As much as Autodesk likes to throw around words like "obit" and "three-year cycle", older releases of AutoCAD are not dead. No need to panic about upgrading AutoCAD 2004 next year on March 15, or rushing into buying a single-year subscription.
Autodesk continues to offer substantial discounts on old software, going all the way back to Release 14. For example, until July 31 (which, by no coincidence, marks the end of Autodesk's fiscal Q2), you can get 40% off an upgrade to AutoCAD 2007 -- a savings of US$1,400. As a R14 user, skipping the cost of six upgrades is just about worth it!
(Reminds me of my time in university, when I never paid for parking in Vancouver. My car eventually got towed to the impound lot, but I figure I came out even in the end.)
After July 31, the discount gets reduced, so the savings diminish. It's up to AutoCAD 2000 users if they want to gamble that the 45% discount becomes available again a year from now.
Save a further $200 if you also buy a one-year subscription, but I don't know if that's worth it, because the sub costs $420. OTOH, it means you get the next upgrade for $220.
Saving money by using outdated software is false economy. There is a vast difference between R14 and 2007. To me, increased productivity and capabilities are worth far more than saving a few bucks by delaying upgrades. Already, I wouldn't want to go back to 2006 much less R14.
Posted by: John StJohn | Apr 24, 2006 at 09:21 PM