5

I use sublime as my primary text editor. I've installed it using this ppa

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/sublime-text-2
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install sublime-text

After I use if for a while, when I try to save any unsaved work i get an warning saying "This is unregistered evaluation version"

When I click "Cancel" on the dialog box. It allows me to continue using. So is it okay to use the unlimited trial version?

Need advice from AskUbuntu experts.

Thanks

orca
  • 161
  • -1 off-topic. You are asking a legal question, talk to a lawyer. – Tom Brossman Oct 03 '12 at 07:51
  • Need advice from Sublime corp really. I'd vote to close if I had the rep, but all I can do is argue... – Spacedman Oct 03 '12 at 13:50
  • 1
    We get license questions all the time. I'm not sure if we should consider this on-topic or not (we might decide that because it's provided by a PPA, licensing questions about it are beyond the scope of Ask Ubuntu), but the answers so far seem good. I've posted on meta to try to get some consensus about this. – Eliah Kagan Oct 04 '12 at 01:06
  • Legal in what jurisdiction? "So is it okay to use..." is a ethics question. Seems like questions like this one need lawyers or ethicists, but I don't think that's the likely response. It's not a good fit for our particular community, I'm afraid. – John S Gruber Oct 04 '12 at 03:08
  • @TomBrossman sir, I am yet to evaluate the software for my work completely, which might take a month long. I definitely purchase the licence later, after evaluation. But my question was is it ok to use the software till that time. If you feel that this question should not be here, I will go ahead and delete it. I am sorry. – orca Oct 04 '12 at 06:33
  • @orca No worries, it's just an off-topic question and we get these sometimes. Remember that legal opinions are worthless unless it is your lawyer giving it. – Tom Brossman Oct 04 '12 at 09:02

2 Answers2

13

"Okay" in what sense? Are you "evaluating" the software? If so, then carry on evaluating until you can make a decision on whether to use it or not. If you have already decided you are going to use it, and have moved from evaluating it to using it, then you've broken the usage terms and you are a bad boy or girl and will go to whatever place of damnation awaits you according to your belief system.

You can prevent that eternal damnation by shelling out $59 - sounds like a good deal to me.

Spacedman
  • 263
4

Sublime is provided as freeware to a certain degree. If you want nightly builds, and the ability to get support from the developer to incorporate your requests into Sublime, then you would need to purchase a license for it. The beta builds of Sublime are usually not far behind the licensed version, so there's really no point in buying a license for it unless you want to use it without breaking usage terms, need the support, nightly builds, or the dialog is just simply annoying.

Note that if you have already decided you are going to use it, and have moved from evaluating it to using it, then you've broken the usage terms. It is likely to be illegal or at least unethical.

reducing activity
  • 1,095
Sly
  • 752
  • 2
    Its not freeware to any degree! The website clearly states the download is for evaluation only. – Spacedman Oct 03 '12 at 07:40
  • 2
    If it wasn't freeware to a degree, you wouldn't be able to use it without a license. Ever. At all. Period. Hint: "define:freeware" in Google. – Sly Oct 03 '12 at 11:02
  • And wikipedia says "Freeware is software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee". For USE. Evaluation is clearly not USE, if you read the terms on the Sublime web pages. You need to pay for a license if you USE it beyond evaluation. Not just if you want nightly builds or support as you stated - whatever the definition of Freeware this is just plain WRONG. – Spacedman Oct 03 '12 at 13:31
  • 2
    Exactly. This fee is optional. You don't have to pay it right now unless you need support, nightly builds, or the dialog is simply annoying.. as my answer states. I would consider this shareware if, and only if, there was a forced evaluation period. – Sly Oct 03 '12 at 13:40
  • 1
    No. Its optional during evaluation only. If in your mind you are still evaluating the software, then don't pay. If in your mind you have decided to use it, then pay up. Right now. Or you are in breach of the license. Clear? I'll get someone from the company to chip in here if you want... – Spacedman Oct 03 '12 at 13:48
  • I'd like you to show me in this or this that you see a breach in licensing terms. Until there is a forced expiration date in the program, I will continue to term it as freeware, as there is no forced requirement to pay anyone. Who are you, or the company, to define what someone else's "continued use" may be? Is "continued use" using it for an hour? Two hours? Two months? Two years? – Sly Oct 03 '12 at 13:59
  • 1
    If you want to keep it for five years and after five years you are genuinely still "evaluating" it - ie wondering if it's right for you - then your conscience should be clear. If after two minutes you think "yeah, this rocks" and you never run vi or emacs again, then you need to pony up. That's all clearly stated on the web page. Also, this is all copyrighted, so you can't distribute - its nothing like Freeware or Shareware. – Spacedman Oct 03 '12 at 14:05
  • 2
    By your own standards, this is shareware. Again "define:shareware": "Software that is available free of charge and often distributed informally for evaluation, after which a fee may be requested for continued use". This is free during evaluation, and a fee is asked after you evaluate it. How is it not considered shareware at that point? However, yet again, there is no forced evaluation period. Therefore, regardless over you arguing because your answer wasn't accepted, I will continue to term this as freeware until there is a forced evaluation period. – Sly Oct 03 '12 at 14:12
  • 2
    Your argument is that it conforms to the shareware definition, so therefore you call it freeware? Freeware is not Shareware – Nanne Dec 04 '13 at 16:25
  • 2
    Over a year old, and still have someone complaining. Why am I not surprised? There is still no forced limit for the amount of time that you can try Sublime before having to pay. A year, two years, three years, or even longer. Shareware is on a limited trial basis. This isn't a limited trial. It's more freeware than shareware. The developer is pretty much just asking for donations for some extra perks. – Sly Dec 06 '13 at 16:33
  • "Businesses must purchase at least as many licenses as the number of people using SUBLIME TEXT." This is why it's not freeware – Vivek Chavda Sep 01 '17 at 21:00