I don't know when it changed, but I have been a customer of Global Mapper for a very long time, always upgrading when a new version came out ($$). They always had the best customer service, and the price was reasonable for what you get. So, I was leery when Blue Marble took over. But it seemed like things were going fine...I always have an installation on my desktop and one on my laptop, they are never used at the same time, one is used in the office and one is used when I go out in the field. My only employee has his own licensed copy.?ÿ
Global mapper is an indispensable tool. Use it all the time. I had V19 on both my laptop and my desktop, no problem. I upgraded my desktop to v20, and tried to do the laptop but it said there was not a license available. I sent them a message, and was told I would need to buy a new license for the laptop, one install per customer/license. I don't know how long that has been a policy, but I think it really sucks. If they want to do that they should have a way to easily transfer the license from the desktop to the laptop. Geolab, for example, lets me move the license back and forth easily with a built in tool, I create a transfer file on the destination computer, transfer it to the source computer, export the license, and then transfer the file back to the destination computer where it is imported. I can even do that remotely if I forget to do it before I leave the office.?ÿ
John,
Sorry to hear about your troubles, but that is why I stopped upgrading at Ver. 13.?ÿ It does what I need it to do so why upgrade with BM's licensing nitwittery.
Back in the 1990s when I georeferenced LandSat imagery around the world, I purchased Geographic Calculator.?ÿ It had many of the datums and coordinate systems that I used in their database, plus I could create custom map projections.?ÿ It was a great program with no problems until the folks at BG decided they needed more money from their clients.?ÿ Like you, I wanted to have Geographic Calculator on my desktop and on the laptop when I was in the field.?ÿ In order to have that I either had to have two licenses or spend a bunch of money for a license with a transfer function.?ÿ I spent the extra bucks to have the floating license.?ÿ I stopped with upgrades when they changed the license to an annual subscription.
The original developer of Global Mapper allowed licensees to load the software on multiple machines.?ÿ Right after Blue Marble bought him out, I tried to load the new version onto my desktop and laptop.?ÿ The folks at Blue Marble hacked up a hairball until it was pointed out to them that the language in the license hadn't been changed and they relented and gave me two activation codes.?ÿ I later heard that beginning with Ver. 17, Global Mapper calls home every so often to verify that the license isn't being "abused".?ÿ Sounds like they have abandoned the idea of floating licenses.
Good luck with getting them to offer Global Mapper with a floating license!
I spend the big bucks on the USB license.?ÿ We just toss it around the office when we need it on another machine.?ÿ And put it back nicely when we are done.
It is like 1400 and the upgrades are like 600 vs the 1000 and 400.?ÿ?ÿ
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Unfortunately I do not have an alternative software that does what it does. I have recommended the software to a lot of people, but I will not do so anymore. I think it is more than reasonable to expect to be able to use the software on BOTH of my machines.
Might also need to consider this:?ÿ https://www.globalmapperforum.com/discussion/14860/announcement-regarding-security-breach-on-blue-marble-website
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Idiots. They should have emailed that to everyone.
We are considering a license of Global Mapper. When I do purchase a license, it will be for the USB version, so I can use it on my computer at home, or my desktop at work.
I liked Borland's original Turbo Pascal License:?ÿ
Turbo Pascal came with the famous "Book License": "You must treat this software?ÿjust like a book?ÿ... [it] may be used by any number of people ... may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another."
Whatever happened to trust?
Trust does not make them any $.?ÿ You can't expect a company to just sell you the software under your assurances that you will only install it on one CPU.?ÿ That's a recipe for financial failure.?ÿ Software is part of the business. Buy what you need to run efficiently and pass the cost on down the line to your projects, hopefully in a lump sum contract.
I remember talking to Ron Sawyer about the Star*Net hardware lock.?ÿ He said they really didn't have a choice, as the unlocked version was rampantly copied, especially overseas.?ÿ It was killing the business, so he reluctantly went to a locked release.
That was sort of a rhetorical question about trust. When I developed software for logging data at Trimble CORS, I licensed it to the serial number of the receiver, and if they swapped receivers I would of course update it. But that was a very limited number of copies out there (for the PA CORS).
I have always made it my policy to buy another copy of software for my employee if he needs it. Carlson Survey, for example, I have a network license which allows one user at a time, but it also allows a "check out" if we want to put it on a laptop to go out of the office (very rarely happens). AutoCAD I only have a single license, but he does not need that. TBC (2 copies) and RealWorks (1 copy) use keys.?ÿ
I actually think their license does indeed float.?ÿ You can go to Help and release license, and then you can activate on another computer.?ÿ That is, unless I am missing something.?ÿ?ÿ
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They are about to get very, very aggressive competition.?ÿ?ÿ
They are about to get very, very aggressive competition.?ÿ?ÿ
Would you care to elaborate??ÿ I'm still at GM 13 because I just don't like Blue Marble.....