AKA why Macromedia are money grabbing bastards
I don`t often rant on here, and in fact don`t often post anything that isn`t a site update. But today I had to fork out a couple of hundred quid on a copy of Flash. Again.
I did a little bit of work in Flash that would have earned me a couple of quid; less than the cost of any version of Flash that didn`t come off the back of a lorry.
I bought Flash MX probably two years ago, on an educational licence, just to play with, and assumed that if anything commercial ever came of it, I would be able to upgrade my licence to allow for this.
Here`s what Macromedia had to say:
“Further to your query regarding an Upgrade form Educational License to a Commercial License. Unfortunately selleing your application created with an educational is no allowed. There are also no Upgrades available form educational versions.”
Absolutely ridiculous.
I didn`t want to sell something created with an educational licence. I tried to do the right thing and pay for a commerical licence.
They don`t seem to realise how easy it is to just steal the software off the net, and what am I paying for? I have the box, I have the CD, and I have the bloody manual. Would it really have been so difficult to pay for a new `commercial` serial number? I didn`t ask for a new manual, a new CD, or even a new cardboard box. I just wanted to pay for a commercial serial number.
Now I`m out of pocket, and will have a bookshelf with two frigging copies of Flash sitting on it.
Money grabbing bastards.
Update, 29/May/2005
Well I now have Flash, and can`t install the fucking thing on my desktop and laptop as it uses online registration. Is it any bloody wonder people steal this stuff?
