Mentor Software, Inc.
303-277-9967
888-ASK-NORM
On September 24, 2007, Autodesk, Inc. acquired most all of
the intellectual property of Mentor Software, Inc. Autodesk, Inc. announced the transaction on September
25, 2007, at the Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial 2007 conference
in
Users of Mentor Software’s products should note that:
I. Mentor Software, Inc. and will continue to exist and honor all contractual, ethical, and financial obligations.
II. Autodesk, Inc. has only acquired intellectual property. Mentor Software, Inc. remains solely responsible for all of its legal, contractual, and ethical obligations.
III.
Mentor Software, Inc. will continue to support its
products according to its unique customer support policy: “There is no fee or time limit on technical support. In fact, if you reside in
IV. All support requests should be directed to Mentor Software, Inc.
V. New licenses to use Mentor Software, Inc. products will not be issued.
VI. Major enhancements to Mentor Software, Inc. products will no longer be made.
VII. Updates to Mentor Software products will be available from this web site as they are produced (an Norm figures out how to do that).
VIII. On the other hand, major portions of the Mentor Software’s technology base will be open sourced by its new owner. Major enhancements are expected to be contributed by multiple developers under the guidelines of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. According to these guidelines, a Project Steering Committee will be formed to insure that only quality contributions are incorporated into the technology. Thus, the results of the efforts of many developers will be made available to other developers, integrators, and end users alike without fee or royalty. Thus, in a short period of time, it is expected that many enhanced features will become available without fee, royalties, authorizations, etc. This could also mean that, in time, most all users who are sharing geographic data will be using the same technology to do coordinate conversions. This could be a very nice side benefit.
Personal
Note from Norm to Mentor’s Customers
Mentor Software, Inc. has always been a small company, about as small as you can get. That has enabled Mentor Software, Inc. to operate in a way which provided unique benefits to its clients, such as our user support policy.
For several years now, I have been troubled by a real concern: “What happens to Mentor Software and its clients and customers if I get run over by a bus?” Several solutions to this issue have been evaluated and one even implemented which did not produce the desired result (my fault entirely). While I can’t deny that the financial incentives were enticing, solving the proverbial runaway bus problem was a major motivation in completing the above described transaction.
I truly appreciate the long term support that you, Mentor Software’s customers and clients, have provided which enabled Mentor Software, Inc. to remain solvent and active over twenty years. I truly believe that this new arrangement will continue to provide you with the functionality and support you deserve for many years to come.
I do not view this as an end, but a new beginning simply using a new, modern, and dynamic business model. I will be working hard to see that it achieves these objectives.
Finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation of
all the support, assistance, and encouragement provided by the folks at RockWare, Inc over these many years. I have never worked with a finer, more
ethical, more genuinely helpful people than the staff
at RockWare. I
sincerely hope that
Should you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail
me or call me: 888-ASK-NORM.
Norm<dot>Olsen{at}MentorSoftwareInc<dot>com