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NuSphere PHPed editor service/licensing

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:10 pm
by minooka
I am posting this to inform people who are considering buying the NuSphere PHPed about some things that are not revealed by NuSphere until AFTER they have taken your money. (PHPed is a well-known PHP editor that has a lot of high-end features and is generally considered competitive with the industry-leading Zend Studio.)

The procedure for purchasing NuSphere PHPed is different from most other software products. In most cases you go to the website, enter credit card, download product, and away you go. You can be up and running within minutes of payment. With NuSphere you enter credit card, then wait for an email telling you where you can download the software you just paid for. The email is supposed to come right away, but in my case it took several days. I had to write to them asking about it.

After you get that email, you download PHPed, install, then you have to go to their website and request an activation key. Then you wait AGAIN for that to arrive. According to the NuSphere website they try to get to it within 24 hours but the "maximum time" it can take is three business days.

So in other words, if you pay for PHPed on a Saturday, you may not be able to use it until the following Wednesday.

Also note that the activation key is good for only ONE machine. If you want to install it on your desktop workstation and also install a copy on your laptop you have to pay an additional $50 for another license key.

None of these delays or restrictions are revealed until AFTER you have submitted payment. I don't know whether that's by design or an oversight. I do know that other software companies clearly reveal all their licensing terms up front on the website and you can see them before you even download an evaluation copy. For example, Zend provides their license agreement for anyone to see right here: http://www.zend.com/store/products/zend ... eement.php.

PHPed is definitely a good product. Lots of people use it and are happy with it. In some ways it's better than Zend Studio. However potential purchasers should be aware of the licensing restrictions and the complex, and time-consuming procedure for getting the product.

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:11 pm
by Burrito
thanks for the heads-up.

mmmm...homesite just seems better and better every day :D

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:50 pm
by evilmonkey
That's nice to know. Of course unless you're corporation (or really support the developers), you probably won't be buying those products because they're way too expensive.