slash.dot Comments on CAD Software for the Unemployed

avishere of Design Engineering magazine posted the story on slash.dot of Autodesk and SolidWorks who...

...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.

The slash.dot crowd makes these observations:

• These software firms are worried the unemployed will turn to free CAD software.

• "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."

• "...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..."

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

• "And there have been reports that some laid off workers are starting their own companies..."

Unthinkable that people should start their own companies! From where will mega-corporations get the employees they need when everyone if off doing their own thing? 

Comments

[AutoCAD Alternative Indeed!]

Got my own response here: http://cadcam3d.blogspot.com/2009/04/free-autocad-hoax.html

(sites your blog BTW, many thanks for the timely updates!)

[Perry]

Why not start your own company.?
In NJ after you use up Obomia's unemployment extension money you can get a state grant to start your own company. You can pay yourslef a salary with the grant money.
America is great. I realize I can not even spell the president's name!
This is better than LBJ's great society.

[Earl Kubaskie]

"Their own company" won't last long using the "free" software.

The first client that ends up with their drawings infested with the education version's watermark will be their last client.

[Matt Stachoni]

BTW, it's "Slashdot," not "slash.dot," which aside from just looking a bit odd, is completely redundant.