On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:24:33 -0400, alexy <[email protected]> wrote:
> The real "gotcha" that they "forgot" to mention in the promo campaign
> is that this is adware. You will have to be online, and get google ads
> at the top of the window when running the program. Annoying, but for
> hobbyist use the price is right.
I can't help but think that if they weren't up-front about that, then
there are probably other things they haven't been all that forward with.
Things like this remind me of why I prefer open-source software.
Not to worry, the company's legit. I, and many people I know have been
signed up for weeks. No problem.
"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:26:02 +0000, Mark Jerde wrote:
>
> > ... about 38,000 more people sign up before August 1st.
> >
> > http://www.x-cad.net/
> >
> > I'll give it a test drive for free. ;-)
> >
> > -- Mark
>
> I signed up, but I'm watching my spam filter closely.
>
> "Free CAD Software--just gimme your email" sounds a lot like
> "Free Naughty Teens--just gimme your email"
>
> Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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All things point to this software being put out by Alibre. As such, it
should be quite capable and about on par with the PTC software you are
familiar with (BTW, it was ProDesktop Express). It will have a similar
learning curve too. There is no way to make a versatile 3D cad program
simple. Many hours to learn, no way around it.
"alexy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "SonomaProducts.com" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I'm sure it will be worth every penny you pay for it too.
>
> Generally, I agree with the "no free lunch" principle. But this might
> be a good deal. I've signed up to see if it is.
>
> I am still using drawingboard for 2-d drafting. Saw it mentioned here,
> and bought it at some ridiculously low price ($50?). As long as I
> remember to use 8.3 file names, this old win-16 program fully meets my
> modest needs. And it was light years ahead of other functional cad
> programs in ease of use. Not tempted to upgrade, since its successor
> is now more in the $500 range.
>
> I also have PTC Desktop Express, which was offered free for home use,
> but the learning curve is too steep for me to use for my very
> occasional project. I'm hoping this one will be better in that regard.
> (And I wish Sketchup would offer a similar deal!)
> --
> Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked
infrequently.
"Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote:
>... about 38,000 more people sign up before August 1st.
>
>http://www.x-cad.net/
>
>I'll give it a test drive for free. ;-)
>
> -- Mark
>
Well, the cat is out of the bag. And it's not what it sounded like
from the promo materials. It is a demo version of Alibre's product,
although structured to be truly useful -- no limits on saving files or
time limits like other demos. There is a limit on parts, although it
is not too severe for those who signed up in the first 100,000 (or
maybe by August 1; they haven't been crystal clear on that).
The real "gotcha" that they "forgot" to mention in the promo campaign
is that this is adware. You will have to be online, and get google ads
at the top of the window when running the program. Annoying, but for
hobbyist use the price is right. And it is upgradable to remove the
ads for a small fee (initial indications are $50) if you find the
product useful and the ads annoying.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.
"SonomaProducts.com" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm sure it will be worth every penny you pay for it too.
Generally, I agree with the "no free lunch" principle. But this might
be a good deal. I've signed up to see if it is.
I am still using drawingboard for 2-d drafting. Saw it mentioned here,
and bought it at some ridiculously low price ($50?). As long as I
remember to use 8.3 file names, this old win-16 program fully meets my
modest needs. And it was light years ahead of other functional cad
programs in ease of use. Not tempted to upgrade, since its successor
is now more in the $500 range.
I also have PTC Desktop Express, which was offered free for home use,
but the learning curve is too steep for me to use for my very
occasional project. I'm hoping this one will be better in that regard.
(And I wish Sketchup would offer a similar deal!)
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.
"CW" <[email protected]> wrote:
>All things point to this software being put out by Alibre.
I've heard that, too, so have signed up for Alibre's free 30-day trial
version to get a head start on learning X-CAD.
> As such, it
>should be quite capable and about on par with the PTC software you are
>familiar with (BTW, it was ProDesktop Express). It will have a similar
>learning curve too. There is no way to make a versatile 3D cad program
>simple. Many hours to learn, no way around it.
I suspect you are right, but hope springs eternal. I would have said
the same thing about 2-D CAD based on my experience with Data Cad and
others before I got DrawingBoard by Ashlar. I'm sure if you need the
capabilities of AutoCAD, DrawingBoard is a totally inadequate toy. But
it meets my need and is very easy to learn.
What I'd like to have in the 3-D world, based on web demos I have
seen, is Sketchup. But the $$ in this hobby are better spent, for me,
on wood and physical tools.
BTW, I like ProDesktop Express, and have found it helpful for
visualizing, or helping my clients (SWMBO & children) visualize what I
am planning to make. Just wish it were easier to use.
>
>"alexy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> "SonomaProducts.com" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >I'm sure it will be worth every penny you pay for it too.
>>
>> Generally, I agree with the "no free lunch" principle. But this might
>> be a good deal. I've signed up to see if it is.
>>
>> I am still using drawingboard for 2-d drafting. Saw it mentioned here,
>> and bought it at some ridiculously low price ($50?). As long as I
>> remember to use 8.3 file names, this old win-16 program fully meets my
>> modest needs. And it was light years ahead of other functional cad
>> programs in ease of use. Not tempted to upgrade, since its successor
>> is now more in the $500 range.
>>
>> I also have PTC Desktop Express, which was offered free for home use,
>> but the learning curve is too steep for me to use for my very
>> occasional project. I'm hoping this one will be better in that regard.
>> (And I wish Sketchup would offer a similar deal!)
>> --
>> Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked
>infrequently.
>
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.
On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:26:02 +0000, Mark Jerde wrote:
> ... about 38,000 more people sign up before August 1st.
>
> http://www.x-cad.net/
>
> I'll give it a test drive for free. ;-)
>
> -- Mark
I signed up, but I'm watching my spam filter closely.
"Free CAD Software--just gimme your email" sounds a lot like
"Free Naughty Teens--just gimme your email"
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
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Highly unlikely that they will fail to give it away even if they don't reach
there number goal. This is an ad campaign. If, at the last minute, they say
"sorry, we didn't meet our goal, you'll have to buy it at regular price",
most of those that showed interest will just tell them to take a leap off a
tall place.
"Mark Jerde" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:K5hze.10486$kh3.2785@trnddc03...
> ... about 38,000 more people sign up before August 1st.
>
> http://www.x-cad.net/
>
> I'll give it a test drive for free. ;-)
>
> -- Mark
>
>
Dave Hinz <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 09:24:33 -0400, alexy <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> The real "gotcha" that they "forgot" to mention in the promo campaign
>> is that this is adware. You will have to be online, and get google ads
>> at the top of the window when running the program. Annoying, but for
>> hobbyist use the price is right.
>
>I can't help but think that if they weren't up-front about that, then
>there are probably other things they haven't been all that forward with.
Yes, there were quite a few things, and an uproar in their forum when
the real deal was exposed and compared to the promises. The odd thing
is, it seems that it was only this ad campaign. Existing customers
appear to be fiercely loyal, and my experience getting their 30-day
trial of the full product was very positive. And even though it falls
short of what was promised, this product still seems like a nice
program (and the price is almost right!)
>Things like this remind me of why I prefer open-source software.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.
"alexy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Existing customers
> appear to be fiercely loyal,
So are AutoCAD users, Intellicad users, Turbocad users, ProE users,
Solidworks users. The list goes on. It is par for the course in the cad
world. Doesn't mean much. Alibre, to me, was a pretty strait up company and
I had considered their software. After this ad campaign of theirs, they have
been dropped from consideration.