Hi, I was very excited about SketchUp Make but now I’m very disappointed.
I wanted to download the free version of SketchUp - Make 2015. For content creation I use a PC that doesn’t have any network card.
When I try to run the installed program, it says that there was a licensing error. I know I don’t need a network connection but the program wants to fingerprint my network card to create a license “ID”.
My question:
Do I have to buy a network card to be able to install the free version even though I don’t want to test the trial or buy Pro?
Isn’t there a NIC on the motherboard that you can just enable from the Device manager? Having a NIC in your computer does not make it less secure if you don’t attach a cable to it.
Again, this computer has no integrated network card and no network card can be attached to it.
Requiring a network card while at the same allowing offline use for a completely free product is practice that does not inspire confidence.
No fingerprinting should be required for freeware and even for the Pro version, network card should be fingerprinted only if available. Requiring network card in these circumstances is beyond strange.
the software copy protection of every SU license needs to write a license file based on the MAC address of available NICs, Make and Pro are using the same mechanism already because the Make is running the first 30 days as a trial of the Pro.
every recent desktop PC does have a LAN onboard resp. every desktop PC w/o LAN is probably pretty old and therefore may not comply with the SU system requirements… and even then, an USB-Ethernet adapter is available for roughly 10 bucks.
I know why the check is there - there is a forced trial bundle. How many times shall I repeat that no network card can be connected to the computer and that it must remain offline for security reasons?
And if a user posts a valid complaint about inappropriate behavior of software, is this normal that he is attacked for “having old PC” or that he is not rich enough to buy a network card?
I’m beginning to suspect this is spyware. Which wouldnt surprise me given that Google was involved.
In any case, good bye. I’m done with this software, also because of this terrible flaming non-supportive community.
OK, the concept of free software with an associated license is a bit of a self-contradiction. But so is a security policy that prohibits computers with network interface cards, even when connected to nothing, yet allows you to install software downloaded free from the internet!
more or less every professional software is accompanied by a license/license agreeement, not having paied anything does obviously not mean that there are no terms and conditions to adhere to.
The installer needs a network adapter to complete the license process. But thereafter no network card is needed to run SketchUp.
If the “SketchUp.lic” file has “##NoTrial” as the first line, it will skip the 30 day Pro trial.
The license file is located at: "%PROGRAMDATA%/SketchUp/SketchUp 2015/"
SketchUp Make is not freeware.
It is licensed software for non-commercial use.
The use sounds a lot like a commercial situation, which is not allowed under the SketchUp Make license.
Google sold SketchUp to Trimble Navigation, Ltd., years ago. (Back before the last maintenance release of v8. Since then Trimble has released 3 major versions.)
We were trying to help work around the issues, to get you up and running.
