Sublime Forum

License and auto update

#1

Reading this post, if I get a licence for ST3 (i know we’re on ST(4) but I don’t want ST(4) for reasons) I can turn the auto update function off. However when the license expires (in three years or so) I guess we’re back to auto_update = True and if I press the wrong key, bam ST(4).

Basically I’d like confirmation that the license for ST3 is permanent, the post at the top seemed to imply that it was, is that true ?

Thank you.

Ps As a personal note, I’m not a professional dev and I’m a bit stuck in a grey area, I want to support to ‘the team’ but when there’s an ST problem it takes up loads of time, but it is, now, after (2 years) actually saving me time. The auto update feature being only one key press (I mean that’d solve it there, “are you sure y/n”, “are you really sure this’ll change ST’s structure”, “some stuff will stop working etc”) is a massive drag, I’m sure it isn’t for other users, but it is for me, and I can only make decisions that affect me, before the flamers charge in ! So would my liscence last and auto-update be off the table in perptuity if I bought a license for ST3 ?

PPs The unfortunate thing for me was timing, I’d just getting ST3 to work how I wanted and then ST(4) came out. I accidentally auto-updated a while back and immediately two or three packages that I use all the time stopped working. That’s extra work, just coz I opened a file with ST3 and was a bit tired. If I want to use a new peice of software, I want to decide when I want to use it, not have some other folks decide when I want to use it. That’s why I use Linux :wink:

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#2

No, your license for a particular version of sublime is good forever. You only need to purchase a new license if you want to use a new version that came out after the 3-year window on your original license.

It may also bear noting that Sublime isn’t an application that you can just use freely forever in the purely legal sense because it is in fact commercial software that is in fact meant to be purchased. Many people can and do treat it as free software, and some people continuously use it without paying because they don’t have the means to do so or other reasons.

Nobody is judging that, but to some degree, not having a license for the software while also complaining that you don’t have access to the one thing that the license actually alters about the software is the technological equivalent of a homeless person being unhappy that you gave him a sandwich because he wanted ham and not roast beef.

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#3

Also just to throw this out there for you and others, if your intention is to use Sublime 3 there is a possibility that you’ll need to talk to support. The license format changed with the advent of being able to bundle text and merge licenses together, and older builds of sublime won’t accept such a license.

I’m not sure offhand if newly purchased licenses will work with the last build or not. I suspect they will except for the bundled one but better safe than sorry. This would be a thing that support channels can undoubtedly help you with if you need, but it may be an extra step.

It’s worth pointing out that the update_check setting controls wether or not ST looks for updates, but on Linux if it finds one it just takes you to the download page, because on Linux it’s up to the package manager for the OS to look for and install upgrades.

So, buying a license isn’t going to do what you want because although you can change the setting, the OS’s package manager will still try to upgrade regardless. If that’s your only concern, turning off auto-updates generally for your OS or pinning the specific version of Sublime will do what you want.

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#4

Thank you re

Also just to throw this out there for you and others, if your intention is to use Sublime 3 there is a possibility that you’ll need to talk to support. The license format changed with the advent of being able to bundle text and merge licenses together, and older builds of sublime won’t accept such a license.

I’m not sure offhand if newly purchased licenses will work with the last build or not. I suspect they will except for the bundled one but better safe than sorry. This would be a thing that support channels can undoubtedly help you with if you need, but it may be an extra step

good to know

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#5

For what it’s worth it was confirmed by someone in the Discord that their new license works with ST3 ; I also know from experience that my bundled license does not, though (as such I keep my older license handy for those builds).

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