Some CAD vendors claim to be your partners. As I sat through Autodesk University keynotes and watched the disclaimer notice displayed by the 30-foot screen, it struck me that no CAD vendor is your partner.
(Having the don't-count-on-us-for-anything disclaimer sung by an Elvis impersonator made the meaning of the words more clear: whatever relationship you perceive is only an impersonation.)
A partnership is about sharing the risk, whether in marriage or in business; CAD vendors, however, are interested only in getting their share of your profits. They use extensive legal language to immunize themselves against the downside of partnerships: sharing in your losses.
Ergo: the CAD vendor is not your partner.
