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What? For what it is, Autodesk is probably one of the most liberal and open companies I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with!

They give away all of their software for students (without a crazy verification system!). Obviously they can only do so much, but I've always felt that they've done a lot to make their stuff accessible.

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Yes, I can't count the number of times I've watched indie game devs pretend to be students in order to get access to some Autodesk tools. Having to go through that charade compared with most much more open software (either truly open, or simply affordable so the charade isn't needed), is what I dislike.

I don't expect any company to be obligated to act as a charity or to offer its products for free. I also don't expect anything from Autodesk. I dislike their proprietary approach to things, which is fine because there are lots of other choices. For many, it's worth it. I'm just expressing my own distaste in their approach.

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