I've been seriously considering buying the full Macromedia (or, correctly, Adobe) Studio 8 package. I've noticed quite a few sites that are selling the academic version -- CD only -- for around $300-$400. Apparently it is legal to sell academic versions of software to people who have no academic affiliation, but I'm still wary, and more than a little worried about the sites' legitimacy. I graduated from college last May, so my academic affiliation is no longer in effect, and I really don't have the $1,000 to purchase the commercial version of the software. Has anyone ordered Flash or Studio 8 from any of these sites? Any advice or recommendations? Should I just play it safe?
Hi, I'm a former teacher and have purchased several academic software packages for learning or teaching purposes.
The only sites I trust for this are academicsuperstore.com and journeyed.com. They *do* require academic affiliation, though.
Academic software is the full commercial version of the software, but with an academic license. This means the software can only be used for personal, learning, or teaching purposes--you can't make any money from using the software.
From what I understand, it is *not* legal to sell academic software to people who do not have an academic affiliation. Even Ebay has a policy against selling academic software to anyone that cannot prove they have academic affiliation.
I would be very wary of any site stating something contrary.
Commercial version of Flash is not that expensive by itself. I'd suggest to start with that and then use the upgrade path to the full studio later on.
Good luck.
www.ElusiveMoose.com
It's not legal; that said, I have seen sites wait until the last second before requesting verification.
I think Studica is another academic one that people use.
ElusiveMoose and ScatteredLogical,
Thanks for the advice. I figured that stuff was bad news.
Elusive Moose, you suggested only buying Flash and then upgrading later on. Wouldn't it be better to simply buy the whole Studio 8 package now? I'd save about $200 in the long run, since Flash Basic 8 isn't upgradable according to Adobe's website (on Amazon.com, Flash Pro 8 is $700, the upgrade is $400, and the complete Studio 8 package is $900). Do you think it would be better to give it a little more time anyway?
Wow, it looks like the pricelist in my head is a little more outdated than I thought. Yeah, I'd say if you're interested in the Studio, it's better to get it outright than upgrading.
As far as time, that's really up to you, your plans, and your budget.
Good luck either way...
www.ElusiveMoose.com
If you choose to go Academic version, make sure you read the EULA very carefully, you may end up not being able to sell anything you construct with it, before purchasing a commercial license. It may not seem important to you now, but it might be a huge consideration down the road. And don't think because there is no watermark on your work you are safe. Many computer programs have embedded material that is not visible but would limit your marketting anything constructed with it.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
Phacker, you bring up an interesting point about the embedding. I'd thought of that myself. I've decided to just go with the full commercial version. It might not ever make a difference, but it's probably best not to take any chances. The last thing I need is to get myself into any sort of trouble just because I wanted to save a few hundred dollars on Flash.
ElusiveMoose -- yeah, the pricing is pretty crazy. I thought about getting Studio MX 2004, then upgrading to 8, but the only places I could find that carried MX 2004 were selling it for more than even Adobe charges for the full Studio 8. What a mess.