Mathcad Express includes much of the base functionality of the full Mathcad Prime 2.0 release, but is available for free for the lifetime of the user. (Source: PTC)
@TJ: Not really sure why PTC isn't making a bigger deal of it. Mathcad definitely has a devoted following and I'm sure there are many that would benefit or be interested in a free release, even if it wasn't packed with the full menu of features. PTC certainly isn't the first to introduce a free version to whet people's appetite for more. It has definitely been proven to be an effective strategy for exposure to new tools, not to mention, a boon for engineers looking to amass a portfolio of tools without expending a lot of investment.
Beth, thanks for the information. PTC is really keeping this quiet, I'm going to download a copy. I'm glad to see other vendors offering smaller version of thier expensive tools. This is like the webpack tools Xilinx and other FPGA companies are offering.
Here's an interesting update. After reading your article, I went to the site to check it out - didn't download it, just looked at it. A few hours later, I'm looking at a blog that has nothing to do with engineering and there's an ad specifically for this, coming from googleadservices.com. Not sure if it was coincidence or not, but my guess is that google was tracking that I went there and figured I might be interested in seeing an ad about it. Regardless, it does suggest that PTC is doing something about getting the word out.
I agree, gsmith120, about the manufacturer's release of free tools. Altera has a pretty well developed suite of tools for their FPGAs. Beware, though, takes up a good bit of disk space for the full version. No idea as to why they are quiet, maybe this a fairly well tested beta release made available while they tweak the functionality further.
I have (had) Mathcad 15 and wanted to try out Mathcad Prime. When I installed Express version it said I already had a more capable version installed, then it proceeded to uninstall 15 and install Prime 2. And then the newly installed 2.0 won't run - application was unable to start correctly. I will probably waste 1/2 an hour by the time I get back to a working installation.
Thanks for the update, Lindsay. I think more interesting than PTC's quiet (or subsequent "loud") marketing approach is the fact that these free versions give customers the chance to try out the technology and potentially stockpile a portfolio of free tools if they indeed meet their needs.
Same Problem here with the 'free' version. Win7 64bit tells me immediately that Mathcad Prime has stopped working. Since this is a 'free' license, you can't get to PTC's Support, nor does the PTC Community have any answers. Yes, some people have posted there, but PTC firmly refuses to answer.
My advice to everyone is to give this one a pass. PTC probably did this 'quietly' because they know it won't work.
The product itself is great. The free version is a good intro. Don't buy it, though. The licensing system is guaranteed to waste hours (if not days) when you upgrade your computer & try to transfer the license.
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