates and free next versions or just free service packs and $2000 for the
next revision (when you want it).

So the main reason they choose subscription is people want to pay them
subscriptions... or collectively (or individually) they have decide
everybody else does in our field... so we can. Lets face it.. its good for
business... who wants a customer who only pays you when they decide, its not
good for cashflow. Subscriptions keep banks and accountants happy and in
the end, ensure that the EDA companies keep turning out new bugs/updates on
a regular basis to keep you, the end user, happy.


"Hendra Gunawan" <u1000393@email.sjsu.edu> wrote in message
news:c4lbpk$6igo9$1@hades.csu.net...
Hi folks,
Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license annualy.
Can anyone give a good reason for this? I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it
once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license every
year, why is that?

Hendra
Click to expand...
 
Hendra Gunawan wrote:
Hi folks,
Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license annualy.
Can anyone give a good reason for this? I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license every
year, why is that?
Click to expand...

Not really.
I was told the purchased full version of Quartus runs forever.
It then doesn't support the latest chips though.

Rene
--
Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com
& commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net
 
"none" <none@none.net> wrote in message
news:406f12d7$0$709$5402220f@news.sunrise.ch...
Hendra Gunawan wrote:
........>>> I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it
once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license
every
year, why is that?


Not really.
I was told the purchased full version of Quartus runs forever.
It then doesn't support the latest chips though.

Rene
--
Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com
& commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net
Click to expand...
Rene is correct. The full version of Quartus received when an annual
subscription is purchased, will run forever, with the license provided at
the time of the subscription purchase. You do NOT have to renew your
license annually to use the version of Quartus that you received as part of
the subscription.

For example, lets say you purchased an annual subscription for Quartus in
February 2004. Your license file will contain an entry 2005.02. What this
means that you will be able to use any version of Quartus released before
and including February 2005 for as long as you please. This includes the
versions of Quartus to be released between now and February 2005, Quartus II
4.0, 4.0 SP1, Quartus II 3.0, Quartus II 2.2, ....

Purchasing an annual subscription provides access to new versions of Quartus
during the subscription period. These new versions of Quartus provides
support for the new device families introduced when the subscription is in
effect, in addition to the improvements in the software.

- Subroto Datta
Altera Corp.
 
Ha, I think you know the answer. The issue isn't "logic", it's what
maximizes revenue and what the market will bear. Software vendors also like
the financial model, because it's easier to predict revenues and they are
less bursty and dependent upon revisions. Stockholders don't like to be
surprised from quarter to quarter.

In some cases it makes sense for the customer. Old versions of Synplify
aren't much good if they only support Xilinx 4000-series chips. In other
cases, the customer doesn't neet an update. For example, for most people,
the 1997 version of Microsoft Excel is just as good as the newest version.
They don't need updates. However, Microsoft would like to get annual
revenue for it, so they are making businesses get subscriptions and they
have leverage because they have a monopoly. Another thing they do it make
it obsolete by making the new versions incompatible, so when you get a
spreadsheet from a new customer you can't look at it in Excel '97. So in
some cases the obsolescence is manufactured, while in others it is created
by other market forces (like Spartan-XL becoming obsolete).
-Kevin

"Hendra Gunawan" <u1000393@email.sjsu.edu> wrote in message
news:c4lbpk$6igo9$1@hades.csu.net...
Hi folks,
Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license annualy.
Can anyone give a good reason for this? I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it
once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license every
year, why is that?

Hendra
Click to expand...
 
Subroto Datta wrote:

<snip>
Not really.
I was told the purchased full version of Quartus runs forever.
It then doesn't support the latest chips though.

Rene

Rene is correct. The full version of Quartus received when an annual
subscription is purchased, will run forever, with the license provided at
the time of the subscription purchase. You do NOT have to renew your
license annually to use the version of Quartus that you received as part of
the subscription.

For example, lets say you purchased an annual subscription for Quartus in
February 2004. Your license file will contain an entry 2005.02. What this
means that you will be able to use any version of Quartus released before
and including February 2005 for as long as you please. This includes the
versions of Quartus to be released between now and February 2005, Quartus II
4.0, 4.0 SP1, Quartus II 3.0, Quartus II 2.2, ....
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Timed licenses have many pitfalls.
One is version control - suppose you archive your source, _and_ the
tools ( as many do, on passing into production), then 3-4 years later
a fix/rev comes along, and suddenly the tools you thought were archived,
are useless....
Another is the tutor who arrives for the CPLD LAB, only to find that
since last year, the SW has timed out, and he has to scramble to find
someone who knows how to get & fix the license whilst the students
[twiddle their thumbs / study diligently / riot ] <= select appropriate.

Q: Do Altera have a web-stub that has the 'museum versions' of their SW,
as I see more companies doing. It is not unique to hear -
'Gee, this code does not fit on the new version..'

-jg
 
In article <406e46d6@news.actrix.gen.nz>, Simon Peacock wrote:
Actually.. in a few years all software will be on a one year license..
^^^
Click to expand...
Well, perhaps all non-free software.

- Larry
 
"Hendra Gunawan" <u1000393@email.sjsu.edu> writes:

Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license annualy.
Click to expand...
They don't require you to do that. You just don't get support and
upgrades if you don't have a maintenance contract. You can e.g.
contact Synopsys and tell them that you will cancel you maintenance
contract. You will get a new license file that is valid "forever"
(it's typically 20 years or so). However, you will not receive support
or free upgrades of the software. If you want to continue your
maintenance contract you will have to pay for the missing period and
possibly some extra fee as well. Check with your vendors to get the
figures.

It can be somewhat difficult to operate a tool chain without a
maintenance contract since your next design will use the Virtex VII
(and you're using the old ISE 6.4SP11), or your just purchases IP
block uses features found in Verilog 2005 (and you have a Verilog 2001
based simulator), etc...

Petter
--
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?
 
A. Because Jeopardy is my favorite game show.
Q. Why doesn't top posting both me?

--
Greg
readgc.invalid@hotmail.com.invalid
(Remove the '.invalid' twice to send Email)


"Petter Gustad" <newsmailcomp6@gustad.com> wrote in message
news:87fzbkdku9.fsf@zener.home.gustad.com...
Petter
--
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?
Click to expand...
 
Jim Granville wrote:
Subroto Datta wrote:

snip

Not really.
I was told the purchased full version of Quartus runs forever.
It then doesn't support the latest chips though.

Rene


Rene is correct. The full version of Quartus received when an annual
subscription is purchased, will run forever, with the license provided at
the time of the subscription purchase. You do NOT have to renew your
license annually to use the version of Quartus that you received as
part of
the subscription.

For example, lets say you purchased an annual subscription for Quartus in
February 2004. Your license file will contain an entry 2005.02. What this
means that you will be able to use any version of Quartus released before
and including February 2005 for as long as you please. This includes the
versions of Quartus to be released between now and February 2005,
Quartus II
4.0, 4.0 SP1, Quartus II 3.0, Quartus II 2.2, ....


Sounds good. Timed licenses have many pitfalls.
One is version control - suppose you archive your source, _and_ the
tools ( as many do, on passing into production), then 3-4 years later
a fix/rev comes along, and suddenly the tools you thought were archived,
are useless....
Another is the tutor who arrives for the CPLD LAB, only to find that
since last year, the SW has timed out, and he has to scramble to find
someone who knows how to get & fix the license whilst the students
[twiddle their thumbs / study diligently / riot ] <= select appropriate.
Click to expand...
The reason for the timed licenses it to convince the user to get a
full version. After happily using the free web version for several
years, I felt compelled to get a full version just for being able
to support past projects. As you said, I may have to support a
project ten years later. Then I'll have to get an old machine,
install the old version of Quartus, and rework the project.
It may be for a then popular chip series, not supported any longer.
Sure, I could turn back the clock of the old PC ...

It is a pity the ownership of an older version is not really honored.
The discount for a new version runs out together with the current version.

Rene
--
Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com
& commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net
 
Simon Peacock wrote:

Actually.. in a few years all software will be on a one year license.. maybe
not the OS... but MS has already looked into subscription based licenses and
offers them to businesses.

But the theory behind it... good or bad... is that they have staff to pay...
and people want updates... and tech support ... so is a simple case of
supply and demand...
Xilina and Altera also have free versions so you can get the web pack and
pay nothing... Modelsim even have a free .. if limited version of their
simulator (for xilinx) so its a feast or famine.

It all comes down to who wants to pay and who complains the most. Altium
(Protel) tried to go subscription based... I was paying about $500 a year in
upgrades before that and I chose when to get the upgrade... the subscription
based was $1000 per year... the result as I think, as many a user also felt
by the mailing list, was that why bother? their last version, although it
has a few bugs (most well known) was extremely stable and very productive,
so we all told Altium that subscription = no more $$$$.. Altium in the end
backed down and you have a choice of $1000 per year and unlimited number of
updates and free next versions or just free service packs and $2000 for the
next revision (when you want it).
Click to expand...
The subscription of Altium would possibly have worked under different
conditions. They didn't have a track of successful support.
Meaning they have local distributors with a certain staff. I tried to
call them a few times in the past. Their gurus were holding classes,
sure, they cannot sit around and for my call. I favour the newsgroups,
or newlist approach as you mostly find someone with the knowlewdge.
As opposed to the employed experts, they don't do projects (anymore).
The newsgroups/list are free and therefore no reson for a subscribtion.
Then the product delivered together with the subscription was hmm,
buggy. I got a call from Altium last september, whether I wished to
continue the till now included subscription. The lady appeared quite
shocked when I told her that I once installed DXP but never got to
use it.
The new version DXP2004 is useable, I'm still exploring.

Rene
--
Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com
& commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net
 
none wrote:

Hendra Gunawan wrote:

Hi folks,
Most companies that sell EDA tools, such as Xilinx, Altera, Synopsys,
Synplicity, Model Technology etc require you to renew the license
annualy.
Can anyone give a good reason for this? I mean, other very expensive
software, such as Microsoft Office Professional, I can just install it
once
and it will run forever. With EDA tools, I have to renew the license
every
year, why is that?



Not really.
I was told the purchased full version of Quartus runs forever.
It then doesn't support the latest chips though.

Rene
Click to expand...
I'm fairly certain this is true of Xilinx ISE as well, although I could
be wrong. I don't even think I have a license file, just an activation
code when I first install it.

--
Pierre-Olivier

-- to email me directly, remove all _N0SP4M_ from my address --
 
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