Last week, we released a new version of NuGram IDE. In addition to supporting UTF-16 and UTF-8 with byte-order mark (BOM), the free Basic Edition also comes with a new licensing scheme.
Was does this mean for you? Well, simply that you will have to request a new license file every 90 days. The installation process is fairly simple:
- You install NuGram IDE as before, by adding http://nugram.nuecho.com/update-site to your Eclipse update sites.
- You request a new license file from our web site. You will then receive an email containing a link to the license file.
- You follow the link and save the downloaded document to a file in the $HOME/nuecho directory (this can be changed in the Eclipse preferences).
It’s as simple as that. And we have an automatic process that will remind you by email to renew your license (steps 2 and 3) just a few days before its expiration.
The rationale
You may wonder why we decided to change the licensing scheme. Downloading and installing the Basic Edition was much more straightforward before. And as a user of free software myself, I don’t like complicated registration processes. I’m usually turned off when I need to enter lots of personal information, I often simply go away.
Then why? NuGram IDE is a relatively specialized tool, but we get downloads at a surprising rate. However, we don’t really know how many people or organizations use it on a regular basic. Do they simply take a look at it and uninstall it? Do they use it only once a year, for a very punctual task? The problem lies in the way the software is obtained (by means of an Eclipse update site). By asking our users to request a new license at a regular interval, we hope to better know our user base. We do think that the free edition of NuGram IDE is a software with real value and it’s not too much asking in return.
Of course, if you don’t like the idea of updating your license every 90 days, you can still buy the Professional Edition and not be annoyed anymore…
