! Attention Students !

[Fasttrack]

I know i'm not the only college student on here and i just thought i'd point out that you are eligible for a free software from Autodesk.

If you have a school email and if your school uses an autodesk product, you are eligible for a free license to autocad mechanical, inventor 11 professional, inventor 2008 professional, civil cad, electrical cad, and a variety of other software. Inventor is a really powerful 3d modeling program capable of 2d drafting as well. Really awsome software if you havent seen or used it before. Little tricky to learn, but well worth your time!

Have a good christmas break!


p.s. i just got mine and am working on figuring out how to use it!

[Alistair Hosie]

Have a nice Christmas laddie from Scotland and new year good luck regards Alistair

[DR]

I know i'm not the only college student on here and i just thought i'd point out that you are eligible for a free software from Autodesk.

If you have a school email and if your school uses an autodesk product, you are eligible for a free license to autocad mechanical, inventor 11 professional, inventor 2008 professional, civil cad, electrical cad, and a variety of other software. Inventor is a really powerful 3d modeling program capable of 2d drafting as well. Really awsome software if you havent seen or used it before. Little tricky to learn, but well worth your time!

Have a good christmas break!


p.s. i just got mine and am working on figuring out how to use it!

Yeah, and I bet it's got a time limit on it.

And, be aware you must be using it for education related stuff or the BSA (Business Software Alliance) will want to talk with you. Usage other than direct educational is considered software piracy.

[IOWOLF]

Screw the BSA , and I mean it. But I am sure there is a time limit.

[DR]

Screw the BSA , and I mean it. But I am sure there is a time limit.

Apparently that's how Jesse James (TV motorcycle guy) felt. They got him to the tune of around $35K.

BTW, have any of you guys running Windows installed that priority update which allows Microsoft to verify the authenticity of your loaded software?

Oh, Wolfie, good attitude on a broad sponored by a magazine that derives revenue from advertisers selling software.

[IOWOLF]

Thanx, I could care less How the sponsors get there revenue.

Or about Your Opinion of My attitude.

[KiloBravo]

I have not installed Microsoft GWA software. But, they keep sending it to me all the time with the other software patches. I plan on switching to Linux once they stop supporting XP.

[pcarpenter]

Thanx, I could care less How the sponsors get there revenue.

Uh....so you would be OK if a company that makes a legitimate product has to fold due to theft losses?

Do you make anything? The reason I ask is that I would presume that I ought to be able to drive to your place of employment and steal your stuff without retribution ....at least if you are consistent in whatever your reasoning is.

Paul

[IOWOLF]

Paul, what does what you quoted me as saying have anything to do with what you said,That is without going the longest way around to get there?

Sure, come steal my stuff, and you will get a Lead enema, that's a promise.

[pcarpenter]

You seemed to be implying (by saying "screw the BSA"and by indicating that you didn't care how sponsors --some of whom make their money selling software as was pointed out) that you thought stealing software was OK.

My point is that some seem to think its OK to steal software (the seller of the software gets to define the terms of its use) where stealing tanginble items is pretty well understood as genuine theft. I was trying to get you to understand that software is someone's product and is as important to them as things made by machinists...and that theft is costly either way.

Regarding the original topic....Autodesk has had a fairly generous policy for the last several decades. Even when they sold thier products to students at a reduced cost, the reduction was substantial when you consider the thousands that the stuff costs to buy at full price.

Paul

[tattoomike68]

As long as Autocad sells for $ 3,995 I say to hell with them.

They are the reason pirates just simply get it for $0.

[jkeyser14]

If a student actually uses the software, I'm sure they are learning new things from it all the time, so you could claim any use by a student is for educational purposes.

Anyway, the point of getting students to use the software is so that when they go find a job the companies with the software don't have to train them as extensively. This makes the companies more willing to purchase the software. Plus, everyone knows that students are broke and are the most likely candidates to pirate software.

[toastydeath]

BTW, have any of you guys running Windows installed that priority update which allows Microsoft to verify the authenticity of your loaded software?

That's why I never install a legitimate copy of Windows, even though I have legitimate licenses for it. Never had an install or WGA (the thing that verifies windows software) issue.

I always, always, always use the pirated copies of software I've legitimately bought. Especially computer games - I can't tell you how many times I've had a problem with crappy DRM on modern computer games. But ever since I switched to just pirating the copy the night before I go to buy the software, I haven't had an issue.

I'm not recommending others do it, since it's pretty clear cut under the DMCA that what I do is illegal.

[Stepside]

Another choice

While it is not free, consider Rhino as a CAD package. For students in any accredited school, High School, Trade school, Junior College or College the price is $195.00 for the $995.00 commercial product. This is a full commercial license without an expiration date or a yearly fee. It does not "watermark" your drawing and is upgradable when a new version is launched. It is a 3D modeling package that will produce a 2D drawing either from the model or by drawing it as a 2D drawing. It has line weights, linetypes and will render with lights and materials. If you have questions check out www.rhino3D.com

[pcarpenter]

Yeah....I understand why the average guy balks at $4k for software....we all *tend* to think of it as a bunch of stuff on a disk that we can copy in 5 minutes, so it must not be valuable.

On the other hand, a business that will use it as a very productive tool will get their $4k back out of it soon enough...and there is the freeware version for the rest of us. That same company might not have any problem spending $20k or $200k on a machine tool that is equally a part of thier doing business. Its just the rest of us who just want to piddle with it or will only get $20 worth of use out of it that have a hard time even considering paying that much. On the other hand, the rest of us don't spend $20k or $200k on a machine either....we satisfy ourselves with used machines (there's not really an eqivalent in software) or buy a cheaper product (there are several cheaper cad programs that will write out autocad drawing formats as well as the 2D version that is either cheap or free as I recall).

Paul