Warp wrote:

>   I don't see any problem in that kind of business model.
> 
>   Many companies use even a more radical business model: Their software is
> free for individuals for non-commercial use, while for companies using it
> commercially it costs a considerable amount of money.

For example... Oracle.




it. And they give you every product that Oracle makes.

It's just that if you try to make money from using it, theoretically 
Oracle sues you. Which would appear to be impossible, but hey...

>   This business idea is actually clever: Let them
> just have it for free. This way they will get accustomed to the software,
> and if they ever get a related job, or create their own related firm, then
> there's a high probability for the firm to buy the software because the
> employees have experience using it.

Indeed.

So maybe it truly is the case that the only difference between 
Mathematica for Students and Mathematics Professional is the terms of 


perpetual license.)

Still, I'm reminded of that incident with BackupExec. We purchased an 

send us an envelope with a piece of card inside it, and the card had a 

wrong line of business. :-P



The thing that's really bugging me now... So, I can get Mathematica for, 

very simple question: How the HELL do you use something like Mathematica 
"commercially"?!?!!

It solves equations and draws graphs. I can't think of a single domain 
of commercial endevour where such a thing would actually be useful. I 
mean, who the hell does math as part of their day job?

About the closest thing I can think of is engineering; but they aren't 
going to use Mathematica, they're going to use a dedicated CAD system to 
do finite element simulations and so forth.

Mathematica is a wonderful toy, but I can't think of a single serious 
"use" for it.

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