Adobe gives Flex Builder for free

April 11, 2009 | 12:51

Tags: #credit-crunch #flex #free #free-software #web-development

Companies: #adobe

The tech market might be struggling in the face of a global economic slowdown, but at least one company is doing its bit to help: Adobe.

In a surprising fit of generosity, the company is offering a licence for Flex Builder 3 – its Eclipse-based web application development tool – completely free for any developer to snag, so long as you can prove that you're unemployed.

As detailed on the company's website, Adobe is offering the licence, which normally costs $699 (£480) providing interested parties are willing to state that they are “not currently employed or being paid to develop software applications or web pages,” and to provide “some basic information about [their] previous work experience.

There are restrictions on the offer, however: the licence, despite being for the Professional edition of Flex Builder 3, is for personal use only and must “not be used for production or commercial purposes.” Adobe is also restricting the resale rights, telling developers that the freebie cannot be “transferred to any other person or entity.

That said, free is free: with the open-source Flex language proving popular in web development circles, anyone interested in improving their skills while they're temporarily between posts could do worse than to snag a copy at Adobe's expense.

It's not all generosity on Adobe's part, of course: the more developers that are skilled in Flex, the larger the market for the commercial editions of Flex Builder. Coupled with the non-production and non-transfer restrictions on the licence, as soon as a developer finds himself back in work it's a pretty much guaranteed sale.

Tempted to hit Adobe up for a freebie and see what the Flex fuss is all about, or is the company just desperate to drum up some interest? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

Via OSnews
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