Email for AutoDesk - Perpetual EAGLE is now dead?

[skellerGCJ4L]

I received this a few moments ago:

"You've been identified as a contact for a perpetual license of EAGLE for electronics design. The perpetual EAGLE license you currently own is yours and that will not change. Autodesk however will no longer create or supply any additional copies of license files that allow EAGLE to be moved to another computer. "

Does anyone know if this is immediate?  This does not seem ethical in any way.  The license is yours but if your OS or hardware dies you can no longer use it. 

I hope I am missing something here or that the email was sent in error.

[scott]

I received the same email.  Appears to be another incentive (?) to try to get people to switch over to Fusion 360.  Given the level of effort required to do that, I'm not eager to invest the time until I have no other choice.

[mark9XJEG]

I read this as Autodesk asking me to accelerate my transition to KiCAD.

I had a 'perpetual' license to Eagle, starting at version 5 :(.

[1776effects]

This is really bad form.

While I've moved on from Eagle, I still use version 7 for legacy projects that are still in production.
While I am a Fusion 360 subscriber, migrating these legacy projects is a LARGE inconvenience filled with "gotchas" and unforeseen bugs.

Pretty unbelievable that I'm going to have to maintain an aging computer just for my paid for copy of Eagle.

[scott]

I think we need a definition of "perpetual".  I pay a subscription fee every year -- is that perpetual, or does perpetual refer to the older license I used to use which was a one-time payment?

[skellerGCJ4L]

I was just successful at installing Eagle 9.6.2 on a Windows 10 Virtual machine.  Moving everything over to the VM so hopefully it will survive if something happens to my main OS and/or hardware.

In the email from Autodesk, they say, "Autodesk is committed to bringing the best solutions and experiences to our customers. . ."  So far it appears that is a lie.  They are not committed to bringing the best experience to their customers.  For those who can't switch to cloud-based, or just don't want to this is NOT a good experience.

In addition, the email has no details as to when this will take effect.  Or if will Eagle no longer ask to sign into Autodesk going forward?  

@mark9XJEG , yes I agree this was my invitation to move on.  I have been using Eagle since the early 2000s.  While I don't have as much work in Eagle as others do I still have a lot of history with Eagle.  Since I will have to start over it will not be with Autodesk as they don't really seem to care about their customer's needs.  

[one-of-the-robs · Accepted solution]

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@skellerGCJ4L wrote:

This does not seem ethical in any way.  The license is yours but if your OS or hardware dies you can no longer use it.  

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No, that's not what the email says. Read it again.

You have a perpetual license. That license remains valid. If you need to move to a new computer, you can still do so, using the license you already have. Because you realised, when you bought it, that the license install file is, in fact, the thing you've paid for and is therefore the single item that is worth all that money. So you kept it somewhere very safe and you still have it available to install the license on your new PC.

What Autodesk will no longer do is to dig you out of a pit of your own making because you didn't bother to keep that license key file, issued to you by a different company at a time when Autodesk were not involved.

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @skellerGCJ4L and all,

I hope you're doing well. Let's clarify a few things. First, this email only applies to those who have licenses of V7.7 or older. V7.7 of EAGLE was the last version of EAGLE before the switch to subscription with the release of V8.0. All versions after V8.0 will require the sign-in to use the full benefits of your entitlement.

Second, the email takes effect immediately. We can no longer provide copies of old license files, what @one-of-the-robs said is spot on.  As long as you kept your installation code and key file in a safe place this doesn't affect you at all. You can install your perpetual version of EAGLE (read prior to V7.7) on any system that will run it and have access to the software you paid for if you have the installation code and key file. 

In short the email is saying, we can no longer provide copies of licensing credentials for versions of EAGLE prior to V7.7 effective immediately.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Best Regards,

[skellerGCJ4L]

Thank @jorge_garcia for the clarification.  I do appreciate it.  However, it would have been helpful to have those details included in the original email.  I hope you can understand my reaction to the email considering that Autodesk has ceased development of non-cloud Eagle.   I am waiting any day for Autodesk to announce the death of the current EAGLE premium license for 9.6.2 and leave us, non-cloud users, out of luck.  
Maybe I have missed it somewhere but can you lay out the road map for us non-cloud users?   How long do we have before 9.6.2 will no longer have access to Autodesk licensing servers?

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @skellerGCJ4L,

I hope you're doing well. That email was very tricky for the team to write, I agree it would have been good to include those details in the original email.

I don't have specific information about EAGLE's future updates at this time. As soon as I have something to share I'll post about it. Feel free to reach out and bump the thread whenever you need an update.

Best Regards,

[skellerGCJ4L]

@jorge_garcia 
Thank you for the reply.  I apologize for coming out "guns blazing" in my prior emails.  They could have been less harsh in tone.  I understand that crafting email announcements can be challenging so that they don't get miss interpreted or say more or less than necessary.   It has only been in the 3 weeks or so that I have realized the current state of EAGLE or Autodesk's transition to cloud only.  It is clear I am late to this party by about 12 to 18 months.  My EAGLE 9.6.2 has been doing what I needed so I have seen no reason to look for updates or visit the forums.  An email on Oct 3 from an Autodesk salesperson encouraging me to look into the new updates to Fusion is what started me down this rabbit hole and an afternoon of reading forum posts.  For right or wrong, I have been anticipating my Eagle 9.6.2 to stop signing in at some point.

I believe I understand what Autodesk is trying to accomplish with Fusion Electronics.  I understand that at some point in a software life cycle it is no longer tenable to upgrade and add features due to its core being so outdated.  When starting over, Autodesk naturally would move towards a cloud-based solution as that has shown a lot of success with Fusion 360 CAD.  I get that and for Autodesk's business model that is most likely the correct solution.  However, for my business, it is not.  I don't say that with any malice or to get a reaction.  It just seems to be that Autodesk is going in a direction I don't want to go.  That's just the way business goes.  My hope is that my parting of ways with Autodesk will be relatively smooth.  Autodesk's communication on the future of EAGLE will be critical in that process.  At the most basic level, some idea of a timeline would be helpful.  With maintenance on past projects, current projects, and future projects in the pipeline having a timeline will help me determine when to start my transition.  

Please do not take any of the above in any angry tone or some type of demand.  I am trying to acknowledge the reality of the situation and hope for a smooth transition as possible.

-Steve