Software vendors are functioning as what are called application server providers. That is, the vendor is providing the application, which resides on its server. The engineers are merely accessing the application. They don't own it or use it under an annually renewed license. Calif. In February, his company introduced e.visualNastran, an Internet-based version of the company's program, which lets users perform integrated dynamic motion and finite element analysis simulations on design assemblies.
Users go to the company's Web site, where they can subscribe to the software.
At the Web site, they can choose to license the software for a set amount of time. After subscribing, they go to the site each time they want to use the software and click on an icon. That boots up the software and the user's individual home page, also maintained on the vendor's server. Though the e.visualNastran software appears to be running on the users' computers, the screen is framed by the user's browser because the application is accessed via the Internet. The ability to buy monthly term licenses cuts costs considerably for engineering companies that may plan to use the program for a short time, Lozofsky said.