Design Software Giants Target the Unemployed

avishere writes "People are losing their jobs, but for some execs the economic meltdown seems like the perfect time to get their software into the hands of those who can't afford their multi-thousand-dollar price tags. Software giants Autodesk and SolidWorks have each latched onto the worst-economic-disaster-since-the-Great-Depression meme and released free versions of their flagship computer-aided-design brands before their potential users are forced to sell their laptops on Craigslist. 'In these uncertain economic times,' Autodesk coos sympathetically, it will give away temporary licenses of AutoCAD and other software to those unemployed in the fields of architecture, engineering, and design. (They are also developing a Mac version, two decades after abandoning the platform.) SolidWorks was quick to respond with its subtly titled Engineering Stimulus Package. So if anyone out there has their weekdays free, jumpstart your hardware and design projects for cheap. Legally, too."

how about that

[Anonymous Coward]

It's actually cost effective to freely distribute your software to people who want to learn it.

It's like someone figured out that someone will eventually pay for a license for software you are good at using.

Four words I am damn sick of hearing in sequence

[Tetsujin]

"These uncertain economic times"

I'm tired of hearing it. It's like the PR tool's qualifier for everything.

Smart Move

[Pearson]

This actually makes sense. The most important thing for a software company to be successful is to have people who know how to use their software. Which is why student prices and Learning Editions exist. And there have been reports that some laid off workers are starting their own companies, so getting your software into the hands of those people would be a smart move, too.

Re:Four words I am damn sick of hearing in sequenc

[Chabo]

No kidding.

Maybe if people stopped calling these "economic times" "uncertain", then they'd stabilize!

Bravo!

[N!NJA]

nothing like an economic meltdown to make Co's recognize the value of their most important asset: their current and potential customers.

Adobe

[future assassin]

Thats why Adobe is so popular. Piracy does build huge user bases and when the younger user base grows up they are already hooked on your brand and will buy a license eventually. Now I'm not saying that everyone will buy a license by quite a few will.

Re:What this really means

[mephistophyles]

That may be true for the architectural design side of things, but isn't really true for floorplans and is certainly far from true for the SolidWorks part of the story. SolidWorks is still the platform of choice in almost every Mechanical Engineering project I've gotten a glimpse of.

The thing however, and this applies to AutoCAD too in this case, these products are 3D CAD, not graphics software. The mindset to work in one is different to working in the other

Re:how about that

[palegray.net]

I still disagree with the time limits on the licenses. It's okay to watermark the creative output if someone hasn't purchased the product, but what in the hell is the point of stopping someone from using a "learning edition" product just because 90 days have passed?

Re:Four words I am damn sick of hearing in sequenc

[Chyeld]

You may have been marked as funny, but you do deserve a bit of insightful for that.

Perhaps not all of it, but a portion of the 'uncertainty' is due to the fact that everyone is certain that we are in 'uncertain' times. If we stopped pushing that down folks throats, then there might be less panic to keep things stired up.

Re:Glad to hear it

[dotancohen]

I'm impressed. Sounds like an easy hand out to potential customers. Smart, and effective I bet.

Not all Solidworks' customers want a hand out. I actually want to pay them for a full license for an Ubuntu port. But they'd rather hand them out to Windows users for free than take my money.

Re:What this really means

[adamchou]

I think this is incorrectly interpreting the motive of these companies. Its not because of fear of blender. If it was, they would give it away regardless of the economic situation. This is much more about marketing their product to people that are in a dire economic situation. Once they attain these loyal customers now, they'll continue to be loyal when the economy returns. Besides, there is some evidence [google.com] that during the great depression, it was the companies that continued to aggressively promote their brand and advertise that ultimately succeeded.

Re:Four words I am damn sick of hearing in sequenc

[phantomfive]

We know how often people typically default. We know how often they typically default during recessions. The only real unknown here is how many of those loans were given to people without documentation. How many of those loans were rated AAA when in reality there was no chance they would be repaid. If those questions are answered, we can return stability to the financial sector. Although it will probably be a stability at a point much lower than some people would like.

Re:Four words I am damn sick of hearing in sequenc

[phantomfive]

We know how often people typically default. We know how often they typically default during recessions. The only real unknown here is how many of those loans were given to people without verification of what they could pay. How many of those loans were rated AAA when in reality there was no chance of being repaid. If those questions are answered, we can return stability to the financial sector. Although it will probably be a stability at a point much lower than some people would like.

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