Intel Visual Fortran Professional Edition - Pricing and Upgrades

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Back in December, when Intel Visual Fortran was announced, a Professional Edition that adds the IMSL* 5.0 libraries from Visual Numerics was described. Pricing was given as $1399 for a new purchase, or $849 if upgrading from CVF Pro (the upgrade was said to be a limited time offer.)

Since then, we have had users ask about upgrades from Intel Visual Fortran Standard Edition. It took a while to get the details straightened out, but we now have upgrades and pricing set. Resellers are just now learning about these, so please be patient with them if they haven't seen the changes yet.

Intel Visual Fortran Professional Edition has all the features of the Standard Edition and adds the IMSL 5.0 libraries from Visual Numerics. (CVF had IMSL 4.0). New features and enhancements in IMSL compared to CVF Pro include:

• Many new algorithms, including new statistical time series routines
• New interfaces available with optional arguments, allowing for greater control and simplified development (source compatible with existing programs)
• Dynamic Link Library now provided
• OpenMP and SMP support
• Support of Intel Math Kernel Library (purchased separately)for improved performance
• Includes no-charge run-time license for deployment on systems with no more than 4 CPUs
• Full technical support from Intel (in CVF, technical support was not included)

Pricing:

• New purchase: $1199 "sale" price through 6/30/2004, $1399 thereafter
• New academic purchase: $649
• Upgrade from CVF Professional Edition, $849 (available from resellers only, qualification done by resellers). This upgrade offer expires 6/30/2004.
• Upgrade from Intel Visual Fortran Standard: $700 through 6/30/2004, $900 thereafter (New option)

Each purchase includes one year of support and product updates at no additional charge. Support can be renewed for another yearthereafter for $649.

Academic upgrade pricingand floating licenses forthe Professional Editionare not available. Please contact Visual Numerics directly (Matt Prentice, mprentice@vni.com) to ask about other IMSL licensing options, including large-system run-time licenses.

Availability is expected to be on or about March 31, 2004. Initial availability will be download only, with CD product to follow a few weeks later.

As you will have noted, we have temporarily lowered the "new purchase" price for the Professional Edition. If you have already placed an order with a reseller at the higher price, please contact them to have the price adjusted.

Lastly, please note that the special $200 upgrade from CVF to Intel Visual Fortran Standard Edition expires 3/31/2004.

Please let me know if you have questions about any of the above.

Message Edited by sblionel on 03-10-2004 09:48 AM

[g_f_thomas]

It's quite easy to place restrictions on a would-be client of a DLL. Is the IMSL 5 DLL that comes with IVF Pro freely loadable by a nonIVF-developed app?

Ciao,
Gerry T.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

If you purchase Intel Visual Fortran Professional Edition and install the IMSL libaries, you may develop an application using IMSL and an any language you like - it does not have to be Fortran. The IMSL libraries do have a dependency on the Intel Fortran run-time libraries.

I have attached a copy of the IMSL license to this reply.

[halfant]

The renewal cost for 8.0 is $200/year. For 8.0 Pro the annual cost is $649 -- in other words, $449 justto continue getting IMSL updates.

If I upgrade to Pro now, in order to get IMSL 5.0, will I have an option a year later to choose the non-Pro $200 renewal? Will IMSL continue to work with non-Pro updates?

The Fortran renewals seem well worthwhile, given the agressive efforts to maintain and improve the compiler. But IMSL ought to be more stable and should not be changing very fast (unless they need to fix bugs introduced in 5.0 :-). Why would I want to more than triple my renewal costs just to have the latest IMSL tweak?

If down the road there's an IMSL 6.0 that's a signficant enhancement, then it would be nice to just pay an IMSL upgrade fee at the time. Has any thought been given to this?Might it, for example, bepossible to toggle between Pro and non-Pro renewals as the situation warrants?

[Steven_L_Intel1]

No, I don't think you will be able to "toggle" like that. We do expect to see IMSL updates and upgrades over time. Note that you're also getting support for IMSL - if you let your license lapse, you won't be able to file support requests as a supported customer anymore. You will also lose the ability to get compiler updates.

[halfant]

Steve,

I'd pretty much assumed toggling back and forth wouldn't fly, but I'm not sure you've answered the single-toggle question of my second paragraph -- if I upgrade now to Pro, can I purchase the $200 non-Pro renewal subsequently, or have I locked myself into the (much) higher annual renewal fee?

I understand that a non-Pro renewal would bar me from IMSL tech support, and I expect my existing IMSL libraries would work less well than those updated with bug fixes and rebuilt usingthe later compiler. I just want to know if this is even an option.

Thanks,

Matthew

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Ok, I see what you are getting at. You are thinking about renewing your existing Standard license for $200 in the future. Interesting question - one I don't have a ready answer to. I'll posit it to our marketing folks and see what they say.

[halfant]

---

sblionel wrote:

Ok, I see what you are getting at. You are thinking about renewing your existing Standard license for $200 in the future. Interesting question - one I don't have a ready answer to. I'll posit it to our marketing folks and see what they say.

---

Hi Steve,

Any feedback yet from your marketing group? Again, the concern is whether I can get IMSL without locking myself in to the higher annual renewal fee.

Thanks,
Matthew

[g_f_thomas]

"If you purchase Intel Visual Fortran Professional Edition and install the IMSL libaries, you may develop an application using IMSL and an any language you like - it does not have to be Fortran. The IMSL libraries do have a dependency on the Intel Fortran run-time libraries."

I got this from VNI:

"The IMSL Fortran version bundled with the Intel Visual Fortran compiler can
only be used with that compiler. The library nature of IMSL requires a
specific port to each individual compiler."

Am I right in assuming that if I get the IVF-specific IMSL DLL then I can use it with VC++ 6, for example, so long as the IVF rtl is accessible?

Also, Programmers Paradise Canada have catalog listings for IVF 8 Std and Pro, but not for an upgrade from Std 8 to Pro 8. Does this product have an Intel part/kit number or, even better, can it ordered directly from Intel?

Thanks,
Gerry T.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Here's the Programmer's Paradise link to the IVF Std-Pro upgrade. It is not available from Intel.

Yes, you should be able to use the IMSL DLL from C++ assuming the IVF DLLs are available.

[Zhanghong_T_]

Is there any Professional trial Edition? I have tried the Standard trial Edition and found it doesn't compatible with CVF6.6 fully. I don't know whether the Professional Edition has solved the problem.

Thanks,

Zhanghong Tang

[Steven_L_Intel1]

There is no trial of the Professional Edition. The only difference between that and the Standard Edition is the added IMSL libraries - the compiler and all else is identical.

If you're having compatibility issues, please let us know at Intel Premier Support - it is probably something we can help you with (or something fixed in an update.)

[g_f_thomas]

Thanks for the link. Having placed the order I get the instructions:

"The end-customer needs to go to
http://www.intel.com/software/products/registrationcenter/index.htm and
register the PURCHASE AUTH. SERIAL # to receive the product licensing
information - license key, FTP address site, install instructions - from Intel."

Said Registration Center has a login button which when clicked responds with the '403 Forbidden: Access Denied' blather.

What to do?

Gerry T.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

You need to first create an account, if you don't already have an Intel Premier Support or Registration Center account. That is done by starting in the "New Users" box on that page. Once you create an account, you can manage all your Intel licenses through it - that's also how you get to Intel Premier Support and obtain product updates.

[g_f_thomas]

ROTFL. I have had to create an Intel Premier Support account many times, 8 at a minimum but whose's counting.

It seems that the server was having a siesta when I dropped by and is now supplying the goods. By the size of it it's not merely IMSL but the whole shebang, undoubtedly requiring an inconvienent uninstall, backup, and reinstall.

BTW, how much of Intel Premier Support has been offshored so far?

Thanks,
Gerry T.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Well, yes, it is IMSL and the compiler, but what you can do, if you have a current standard edition is this. Run the EXE to unpack. It will bring you to a web page with TWO install links. Skip the one for the compiler and just install IMSL.

None of Premier Support has been "offshored", in that jobs have not been transferred out of the US. We have expanded local coverage in areas where we have lots of users, such as China and India, and also have support engineers in Germany (but not for Fortran.) We're looking to expand in Japan, as we don't have any local coverage there and need it. There is still a sizeable group in Hillsboro, Oregon, and other support engineers scattered around the US such as myself in New Hampshire. Someone is on duty around the clock, somewhere in the world.

Earlier this month we had a big get-together in Oregon; almost everyone was there and we did a lot of training that week on new technologies.

By the way, patches are coming to Fortran for Windows - in fact, I think the next update will be a patch rather than a full kit.

[Zhanghong_T_]

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for your reply. I don't know how to post my questions to Intel Premier Support. Need I register a user again? In fact, I have posted my questions in this forum:

http://softwareforums.intel.com/ids/board/message?board.id=5&message.id=8372

http://softwareforums.intel.com/ids/board/message?board.id=5&message.id=8678

Sincerely,

Zhanghong Tang

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Zhanghong ,

Premier Support is not for programming questions, which is what you have asked in the forum here. This forum is the right place for programming questions.

Use Premier Support if you think there is a bug in the compiler product. If you have registered your license with us, you created a Premier Support account at that time. Go to http://premier.intel.com/ to log in and submit support requests.

[g_f_thomas]

Thanks for the info. Installation went without a hitch. Patches are great but can liveupdate be far behind?

IMSL can interact with MKL but I don't see anything in the VNI docs on this. Perhaps it's transparent. I posted this to the MKL forum:

"I'm playing with the trial 6.1 at the moment but I gather that 7 will come in different editions one being 'gold'. What are the rest and how will they differ?"

but there doesn't appear to be anyone at home (that's what got me wondering about offshore support). MKL looks like it's well worth getting.

Ciao,
Gerry T.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

I'll see if I can kick the MKL folk under the table... I think it's one of the developers who is supposed to monitor the forum.

I'm at home right now and I forget how one uses MKL with IMSL. I'll find out and let you know.

[rbisco]

Steve,

I have a question regarding the upgrade. I have CVF 6.6 Pro and I am in the process of upgrading to IVF Pro. I understand I also need to buy C++.net standard to get the Visual Studio interface I'm used to have since the Microsoft Fortran Powerstation times.

If I also want to use VB to write GUI's for my fortran number-crunching codes, should I buy VB.net standard (which would be enough to write my simple GUI's) or do I need the whole .NET Pro package?

Years ago I used to do mixed-language programming using VB and Fortran and I could nicely have them both under Visual Studio and sort of debug them together. Is this still possible? And if so, do I need .NET Pro or C++.net standard and VB.net standard are enough?

Hope this is clear enough.

Roberto

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Intel Visual Fortran has no dependencies on VB. Buy whichever edition meets your needs. You will need VC++.NET Standard at a minimum.