Polybench® Reference
Allows the user to view and (re-) activate a license for its software applications

License Activator

Overview

The software requires a license that you should have obtained from your distributor. Without the license, the software refuses to work. The License Activator lets you activate a new license.

For a description of steps that you have to take to activate a license, see here: "License activation wizard".

Details

What does the license do?

The license is a file that you obtain from your software distributor. It describes which functions you can use in your software and for how long.

The license makes it possible to limit the time you can use the software. By this means, your distributor may allow you to use the software only for a limited time period, so that you do not have to pay the full price of the software.
Also, part of the functionalities in the software may be switched off. If you do not require certain functionality, you do not have to pay for it.
Your software distributor is so able to fit the software to your needs, without requiring to provide you a complete new software installation. Another license would be enough.

Exactly how much the license can be personified to your needs, depends on the offerings your software distributor makes.

A license is always bound to one computer. If you want to use the software on another computer, then you need another license.

What do I get if I obtain a license?

The license consists of one large file that has the file name ending '.plic'. This file is not actually the license itself, but it contains the license.
You need to run the License Activator program to install and activate the license.

Warning for virus scanners: the license file is structured as an XML file. XML is a file format similar to HTML that is used to describe websites. The license file is actually partly readible. You can open it in a text editor (for example: in Notepad in Windows).
If you send this file in an email, which is commonly done, please take care that the received file is not empty. Some email virus scanners exist (outside your computer!) that may strip the contents of the file, because they mis-interpret the contents of the file as harmful. That is however incorrect; the license file only contains structured text and no executable code.

Am I allowed to copy the license file?

You may copy the license file you get to anywhere on your computer. You may also want to make a copy on a secure location; just in case your computer does not function anymore, then you would still have the license file.

If you would give a copy of the license file to a friend, then please note that if your friend activates the license, you cannot activate it anymore and you will have to buy a new one.

To conclude: you can make a hundred copies of the file; what counts is the activation.