Why and what license is needed?

I want to talk about what types of licenses for my software offers Intel, what difficulties arise with them, and express my personal opinion on this matter.

The set of rules by which software can be used is compiled in one document, which is called the End Software License Agreement for Intel Software Development Products , abbreviated EULA, and is available here . As is customary in the legal environment, everything is written there in such a way as to confuse the readers, uninitiated in the specifics of terminology, as much as possible. So the general advice for those who need accurate answers to very specific licensing questions is to contact lawyers. I want to briefly describe the licensing model that Intel has been using for a long time for its “Software Development Products”. These include, in particular, compilers, the VTune profiler, tools for checking the correctness of the code, the library, and many other software designed to facilitate the work of developers.

In contrast to the legal language, I will try to formulate all the terms very clearly and clearly, although there are a lot of things mixed in here. So, the model is that the user, sooner or later, must acquire at least one commercial license for the product. After that, he will be able to use this product indefinitely, that is, Intel has no restrictions on usage time. Just for example. Suppose we need a compiler for commercial use, and we have purchased a license (unless I deliberately tell which one). The license corresponds to a unique serial number that looks like a set of characters (letters and numbers), in this form: XXXX-XXXXXXXX. Formally, it is for them that money is paid.
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Classically, the license gives the right to download the latest version of the installation package from the Registration Center , and use it until you get bored. But you can only use commercial support on the Premier Support website for 1 year (the usual license period), and from the date of purchase. An interesting fact, due to the fact that earlier the “clock ticked” from the moment of registration of the license. So, on 1.1.2014 we bought a license and until 1.1.2015 we can enjoy all the pleasures of support - “ask smart questions, get smart answers on them”. In addition, we can download the latest product updates. There was a new update on the compiler, and you immediately put it. But all this is up to 1.1.2015. Then we can safely do nothing, and use to the end of the centuries the latest version available until 1.1.2015, or attend to the issue of license renewal, and this can be done both before 1.1.2015 and after (but no later than a year). If we decide to update the license before 2015, we will get a discount. A kind of stimulation does not delay with this matter. By the way, the date will be extended for exactly 1 year, so even if you purchase an extension of 1.5.2015, the main license will only last until 1.1.2016.

So, sort of figured out what the license gives us and how long it usually serves.
The following is a description of the types of licenses, to whom this is not very interesting, can safely skip and go to my personal thoughts about this.

In license types, the whole assortment:

Evaluation
The license, which gives free access to the product, and it has no functional limitations. That is, everything works, as in the full, commercial version. One “but” is time for action. This license allows you to safely try the product up to 30 days. Then you will see a message, say from the compiler, that it would be nice to get another license.
How does all this work? You go to the Intel Software Evaluation Center website, select the software you need and get a license. It is worth noting that the binding goes to your mail.
I will not say anything more in detail about this, but I think that every sharp-witted person, of whom in our great country (and not only), has a sufficient amount, understands all the advantages.

Further, when you install the product, you can choose several paths, one of them is to enter the received serial number and complete the installation process. For this method, you will need to connect to the network, because the installer will download the license file corresponding to your serial number, and it will be stored locally on your machine. Every time you call the compiler, this file will be checked. Thus, after 30 days you will successfully complete the free use of the product, and “mature” to the next step - the purchase of a full license.

Single-user
One of the most common licenses. This is a commercial license (gives the right to use the product for commercial purposes), "sharpened" under a single developer.
That is, it was bought for one person, he put the product on the home laptop, at the workstation, from the uncle and from the aunt - all this is allowed under this license. But he can only use it alone in a unit of time. Came home - work, come to work - work ... work everywhere!

Noncommercial-use
An interesting license, giving the right to real enthusiasts to use the products for free, but without monetary compensation in any form. Commercial use is prohibited. Well, it acts only on products under Linux. You can find everything you need on this page .

Pre-release
She's a Beta license. As well as Evaluation license, is temporary. Usually, each product passes the beta testing stage before the official release; it is for him that Intel provides such licenses. As part of the beta program, we expect to receive a valuable feedback from the developers on the work of the product, and they, in turn, have other goodies, such as discounts.

Node-locked
A very rare type of license is now, I didn’t even want to say anything about it, but I’ll say a few words for the order. The product can be installed on one machine, and it can be used by a predetermined number of developers. There is also the opportunity to purchase a time-limited license, but this is pure, pure "exotic". Honestly, I almost never met such licenses.

Floating
As well as the Single license, one and the most often met. In essence, it gives you the opportunity to create a server configuration. You install a server that will distribute licenses, and any number of clients that each time you call a product (for example, an attempt to compile), take one license from the server.
It is clear that the MAC address and the name of the host on which the server will be running, and the number of concurrent clients (in fact, licenses) are written in the license file itself.
Let's say we purchased a Floating license for 5 seats (clients), let's say for the Parallel Studio XE toolkit. Configured the server, it works and waits for connections. The license will only work on the server registered in it, and this is important. On the client side, that is, where we directly have Parallel Studio XE or its components, it also registers where to “go” for a license. We wanted to run a compiler - a request to the server, checked if there is a license there. Yes, everything is fine, reduce the number of available licenses by 1 and allow compilation. At the same time, another developer can run the same compiler, profiler, or other component (there are 4 of them, you can read here , for example). But during its operation, the number of available licenses will also decrease by one. And so on, until we either “come to rest” in the limit of licenses, or someone finishes the job and returns it back.

The set of available products is written explicitly in the license file. Thus, a single license can give access to both the compiler, and the profiler, and to individual functions that can be written into the file. Actually, the entire license solution uses FLEXNet technology.

By the way, it is interesting that licenses are also divided according to where they are used. There are no restrictions on the functionality.
Of the most common - commercial, academic, student. Usually, academic licenses are granted to educational institutions, and with a very substantial discount. That is, the university can acquire an academic floating license, and use the server configuration. And yet ... you can buy licenses both for whole packages of funds (Parallel Studio XE, for example), and for individual components (compiler, profiler, and so on). It so happened that if you need at least two funds, it is more profitable to take the entire package.

Wow ... everything seems to be with license types. Now on the issue, which, I think, is already obvious. All this is very difficult to explain quickly and without difficulty (by the way, I myself doubt that I did it) for people who want to buy software. And how many questions arise? And now let's imagine what it means to configure the server and make the whole thing work, on different architectures with proxy servers? And if there are not one licenses, but many, for different products, and yet another server should distribute them all?

The list of problems is quite impressive, you can simply go to the support page for problems with licenses and the forum . By the way, support on the forum is absolutely free for all products.

So, for a long time the thought has not left me, and this is my personal, private opinion that there is too much of something with licenses here. Well, judge for yourself - Intel provides the means for the developers of the software itself. If these developers are solid organizations that create serious software, then they are unlikely to try to play with the law, given the possible consequences. Wouldn't it be easier to cancel all these clever schemes, and just ask for money for support? For what, in fact, the majority and pay. And there are “holes” for illegal use now, and, I think, many of them know, well, or guess. But how many unnecessary problems with the installation and configuration of the software was resolved. Of course, the question is rhetorical in some way, but for such a narrow-profile toolkit, I think it is worth thinking about it. What do you think?