Description
Every piece of software on your computer has license restrictions detailing:
- who can use the software (single user or shared)
- for what purpose (non-profit, academic, educational, etc.)
- on whose computer the software can be installed (some software can only be installed on Cornell-owned hardware)
- how many computers you can install the software on with the license you have acquired
CALS OIT installs by default and supports a variety of software for administrative, teaching, research and outreach purposes. For all of these default software packages, we work closely with CIT to ensure that this software is not only functioning correctly and patched for security but that it is also licensed for your use.
With the exception of the default installed software provided on each computer imaged and managed by CALS OIT and self-service software offered by CALS OIT, it is the responsibility of each Cornell Faculty, staff and student to acquire appropriate licenses and abide by the software's license, also referred to Terms of Service (ToS) or End User License Agreement (EULA).
Broadly speaking, one of the biggest challenges Cornell users face regarding software licenses is understanding what the vendor considers academic or educational use. For example, some academic or educational terms refer only to classroom / coursework use while others define all use by a higher education institution as academic. When you are reviewing each license before installing software, if you see academic or educational terms, we encourage you to read the license agreement carefully to be sure these terms apply to you, your specific situation and the computer you intend to install the software on.
Software Packages
Below, are software packages that we have seen present license challenges recently and which you should be aware of as you carefully review EULAs before installing new software.
- Autodesk (AutoCAD, Revit, Maya, Inventor, etc.)
Autodesk offers free licenses for educational use and defines what educational is at https://www.autodesk.com/education/home
This specifically excludes the following uses.
- To support facilities / building administration (for example, maintenance, renovation, schematics, etc.)
- To support commercial or for-profit research efforts (for example, incubators with corporate partners, or projects where the results will be monetized or used commercially)
- If you require a non-educational copy of an Autodesk product, email CIT Software Solutions and they will help you determine what your options are.
- VirtualBox
VirtualBox is an open source virtual machine (VM) application. At least one common add-on or extension to VirtualBox (the extension pack) is not free. The extension pack adds functionality for VirtualBox and is governed by this license. It is possible to use VirtualBox without the extension pack but CALS OIT is now recommending a different solution for long term supportability, please contact CALS OIT for details and assistance.
- Java
Java is a key component in some applications, Oracle charges for Java and we do have a no cost alternative available from Amazon, called Corretto. If you have an application that uses Java and it used to work or only works for a few days after installing it is likely that we are uninstalling Java from your computer as part of the University effort to not run afoul of their licensing. In that case, the best course of action would be to give Amazon Corretto a try. Put in a ticket and our techs can help you get access to this, if that works you can continue using that for the foreseeable future. If not, put in a request to CALS OIT and we will help you determine what your options are.
- EndNote - see https://tdx.cornell.edu/TDClient/53/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=840
- ArcGIS - submit a support ticket to CALS OIT. We will coordinate getting an ESRI account for you and help you install, if desired.
- MalwareBytes - There is a "Free Download" that is not legal to use on Cornell owned computers. We use CrowdStrike (part of Cornell's Certified Desktop package) as anti-malware on Cornell computers.