This information serves only to discuss licensing in more detail and in no way replaces the actual software license which precedes the software install.

Also, if your company is expecting to buy 10 or more licenses and has their own legal department, we will review and most-likely sign your company's proprietary 3rd party software license if this makes your company more comfortable doing business with Gigasoft. We can also negotiate site and corporate licenses in any shape or form.

Brief Overview:

ProEssentials is sold as a product per developer.  If multiple developers will be developing with ProEssentials, requesting technical support, requiring documentation, references, header files, import libraries, and other compilation materials, then one copy of ProEssentials is needed per developer.  Placing ProEssentials on a pure build machine is fine as the product is licensed per developer.

For client-side distribution, ProEssentials is Royalty Free when distributed with your client side EXE.

For server-side distribution, purchasing ProEssentials allows distribution onto one Production Server and one Test Server, but is Not Royalty Free and requires an inexpensive run time Limited Distribution License (LDL) if distributing onto more than one IIS server.  For most customers, no additional LDLs are necessary.  Only when distributing to multiple IIS servers requires the use of LDLs.  If a customer buys multiple copies of ProEssentials for multiple developers, then they are allowed distribution on to that many production and test servers.  This also reduces the chance that you may need to purchase an LDL.

No Licensing Schemes, just the Honor System

Gigasoft has not enabled any licensing scheme within our WinForm and WebForm interfaces.

We've also removed the Microsoft LIC file licensing mechanism from our ActiveX interfaces. ProEssentials v6 OCXs no longer require an LPK object for use on web pages. This greatly simplifies Internet use as well as use within UserControls in VB. It also simplifies use within Access and Excel compiled projects.

In the last 10 years we've seen various licensing schemes cause distribution and runtime problems. Gigasoft purely uses the honor system.  We've seen an exceptional level of trustworthiness from our customers so why risk enabling licensing.

Limited Distribution License ( LDL)

Gigasoft is introducing a new license called a Limited Distribution License (LDL) license. This per CPU license allows re-distribution of ProEssentials onto multiple IIS servers. This license does not allow development. This license will be available with volume discounts. As of this writing, the best pricing will be $6999.00 for 250 licenses. This equates to $28 per license to allow for redistribution rights and server side use. Pricing may change so contact Gigasoft, Inc. for current information on pricing.

We are expecting customers distributing ProEssentials onto multiple IIS servers to buy LDLs on behalf of their third party users in cases where the third party needs to place ProEssentials on a server. We are relying on the honor system and only ask that you keep records of which product serial numbers are assigned to which customers.

To Summarize:

If the company Widget, Inc. buys one copy of ProEssentials v6, they are entitled to:

1. Install ProEssentials on one or more development systems, accessed by one developer, who has an individual right to request technical support. If Widget, Inc. has more than one developer needing header files, import libraries, documentation, technical support, and other non redistributive materials, Widget, Inc will need to buy additional development licenses per developer.

2. Place server components (any combination of Gigasoft.ProEssentials.Dll, Gigasoft.ProEssentialsWeb.Dll, PEGRP32D.DLL, PEGRPDS.DLL, PEGRPDL.DLL, PEGO32D.OCX, PESGO32D.OCX, PEPSO32D.OCX, PEPCO32D.OCX,  PE3DO32D.OCX, PEGODS.OCX, PESGODS.OCX, PEPSODS.OCX, PEPCODS.OCX,  PE3DODS.OCX, PEGODL.OCX, PESGODL.OCX, PEPSODL.OCX, PEPCODL.OCX, and PE3DODL.OCX) onto one Widget Inc. production server and one test server. If Widget, Inc. is a large company and needs to run multiple servers from various offices or plants, Widget, Inc. will need to purchase additional LDL licenses. If Widget, Inc. is a software house producing a server application product designed to be deployed to a third party's server(s). Widget, Inc. can purchase LDLs on behalf of the third party.

3. Distribute royalty free a client side EXE utilizing ProEssentials to a third Party via Internet, Floppy, CD, or other means.  Distributing "Demos" is royalty free.

4. Pure Resellers and Distributors are considered a means of distribution and are not considered a 3rd party.