Thread

Hi there,

After having read through the license info at:
http://expressionengine.com/docs/license.html

I’m still a bit confused.

My understanding is that there are 2 versions of EE is this correct?

EE Core - A basic stripped back version of EE lacking some features
EE Personal / Commercial Licensed versions. Same version but different license agreement.

Now it mentions that each site requires an additional license purchase. From my understanding there is an addon module for multi-site management. Does this mean that although it will only be 1 installation of EE, I will still need additional licences if I choose to run another website from the same installation?

Is it any different if I run multiple sites using sub-domains instead of other domain names.
For example:
http://mazda.mycarsite.com/
http://toyota.mycarsite.com/

As oppose to:
http://www.mazdacarsite.com/
http://www.toyotacarsite.com/

I currently run a car community website that is very targeted niche using some Open Source Software. The site is successful in its own right, however it is not a profit making website.

I am hoping to use EE to build another community site targeted toward a larger demographic. I am hoping if all goes well I can start generating revenue from the site with advertising, but I expect that I will not be turning any profit from the site for a while, until it is established and has a member base. Would it be acceptable to buy EE on a personal license until such time as my community is large enough to warrant advertising on the site and hopefully starts to bring in an income stream? At which time upgrading to a commercial license shouldn’t be a problem and a justifiable cost.

Also once purchased I assume that I will be entitled to download a copy of EE for local development on my own PC, is there a limit to how many downloads I can make of the software? Or is this determined by membership period or yearly renewal?

I realise I’ve asked quite a few questions in the presales section, however I want to ensure that EE will be right for my needs.

Thanks again.
Gavin.

My understanding is that there are 2 versions of EE is this correct?

Well, almost. The code is the same in all cases, but there are a few modules that are not part of EE Core. Those that are, however, are exactly the same as the ones that ship with the “full” version.

Now it mentions that each site requires an additional license purchase.

Each installation requires one licence. Only logical, isn’t it? You can, however, run multiple sites off of one installation (and only need one licence), if they all belong to you.

Does this mean that although it will only be 1 installation of EE, I will still need additional licences if I choose to run another website from the same installation?

Only if you use the MSM, and then only after the third site.

Hi there,

After having read through the license info at:
http://expressionengine.com/docs/license.html

I’m still a bit confused.

My understanding is that there are 2 versions of EE is this correct?

EE Core - A basic stripped back version of EE lacking some features
EE Personal / Commercial Licensed versions. Same version but different license agreement.

That’s correct. EE Core may only be used to for Personal/non-profit sites or as a way to evaluate EE for commercial use.

Now it mentions that each site requires an additional license purchase.

EE requires a license per installation or unique owner. You don’t necessarily need a new EE license “per site.” You need a license for each installation or each unique client, business, person, etc… that needs their own website.

From my understanding there is an addon module for multi-site management. Does this mean that although it will only be 1 installation of EE, I will still need additional licences if I choose to run another website from the same installation?

The Multiple Site Manager lets you add “Additional Sites” to the same installation so long as they are owned by the same entity. So you don’t need more EE licenses in this scenario, you would purchase something called an Additional Site that lets you setup a new Site in an existing EE installation.

Is it any different if I run multiple sites using sub-domains instead of other domain names.
For example:
http://mazda.mycarsite.com/
http://toyota.mycarsite.com/

As oppose to:
http://www.mazdacarsite.com/
http://www.toyotacarsite.com/

The URL/domain makes no difference. In the MSM a “Site” refers to what is almost the equalivient of another EE install but managed through a single CP interface. There are some things that will be shared, like the Membership database, but most settings are completely unique. Its up to you to determine whether this “Site” is applied to a domain, sub-domain, or even an extension of the main url (example.com/siteA, example.com/siteB). You can review this in the User Guide.

I am hoping to use EE to build another community site targeted toward a larger demographic. I am hoping if all goes well I can start generating revenue from the site with advertising, but I expect that I will not be turning any profit from the site for a while, until it is established and has a member base. Would it be acceptable to buy EE on a personal license until such time as my community is large enough to warrant advertising on the site and hopefully starts to bring in an income stream? At which time upgrading to a commercial license shouldn’t be a problem and a justifiable cost.

If the purpose of the site is to make money you need a commercial license from the beginning.

Also once purchased I assume that I will be entitled to download a copy of EE for local development on my own PC, is there a limit to how many downloads I can make of the software? Or is this determined by membership period or yearly renewal?

Yes, in addition to the live installation of EE you can also have a local copy for your production environment at no extra charge. Every EE purchase comes with 1 free year of Download Account access to gives you access to the latest builds of the of version you own (1.x). There are no restrictions to the amount of times you can download EE. Well, there is a technical limit. We have a download throttle built in to prevent download scripts from just ripping down EE over and over again but most people never encounter this limit.

I realise I’ve asked quite a few questions in the presales section, however I want to ensure that EE will be right for my needs.

Ask away, its why we’re here! 😊

We always recommend trying before buying.

Fantastic I don’t think you guys could have been more precise.

I have downloaded EECore but haven’t played with it much yet. I do plan on getting more involved with it. I am currently using Wordpress on a personal blog and I think that EE would be a suitable replacement rather than updating Wordpress to v2.5 so that should get me more familiar with it.

Thanks,
Gavin.

Glad to hear it, Gavin. If you need help as you learn ExpressionEngine, don’t hesitate to stop by and post in the appropriate forum!