Mac Forum / Applications / Eudora / January 2008

ampersand,

If anyone can show me a way to update, I'd be happy to see it, but
AFAICT there is no way to upgrade to Paid mode from Sponsored mode;
even with a registration code, attempting to update to Paid mode takes
you to a web page saying they don't take paid registrations anymore.
It seems truly bizzare to me. As far as I can make out (and its clear
as mud to me at present), they are moving people Lite mode, forcing
people to drop features. Surely a more logical thing to do would have
been to make the last release allow users to click on 'Paid Mode' and
get it without further ado or set to the software work permanently in
Paid mode???

I need (not want) some of these features and ripping them off me while
the software is still functional isn't going to generate any warm
fuzzy feeling for Qualcomm from me! ;-)

There is a registration code at http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/kb/2759hq.html
(Qualcomm's Eudora website, note).

Perhaps Matt Dudziak:
http://eudorabb.qualcomm.com/showthread.php?t=12832

Or perhaps "Froggie the Gremlin"
(someone who posts anonymously in the Windows newsgroup),
but it might be objectionable (and even harmful) to Qualcomm
to do this in public, for reasons outlined above by Matt.

I will copy what I recently posted in a Eudora mailing list
(with minor additions):

Since anyone can even now freely download all the installers they want,
directly from Qualcomm, the installer itself is already a
"give-away" item, just as it has always been.

My installed "license" file (apparently with reference to "paid" mode)
says (this is from the final Windows' version):

"LICENSE. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
License Agreement, QUALCOMM hereby grants you a
nonexclusive license to install and use the Software in
machine-readable form solely for testing and evaluation
purposes on a single personal computer, provided that if
you are an individual, on one or more personal computers
in your household or home office owned or controlled by
you for use by yourself and immediate family members
residing in the same household only. You may copy the
Software only for backup purposes, provided that you
reproduce all copyright and other proprietary notices that
are on the original copy of the Software."

Qualcomm's intent regarding discontinuation of the product
is not explicit, but there is an interesting section in a legal document
filed by Qualcomm about the payment and registration system,
in a U.S. Patent application (look up patent #7103643, issued Sept 2006),
in which Qualcomm declares that if they ever decide to retire the system,
they could publish a permanant registration code
(presumably as paid), to enable everyone to use it thereafter.

Patent lookup:
http://www.google.com/search?q=qualcomm+patent+7103643

Qualcomm has in fact actually published a paid registration code already,
good for any Mac or Windows version up to 5.2.1; here it is:
http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/kb/2759hq.html

Here is a statement by someone still working at Qualcomm,
explaining that there is an obstacle to releasing a later version as paid
(particularly version 7 for Windows), because of an obligation of Qualcomm
to pay a royalty to third parties whose software may be included:
http://eudorabb.qualcomm.com/showthread.php?t=12832

All of the above does not authorize anyone explicitly to do anything themselves,
but it certainly casts the matter in a different light than when the product
was still being sold, as it indicates an original intention
not to "bury" the product after its discontinuation,
but to make it universally available instead,
now moderated by the complication of a royalty agreement with other vendors.

I believe it's irrelevant that not all of the original source code
can be given to the "open source" project, because the installable product
does not contain source code, and was never restricted from distribution
(you can continue downloading it all you want, as mentioned earlier);
the only restriction on the executable is that you may not reverse engineer it
to derive the source code, but you can use the compiled code all you want,
just as everyone has been doing all these years,
and by continuing to offer it, and even to encourage "sponsored" users
of older versions to catch up and download the latest version,
Qualcomm is certainly indicating that you are more than welcome to it.

Since there is no longer any place to buy a registration,
there is no means by which one can complete a purchase
or compensate Qualcomm, no matter how willing and conscientious
one may be; by the same token, Qualcomm can not suffer a loss of revenue
by anyone pre-empting a sale that can not now take place anyway.

However, due to sensitive third-party agreements,
Qualcomm could still be harmed by inappropriate action
that might cause those parties to have any claim against Qualcomm.

It reminds me of a wholesale flower market area in New York City,
where it's well known that every weekend, boxes of unsold flowers
will be left on the street for carting away by the Sanitation department.

Other people also come and help themselves to what wasn't sold;
perhaps the flowers and growers would even rather have them
end up being used and appreciated by someone, rather than being trashed.

It is a hazy issue, in the hands of private personal judgement,
and due to the complete evaporation of all commercial value
by the product being taken off the market,
there is no one who will demand satisfaction but your own self;
do make sure, however, not to embarrass Qualcomm in the process.

FWIW, I see the mentioned error in 6.2.3/Light Mode since yesterday.
Haven't tcpdump(1)ed the connection yet, though.

       hauke

Because two different computers had the same issue on the network I guessed it
couldn't be a Eudora problem at all.

I was about to do a reset on the Airport when the symptoms stopped.  Telepathy
perhaps?  In any case I appreciate the conversation and learned how little I
know about ports even though I live right on Narragansett Bay.

Thanks

In article
<182851a0-e868-4ee7-aa0c-219e7e97a765@f47g2000hsd.googlegroups.com>,