Hi Jeff,

Though I am somewhat less, ... um, ... assertive (Yeah! That's it, "assertive.") than you, I certainly understand, and to some degree share your sentiment. It's as though Mentor Graphics and Altium and Cadence feel like they should be entitled to a share of your profits simply because they made a tool that you use to generate that profit.

Imagine if all the hammer manufacturers told all the homebuilders that the only way they'd sell them hammers is on an annual lease. Now imagine that the cost of that lease was solely justified by the profits that the homebuilders would then be able to make. How long do you think it would take for the lumbermills to start handing out free hammers with every load of 2x4s they sell, even if they had to set up their own drop forge to do so.

No, if Mentor Graphics, Cadence and Altium all go belly-up, it will be by their own doing.