Commenting Readers Run Amok about eBay Seller’s Autodesk Lawsuit
The story of the eBay seller who is taking Autodesk to federal court seems to have touched a raw nerve. Over at AECnews, (which published the first news) the comments are coming in fast and furious.
Timothy S. Vernor v. Autodesk
The comments range from support for Autodesk to the bold suggestion that people should use pirated software.
Another unlicensed AutoCAD user.
Most readers who reply seem to be venting pent-up frustration. One points out that a $4,000 copy of AutoCAD has cost his engineering firm $40,000 over the years, when you add up all the upgrades, third-party software, training and support.
Autodesk may be the 2D standard, but no one can accuse it of winning awards for user-friendly licensing agreements. Perhaps Vernor is doing a public service in bringing such frustrations to a US District Court.
If you want to hear from Don Quixote himself, CADCAMNETtv will have an interview with Vernor in its next edition, which goes live Monday, September 17. You’ll hear him say, “I have no fear of Autodesk because I am right.” You can tell he’s never tried to re-order a drawing to plot faster.
UPDATE: No wonder the AECnews server can boil water today -- Slashdot, TechDirt, BoingBoing and other tech news sites have all linked to the original AECnews piece. The PR team at Autodesk is probably combing through their Rolodex for a hit man even as we speak.
