Virtual Machines

VMWare

from Stardock Forums

I read the software license. Nothing what so ever about virtual machines.  I have only one physical machine. I have multiple virtual machines (VMWare). I use only one or the other and not the two simultaneously. 

So why can't I license products on my VMs as well as my primary physical machine with the same license? 

The argument will probably go to the point that is a VM considered another machine even though it's just software on the one physical machine? I of course disagree with that from my point of view and other software vendors concur and at the same time there is also a contrary camp that disagrees and thinks that every copy of an operating system installed constitutes a machine.

So without resolving the above and going back to the question of why can't I license products on my VMs with one license, where is the product offering for licenses (maybe a 3 or 5 pack) that bridges the gap between a single private user license and a minimum 25 seat corporate license?

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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top


The argument will probably go to the point that is a VM considered another machine even though it's just software on the one physical machine?
End of quote

That is indeed the case and entire industries are built on VMs (Azure, AWS, etc).  To allow licensing for an unlimited amount of PCs (what they are) would be unwise, unprofitable, and not in step with how almost every digital product is licensed today.

We do have a product that would allow you to have as many concurrent activations as you wish:

https://store.stardock.com/corporatepricing

The qty purchased would be how many concurrent PCs one could have activated at any given time. 

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

 

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

I know it's been a while. The thread is still of interest to me and honestly I forget to reply at the time.

If I'm only running one VM at a time on my personal computer, then doesn't this satisfy the the terms you stated?

You would sell a corporate license for *one* concurrent activation?

I realize this is a constant issue for software developers but I (me myself) am not a multitasking machine and as a singularity, have only one current session, yet I am expected to purchase licensed products as if I personally am using multiple copies at the same time. If the products were servers or the like, that might make some sense but as a single user, how can I operate multiple GUIs at the same time?

Thanks

 

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Rockeiro, reply 2

I realize this is a constant issue for software developers but I (me myself) am not a multitasking machine and as a singularity, have only one current session, yet I am expected to purchase licensed products as if I personally am using multiple copies at the same time.
End of Rockeiro's quote

That is not the case.  If you are using the product and it hits a maximum activation, it will prompt you do deactivate the old \ others. It would then allow you to keep using it on that PC.  When you switch to the other PC, it would be the same experience (deactivate prompt).

That is the tradeoff.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

As a nearly 20 year user of Stardock products, I understand the licensing but I was pointing out the difficulty of it under my personal cirmcumstances and work flows, in case there's ever a change of heart. After all, with IPv6 mac addresses and processor IDs on the host machine and coming from the same NATted host IP you would thing it's easy enough to confirm the one user is the only one using it.

My last word. Thanks for the discussion.